Ok getting ready to start.

[maxx]

Hi there. Ok I know I said Im starting my tank on teh 5th but I got held back by some bills. Anyways. Right now I have a 60 gallon tank, acrylic, aquasystem (built in filter) I ordered my lights today (2 96 watt pc fixtures) with one 10,000k bulb and a 03 Actinic bulb. Right now I have freshwater in a tank with a few goldfish, with about 1"-2" of reef sand. I have 2 powerheads plus the one that comes from the pump. My temp averages between 77-80 degrees (with no heater on) When my lights get here I was going to then purchase a test kit, then add my salt then 45 pounds of LR. Am I doing good so far? Should I do something different than I already am?? Like I said its getting down to crunch time so I need some final advice. Thanks for the help
Maxx

 

[maxx]

So your saying that what the LFS's around here told me is all wrong?? They said its a good idea to use goldfish in freshwater to start good bacteria in the water. *sigh*. Damn it. Ok well I'll keep you posted.
Maxx

 

[andymi]

I think the first thing to remember is that many of the LFS have inexperienced people working there who dont know much about the hobby. I would recommend you read a lot before doing anything with your tank and make your own decisions or find someone experienced you can trust. You will find 5 different ways to do the same thing in this hobby, and if you don't stick to a specific method you will spend more money than you really want to. Always research before you buy anything..and be patient.
--andy

 

[tbmoore]

I was out of the hobby for a while and just got back in first of April so tank is just now starting to look right. I was inpatient and it did cost me some bucks. Ended up buying some stuff twice,or taking back some stuff. Why goldfish? There are some cheap saltwater fish you could have used. Damsels...even though some folks do not like them..they are hearty and fairly cheap. The only other thing I thought worked was putting in about half the live rock when you put the sand in and it should help the process. I know everytime I added more live rock I kept getting another spike. Each time a little less but still a spike. The more rock I had already in the tank the less the spike. I feel that is because even if the rock was cured it still died off some in transfer and had to recure to some extent. This will also give you time to look for hidden critters you do not want and get them out like rock anominies (spelling- sorry). You might also want to run a phosphate sponge durning this time to keep down on algae and put in some clean up crew to help the process. Good luck and go slow..It will save you money in the long run. terry

 

[flydan]

Hey,
I think JWT gave you some sound advise. The ONLY thing I would question is the amount of lr to use. Is this going to be a FOWLR or a reef tank? If it's a reef you could go with 100lbs of lr easily. (I used 1/2 base rock, either tufa or lace, and 1/2 good lr on top just to cut down on cost.) The base rock will become lr, it just takes a while. Anyway, I have a 55gal with 112+lbs of rock.
Good luck, and go s-l-o-w...
Take care,
Dan'l