PLEASE help im new home depot sand and other ?'s

[peckhead]

hey i am using my sisters name to get help here she got me hooked like crack on this fish stuff so i just set up my 32 gal with a aqua clear 300 filter and a heater i am working on getting my salt level to normal i also have a power head keeping my 6 gal tank alive with a damsel so my prob is i went and got home depot sand and cleanded it with the hose but just sprayed it in the bag not real good but got all of it rinsed i added it and then i put some live rock in to start the cycle is this ok??? also i went and got 10 lbs. of live sand too i am worried that i did not do the home depot sand it is old castle that i have read is good on here is it really thanks for all you help

 

[copernicus45]

Old castle sand work great its and aragonite based sand that is great for reef aquariums, same stuff that they sell at LFS for $20+. IMO cycling a tank with a damsel is very bad, its like torturing the fish, nothing beats just live rock to cycle the tank, Cylcing with fish is burning away at the fish.

 

[rackyrane]

Hi,
I don't know if you want to use play sand. There is a whole link about this from 12/19/06 started by nattybug33 in the new hobbyists forum. I don't know how to attach the file or I would. Hope this helps!

 

[phixer]

https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/244421/is-play-sand-safe

 

[peckhead]

yes i have had that and got the sand they say is ok also its been 24 hours and it is starting to clear up alot my damsel is not in my tank with it cycling i have a 6 gal. that has been cycled if i were to do that for the 32 gal i would get a molly they are great any one got a good fish list

 

[copernicus45]

pair of clowns would be nice, and maybe a pistol shrimp and goby pair.
The old castle sand you have peckhead is ideal

 

[ophiura]

Originally Posted by peckhead
yes i have had that and got the sand they say is ok also its been 24 hours and it is starting to clear up alot my damsel is not in my tank with it cycling i have a 6 gal. that has been cycled if i were to do that for the 32 gal i would get a molly they are great any one got a good fish list

Just use a bunch of fish food, a piece of shrimp, or something. Please do not use fish.
Is this 32g a hexagon? If so, it will greatly limit the fish you can keep in it.

 

[renogaw]

i'd suggest also that you create your own name on the boards, its not that difficult. but it would cause a lot less confusion when you and your sister are asking for help.

 

[peckhead]

no it is not a hex. it is about 3-4 feet long. the live rock belongs to my sister who has a tank that is already cycled. what should i do if i get diatoms on her rock? if she puts the lr in her tank will they go away or will they spread because she already had a diatom outbreak after cycling.

 

[peckhead]

its hard to get a name when u only have a hotmail address and it wont let me

 

[peckhead]

and when curing live rock does all the die off come off the rock? should i shake it off every couple of days?

 

[renogaw]

Originally Posted by peckhead
its hard to get a name when u only have a hotmail address and it wont let me
make a yahoo email address. or make a second hotmail email. both offer free email.

 

[peckhead]

it wont allow u to make an account with a hot mail address

 

[renogaw]

Originally Posted by peckhead
it wont allow u to make an account with a hot mail address
didn't know that. but your ISP should allow you to have more than one email though.
it was only a suggestion to help people keep the two of you seperate so we don't get confused on who is asking for help.

 

[ugluk]

While looking at another thread about the sand they talked a lot about cleaning the sand. How exactly do you clean sand?? Thanks.

 

[copernicus45]

you can put the sand in a 5g bucket and add water to the bucket, then pour off the milky looking water, if you repeat this enough your sand wont get the whole tank cloudy when you add it.
IMO you dont need to rinse the sand unless you are adding it to a pre-established tank.