Newbie...still confused???

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trasler

Guest
ok..this is what i have. I bought a corner tank close approximate dimentions are tank hieght 29" width 55" and depth 36" so the guy I boght it from said it was 100 to 120 gallons, the aquarium store said 140 gallon so still not sure total gallons. It has a wet/dry trickle filter that were guessing to be about 30 gallons with bio balls and some filters also have heater down there. came with small light. In the tank is 60 lbs live marine white sand and app. 20 lbs live rock...so far. I have just ordedred and will recieve this week 300watts of retro fit lighting (because this has a canopy w/ about 5 inch clearance) a protein skimmer for up to 180 gallon, and 2 powerheads for upto1200gph. Also looking into buying some more lighting, blue and white LED (I have not ordered these yet.) The tank has been cycling for 2 weeks now. Tested the amonia and it is at 1.0. last week was 1.3 ph level last week was 8.6
My question is what next? What else do I need? When do I add plant and fish? I am confused, some people say add fish and plants to help the cycling process along....so do i add hardy fish and plants now or after 3 weeks 6 weeks, more live rock first? I am confused....Everyone seems to have a different opion and I just want whats best for my FIsh and corals in the long run. I want this to be a coral reef fish tank.! Please any help would be appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!THanks for any help!
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
For now don't do anything but continue to test your water.
Ammonia will rise..then drop...nitrites will rise..then drop..nitrates...well you get the pic
When all your water levels are staying at 0...you sill start with a clean up crew of sort...ex (snails)...you have plenty of time to research and read in the mean time...
There is a thread aimed at new hobbyists at the top of this section...read it...and then read it again...also IMO it is a good thing to read lots of threads by other people.
You will learn a lot that way.
WELCOME TO THE HOBBY OF SW
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
Hi and welcome.
Are you going to add more live rock? if so are you buying pre cycled rock from lfs or ordering it to be shipped?
How about some pictures
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trasler

Guest
yes i am going to add more live rock and probally some dry. (live rock very expensive spent $105 on 15 lbs) so it will take some time. and yes i buoght the live (cured rock from the store.
 
blenny

blenny

Member
Imo. This is how i started.i gathered the amount of sand i wanted, And the amount of L/R i wanted, along with all the equipment i needed.
Set the tank up and let it run. then testing the water regularly when i noticed the ammonia at 0 i added 2 crabs.and did a patcal water change . let that go a bit , now my tank has been up about 3 months now and no fish, No rush. i finally got my nitrate to 0.05 ammonia 0.00 phosphate 0.00 and i haded my 1st 2 fish. now I'm going to wait awhile longer to see how every things doing before i go to the next step,Because if you rush it can get costly if you loose stuff.
 
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trasler

Guest
Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3065158
For now don't do anything but continue to test your water.
Ammonia will rise..then drop...nitrites will rise..then drop..nitrates...well you get the pic
When all your water levels are staying at 0...you sill start with a clean up crew of sort...ex (snails)...you have plenty of time to research and read in the mean time...
There is a thread aimed at new hobbyists at the top of this section...read it...and then read it again...also IMO it is a good thing to read lots of threads by other people.
You will learn a lot that way.
WELCOME TO THE HOBBY OF SW
I read that thread...it said add plants during the cycling process....?
 
T

trasler

Guest
ALSO>>> anyone have an idea on the gallons by my dimensions? And is this going to be enough lighting or when i add another 100watts of leds?
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by trasler
http:///forum/post/3065170
I read that thread...it said add plants during the cycling process....?
Well there are not a lot of sw plants available anyway....so IMO I wouldn't add anything. You can buy what they call base rock cheaper, and add it with your lr, and eventually it will become live..(so they say
)
Also In my opinion...it is best to start cycling with your sand and LR at the same time...Just seems to save you from having issues later.
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
There a couple places to buy nice dry rock for about 2 bucks a lbs. This will become alive soon enough. I purchased some last yr that was nice.
By plants do you mean corals or macro algea.
Nothing should be added to your tank until the cycle is done. can you copy and paste where it told you to add during a cycle??
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nina&noah

nina&noah

Member
Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3065177
%
Also In my opinion...it is best to start cycling with your sand and LR at the same time...Just seems to save you from having issues later.
+1 on this....If you cycle your tank and then add more live rock you could end up restarting the cycle which would cause your tank to crash. It would depend on how much LR you added at a time. It is expensive, but worth the intitial expense to do it right in the beginning.
 
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trasler

Guest
This means, at first, you may only add some plants. After about two weeks, add a few hardy fish which are tolerant of changing water conditions. You should start with fewer fish than your aquarium can hold, then add any additional fish over a period of weeks, allowing the ecosystem in the aquarium to readjust (recycle) in between. Each step needs to be gradual so the bacteria have enough time to multiply and break down the increasing amount of waste products.
Here's that thread. See why I'm confused....
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
If you plan on purchasing live rock or even base rock in the future, its better to set up a lrg rubbermaid tub with a powerhead to cure the rock before it enters your tank. Its also good not to add too much at one time once your tank is cycled.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
This is Lion Crazz's tip #34.....I can not find the plant thread....
34. THE FIRST THING IN YOUR NEW TANK (ONCE IT IS CYCLED) SHOULD BE A CLEAN-UP CREW. Before any fish enters your tank, you should definitely get a clean-up crew. Once your tank’s ammonia and nitrite spike and come back down to 0, you need to get a beginner clean-up crew to get a lot of the detritus out. A clean-up crew consists of snails, hermit crabs, and maybe a crab or even a shrimp, depending on your nitrate levels. If your nitrate levels are extremely high (above 40), you need to do a water change before ANYTHING into the tank.
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
Originally Posted by trasler
http:///forum/post/3065191
This means, at first, you may only add some plants. After about two weeks, add a few hardy fish which are tolerant of changing water conditions. You should start with fewer fish than your aquarium can hold, then add any additional fish over a period of weeks, allowing the ecosystem in the aquarium to readjust (recycle) in between. Each step needs to be gradual so the bacteria have enough time to multiply and break down the increasing amount of waste products.
Here's that thread. See why I'm confused....
what section is that in
 
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trasler

Guest
I just looked at the plant i was thinking was a plant and they are actually gorgonian....not algae
 
teresaq

teresaq

Active Member
ok, that thread is like 4 yrs old. Read thru the one i gave you. Much newer and was written by one of the mods here.
T
 
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