new 290 gal tank. noob questions

sh4n

sh4n

Member
i have a 290 gal 6ft fish tank thats second hand, will i need to do a cycle before adding fish? it has a refugium with a deep sand bed (that was kept wet) and live rock in the sump
i was told to add 10kg live rock every week so i only get mini cycles instead of large ones, should i just do it all at once since theres no fish in the tank at all? (sorry i still dont fully understand the cycles (yes i have tried to reseach it)
will 2 x 300 w heaters be ok?
What are some nice looking easily kept reef safe fish? ( i currently have a blue tang, red corris wrasse and 2 clowns in my old tank)
any advice for putting rocks in my tank? the tank is 2.5f tall and my arms are prettty short :D i dont want to drop them on the ground, is there a special item to buy thats long for this?
 
1guydude

1guydude

Well-Known Member
since u have no fish or any inverts...just put all the rock in at once so u dont add more later, causing the cycles to continue!
U can get a grabber arm/ big tongs or tweezers for ur short arms! LOL
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
They also make scoopers, sand sifters, acrylic and glass scrapers with long handles. I'm assuming the dimensions of your tank is 72"x30x30H? That comes to about 280g or called a 280Tall.
Good luck with it. Are you going to be drilling for a closed loop? What kind of overflow are you going to use, internal, external?
 
sh4n

sh4n

Member
yes it has a closed loop and a internal weir. sorry if i said that wrong im still learning all this new equipment!!
ok lets make myself clear my head is so confused.
1: Add Shrimp from supermarket
2: few days later add all live rock (from petstore) that i want
3: weeks etc later when all the cycle has completed add live rock from my already established tank(about 25-30kg (66lbs) (its been in there for a year now)
does that sound ok? I appreciate the help!
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
Not sure being in Australia, but if you can get dry base rock, you can use this along with your established live rock. This usually saves money and shortens your cycle a little. (nothing dead on it to cause ammonia)
If you buy live rock from the store, find out if its been cycled there or if its raw from the ocean. I would dip any new rock in high SG water to get rid of any unwanted hitchhikers. (bad crabs) In such a lrg tank it would be hard to get them out after you have added them to the tank. If its not already cycled then you would not need the raw shrimp. The new rock should be enough to kick in a cycle. You could just ghost feed the tank with flake food.
T
 
sh4n

sh4n

Member
hi teresa.
my LFS told me that there rock comes directly from the ocean. i have already purchased some shrimp so i dont want it to go to waste, could i add the new live rock and the shrimp or will that be to much? thanks
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top