need help before i go to my lfs tomorrow

[freeborder_01]

i got a 5.5gallon a penguin filter for up to 50gallon tank it filters 200gph, and i got the coralife 9" compact lights. I'm planning on getting a 25w heater and 6 gallons of salt water to fill the tank and 5 gallons of fresh for topping off, some 50/50 sand and a few pounds of live rock, also a hydrometer/thermometer
do i need anything else? also how much lr/sand would you recommend. I want like a 1 inch base of sand the dimensions are 16" 8" 10" i think.
thanks for the help

 

[happitylogan]

6lbs ls. 6-10lbs lr. the more lr the better... you'll only need like 4 gallons of sw if your getting your lr and ls. My 8g only took 5.5-6 gallons when i first filled it

 

[freeborder_01]

ugh stupid me, i totally forgot to account for the rock and sand >.<! well that makes me happy because it saves me a trip to the grocery store to get a 1 gallon jug.
Thanks for the info on the sand i wasnt sure how much to buy
and i was thinking 5-8 pounds of lr but ill see how much i can get i dont wanna put too much rock buti have a mental idea of the aquascaping so ill figure it out.
do i need anything to start the cycle or will it go naturally, also would you recommend buying the live bacteria to speed up the process? I'm in no rush but the sooner the better, however i wont be putting anything in until my water tests come back perfect

 

[nanomantis]

Seachem's Stability is relativly inexpensive and it is a good product. In my experience it cuts most cycles in about half. On top of that you could always buy some mysis shrimp and let a little bit rot in the tank to speed it up.

 

[freeborder_01]

hmm ill check that out, im very low budget for the time being since im in college and dont currently have a job so i need to be as low budget as possible.

 

[subielover]

Don't waste your money on chemicals to speed up the process, just let it cycle naturally.

 

[spanko]

+1 put the live rock and sand and water in the tank and let it cycle. Check your ammonia level daily so you know when the spike happens. when you see it going up start checking nitrites too. Stop checking both when they both have gone up and then back down to zero.

 

[freeborder_01]

i know how to to tell when a cycle starts, ive tested a LOT of water working at a lfs so thats all good. Thanks for all the help guys.
Going to my lfs at 4pm to get everything will post pics of it all filled and ready to go tonight