Need help with LR and LS

[cgronko]

Hey everyone,
I am ready to cycle my new 55 gallon tank. I havent bought my LS or LR yet. I was going to set up a FOWLR. I was wondering how much LR i should buy for a 55 gallon. Also is LS needed for my tank? Would it be ok to just use a recommended base sand. If not how much live sand would i need to purchase to seed the base sand? One last question... am i supposed to add the LR and LS while the tank is cycling or do i wait till the nitrite is down before i add it? I know about the curing process and have read up on everything else. This is the only part im not totally positive about. Thanks for all your help!

 

[blesum]

I can't really answer any of your questions but since your post is sinking to the bottom without a response, I thought I'd give it a kick back to the top as I'm interested in the answers too.
I can however answer one of your questions. No, you don't need live sand if your other filtration is good enough. But it's a good idea to use live sand - supposedly helps a whole bunch.
-Blesum
P.S. What does a FOWLR stand for? It's been bothering me all week...

 

[cgronko]

Fish only with live rock

 

[maeistero]

to answer your question nonchalantly, it doesn't matter. there's people on the site that do barebottoms all the way up to 5-6" sandbeds. as for lr, well some people use as little as 15lbs in a 55 and others pack as much as they can. i think that the more lr you use the faster your tank will cycle and consider lr is the best filter as well.
in my 55 i used 100lbs lr and i believe it was 40lbs sand. may have been a lot more sand, but i was going for about a 3" bed for my engineer goby to play with. keep in mind that different rock has different density that will affect the weight vs size.
you really just have to decide on your fish first. if you're going aggressive then you'll need more tank space than lr or deep sandbed. if you're going reef you want as much rock as looks good so you can attach things everywhere. if you want to do a few smaller reef safe fish, then you don't have to go so low/high with your rock. if you've been reading the aggressive threads at all (i hope) realize you'll need a bigger tank for some fish.
hope that helps a little!

 

[cgronko]

i was looking to put some clowns with a cardinal, dottyback, yellow tang and a goby. A peaceful tank with smaller fish and no coral.

 

[turningtim]

FOWLR= Fish only with live rock. If you go reef rule of thumb is 1-1.5lbs LR per gallon. I had a DSB in my 55 and took most of it out. You lose just to much room in that small a tank.
JMO
HTH
Tim

 

[maeistero]

i think you're starting off right with that combo. you could do at least 75lbs of lr with that if you have the money. since your not doing anything big or aggressive i personally would put 100-120 with lots of hiding places for the fish. the more you do the steadier your levels will stand. natural filter. just make sure the rock is firmly seated on the bottom. i had a rock fall on my engineer goby because i thought it was secure. the tank's right next to my computer, so luckily i got it right then and there. lots of people advocate deeper sandbeds, but i think they collect too much detrius. search up on it and you may become a fan?
imho

 

[maeistero]

oh and a piece of advice on lr!
i don't know your lighting, but don't buy the most beautiful looking rock you see. they'll charge you out the wahoo for it. look more for the duller ones with the shapes, sizes and holes you want. it'll grow later when your tank is cycled and well-lit anyways. when i first started i bought a hugely expensive rock which DID cycle my tank really quick (3 weeks), but it was because of the die-off as i didn't want to do the shrimp thing.