new tank question sorry i am new

[ichiromariners]

if i am going to put live sand and rock into a new tank should i get the water and salt mixed and test salinity before i put in live rock and sand of after?

 

[a&m aggie 04']

you should get the water the way you want it then put the rock in.
Id buy aragonite sand and seed it with live sand. Put the aragonite sand down before you add water. Then after dust storm clears add live rock and live sand.

 

[ohscc]

Here is how you can do it. First add your base sand (not live sand) and make sure you rinse it out good to get all the dust out of it so the sand won't cloud up your tank. Then mix the salt and RO or RO/DI water in container and pour it in slowly. After you get salt level between 1.021-1.025 depending if you want a reef tank or FO then you are ready to add your live rock if you want to cycle your tank with uncured live rock. If you do cycle with live rock the dieoff from the organisms on the rock will cycle your tank. However I go with the shrimp method to cycle my tanks, which is to add a dead grocery store shimp(about 1 for every 20 gals or so) and let the tank do the rest until hte cycle is complete and then remove the rest of the dead shimp. Now you are ready to add your live sand to seed the dead sand and the live rock will have much less die off (I like cured)and shouldn't cause another cycle. You are ready to add the fish or corals you want after your tank is established and stable. The cycle should take between 2 weeks to a month. Good luck. And remember to ask questions if you are unsure and it will make you into a sucessful reefer.

 

[slothy]

and be very Patient !!!

 

[ichiromariners]

do i just put the live sand right on top of the dead sand or mix them together? do i do this before cycle or after cycle?

 

[ohscc]

Put the live sand on top of the dead sand... if you bury the live sand it will die also. Add the live sand after the cycle so the cylce doesn't kill some of the organisms in the live sand. And yes be very patient.

 

[wamp]

You can mix the sand. It will not die if you put it on the bottom.
You can also put the sand in before the cycle, Thats when it should go in anyway.

 

[wrassecal]

Try this
deep sand bed: how to