Newbie Here with a really stupid question..Please help if you can :-)

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ann&mel

Guest
Thanks..I dont feel quite so stupid now :) The base rock...can this be any rock? I have a very pretty piece I got at the LFS store for the freshwater tank...Very porous but not sure what kind of rock it is...The piece hubby got is a 15.4 lb piece...It is very pretty..It was 6 bucks a pound..The hitchhickers...can you actually see them? I cant see anything...in the live sand either...it looks like there are little burrows in it but not sure if that from set up or little creatures making thier way around.... I had planned to do a water change next wed.. 1 week after set up...Still...will the levels change without any fish/shrimp...to start the nitrate levels? Or will the live rock and sand do that?
 
dapaman

dapaman

New Member
I'm in Mobile too.....and we have a 300 watt heater in our 75 gallon. Our tank is fairly new, but has been set up through the "winter months". It is set at the lowest setting. Actually, we had to put a fan in our canopy, and possibly need another one.....the lights are pretty warm and our tank was staying around 82-84 before we put the fan in. So, to answer your question, based on our climate, you should be ok with the 200.
ANd, as far as the LR...is it at the only LFS that sells swf? If so, are you aware of their monthly specials?
 
A

ann&mel

Guest
Oh yeah...the base rock...doesnt it have to cycle or cure as well? We were trying to cut down the cycle time with the already cured rock....I am already seeing prices are much cheaper online than LFS..but So far the LFS here I use, has been pretty helpful and so far knowledgable about the SW tank...They have a killer tank set up that sold me...That adorable little Nemo fish in his little anenome....A goldfish will never do it for me again! lol
 
A

ann&mel

Guest
Well howdy neighbor! Yes...I go there alot..I am a shih tzu breeder ( not listed yet) and I get alot of supplies there..Hubby totally threw me with wanting this piece of LR..I was thinking getting a few small peices and add as we go...20-30 worth a week...But I got to admit..this piece is really nice...it still only comes halfway up the tank though..Yeah.I think the 200 should be fine for now..I dont have any HO lights...I dont plan on getting the corals ect until wya down the road and I know what Im doing...Id hate to kill anything! Have you gotten any really good deals with thier specials? The Instant Ocean I wanted yesterday was already sold out by 10 am....:-( bummer...
 
dapaman

dapaman

New Member
jdragunas.....how much experience do you have with the DIY live rock? Approx. how long before the LR spreads to the DIY? Does it depend on the ratio of LR to DIY? We are using the calcium supplements, heard that should help the proliferation. Thanks
 
dapaman

dapaman

New Member
LOL, hey neighbor yourself!

On the thrid friday of every month, you buy 2 lb of lr, get one free. ALso, if you are a VIP member, you get 10% off purchase. Since you have the cute pups and are there alot, you probably already knew that. Also, get on their e-mail list, if you are not already.
Every little bit helps! We got an e-mail with a sale on coral....gonna try our first one! Wish us luck.
PS-we don't have halide lights, we have the pc and still the temp is warm!
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
the base rock doesn't have to do any kind of cycle or cure because there's nothing living or dead on it. By saying "dead" rock, we don't mean LR that's dead, we mean rock that's never been live. The only time you ever need to cure LR is when you buy the LR. If it's at a LFS, you should only have to cure it for a few days, as there shouldn't be too much die-off. If you buy it online and they ship it to you, there will be a good amount of die-off, and that's why you need to let it cure. So all of the dead stuff on the rock will fall off, and the rock will stop producing ammonia.
Now as far as whether or not you need to add a shrimp to kick off the cycle, that depends on the LR. If the LR is fully cured (meaning nothing on it is dead/dying), you will have to put in a shrimp to kick off the cycle. Also, if that's the case, your cycle won't last as long as it normally would. However, if the LR is uncured (meaning there is dead/dying things on it), you may not have to add shrimp. IMO, you should wait for about a week, and test the water for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. If you show any of the above, that means there's die-off on the LR, and you probably don't need to add a shrimp (if you want to play it safe, you could add a shrimp to make sure your tank cycles fully and properly).
as far as a anemone, i'm sure you'll research it before you get it, but most anemones need MH lighting (metal halide), and those setups run about $300-$700... so make sure you DO NOT buy an anemone until you have that kind of lighting (you could probably get away with not-so-intense lighting, but i wouldn't risk it... if an anemone dies, it releases toxins into the water which will kill your fish as well...) Also, the tank should be established for at least 6 months (meaning after the cycle, when you add fish... 6 months after that) before adding an anemone or other corals.
Even though your LFS may seem knowledgable, don't always trust them until you know for sure they know what they're talking about. Check what they say on here, and if it all consistantly matches up, you should be good.
do you understand just how the cycle works, and what it's for?
sorry to ramble, but i like to make sure to inform all newbies of everything i did wrong when i setup my tank... i wish i had someone like that
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
Originally Posted by dapaman
jdragunas.....how much experience do you have with the DIY live rock? Approx. how long before the LR spreads to the DIY? Does it depend on the ratio of LR to DIY? We are using the calcium supplements, heard that should help the proliferation. Thanks
i've never done DIY LR, but there are people in the DIY forum that do... i do know it takes a lot of trial and error to get it right, so it might be a lot cheaper to buy ready-made base rock.
The time it takes for the LR to spread does depend on the ratio. If you have 80% base rock, it'll take longer because you have more base rock to cover. If you only have 50%, it'll take less time. It took my tank about 6 months to see color on my base rock... but it was definatley worth saving money!
Also, fyi, don't ever add any supplement/additive unless you test for that first. Otherwise, your water parameters are out of wack. It's good that you want to have proper calcium levels, but if they're too high, you'll get calcium build-up, and it'll stress your fish out. So those "mineral" supplements, don't ever add them. Your salt mix will have enough of those elements... and that's why you should do water changes. Not only to reduce nitrates, but to replace depleting minerals.
 
dapaman

dapaman

New Member
Oh, our LFS told us the supplments were needed for the LR....(maybe it's not calcium, its a liquid that we have to add in two parts, my husband takes care of all that...
) So, in your opinion that stuff is not necessary? What about all the stuff they tell you you need to add to the water once add corals? Don't have corals yet.....
 
A

ann&mel

Guest
All the wonderful info!
LMAO...no I actually didnt know about the buy 2 get 1 free deal...With my pups I usuall have a hard time getting past the cute little dog outfits! Im hopeless :hilarious ....any way..I will most definatly keep that in mind for our future purchases....
I am familiar witht he cycle and the definate need for it. I will check the water levels in a few days to see where Im at and then decide if I nedd to add the shrimp...Also the test kits I have been looking at dont include calcium and such...Is there 1 good kit that has all the tests needed? I like the all in 1 kinda stuff...:)
Best of luck on the new addition neighbor! :cheer:
 
mr_bill

mr_bill

Active Member
Another good thing to have handy in this hobby is some kind of digital camera. A picture is worth 1000 ... well you know the rest. About this 100.00 chunk of rock.. does it have something interesting growing on it, and about how big is it? A giant 40-50 pounder could easily cost that much or even more depending on the shape.
 
A

ann&mel

Guest
"gulp" 40 or 50 pounds? This one is only 15.4....
It has some cool pink and green and deep purple stuff on it..Not sure what it is...What should it have? I could get a picture later this evening...I feel a big "im an idiot" moment comin up...
on the other hand...the hubby did not me! lmao
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
this is one thing you shouldn't listen to your LFS on. it's true that the hard algae (mostly purple) is a calcium-based algae and will use up the calcium in your tank, but NEVER add anything to your tank without testing it first. Having too high calcium leves will cause your PH to go off, and that'll stress your fish out. I've never added anything to my tank, and my levels are always dead on. Those additives for corals are a load of bullhockey as well... it's just a way to get you to spend $20 more. Your salt mix has all of those required minerals and elements and when you do a water change you replace the minerals that were used during that month or 2 weeks.
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
they have dip test stick, which are good for just a quick glance, but don't trust them that much. and if you use them, don't dip it directly into the tank.
Also remember that your test kits can be wrong. I've heard from many people on this forum that Red Sea brand test kits tend to give false readings (saying there's 50ppm nitrates when there's really 0). The best brand to get is Salifert. This site sells them. They're a little pricier than most others, but it's worth it.
 
mr_bill

mr_bill

Active Member
Originally Posted by jdragunas
Those additives for corals are a load of bullhockey as well... it's just a way to get you to spend $20 more. Your salt mix has all of those required minerals and elements and when you do a water change you replace the minerals that were used during that month or 2 weeks.

Yep Yep

I actually killed my first anemone with a calcium additive when I first started because I wanted super purple rocks. Don't try this at home, but after reading some about the additives I tested the liquid calcium by putting a drop on my finger and then tasting it.... ya it burns! Frequest water changes are the way to go!!
 
dapaman

dapaman

New Member
Originally Posted by jdragunas
this is one thing you shouldn't listen to your LFS on. it's true that the hard algae (mostly purple) is a calcium-based algae and will use up the calcium in your tank, but NEVER add anything to your tank without testing it first. Having too high calcium leves will cause your PH to go off, and that'll stress your fish out. I've never added anything to my tank, and my levels are always dead on. Those additives for corals are a load of bullhockey as well... it's just a way to get you to spend $20 more. Your salt mix has all of those required minerals and elements and when you do a water change you replace the minerals that were used during that month or 2 weeks.
Wow, that's good to know. I am reading up on corals, we want to add one. As I said earlier, my husband does the tank maintenance, so I don't know exactly the specs of the equipment we have, but we I know our lights will support corals, we have a 75 gallon with a protien skimmer, powerheads and a filter with the bioballs. As far as livestock, we have a perc. clown, a coral beauty, 4 green chromis and a yellow watchman goby. Also have blue legged hermits and turbo snails. We have LR, don't know how much cause we have DIY in there too. Also we have about 150 lb of LS. Tank has been up since late august/early september. Last time the parameters were checked, everything was ok.
So, you sugggest no additives/supplements/minerals??? :cheer: Boy that will save lots of $$
What type of coral do you suggest for a newbie? Our LFS has a 'colt coral" on sale for 19.00, says it is an easy keeper. How are they fed?
Thanks for any advice!
 
A

ann&mel

Guest
Ok Im gonna try to add these pictures...Please let me know if you think this is worth 100 bucks..Sorry if its kinda fuzzy...Batteries were low :)


 
mr_bill

mr_bill

Active Member
Originally Posted by Ann&Mel
Ok Im gonna try to add these pictures...Please let me know if you think this is worth 100 bucks..Sorry if its kinda fuzzy...Batteries were low :)



You'll have to either upload those pictures to a picture hosting website or use the "manage attachments" button option to attach them to your posts.
 
A

ann&mel

Guest
My bad...My pop up blocker was workin too well. I think I got it now :)
 
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