started new aquarium

[izzy69]

ok so im a newb when it comes to saltwater. and i know that u need live rock in a aquarium for biological filtration. i want to do a FOWLR tank that im doing for my daughter(and myself dont get me wrong i love fish)...anyways i guess my first question is that....Do u need all of the rock first introduced to be live or can u say use 20lbs of live and the rest dry for a 55 gal setup????
Another thing is if u can, do u still need to cycle the tank or will it be ok not to.... and put lets say 2 clowns in there to start???

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by izzy69 http:///t/389900/started-new-aquarium#post_3449041
ok so im a newb when it comes to saltwater. and i know that u need live rock in a aquarium for biological filtration. i want to do a FOWLR tank that im doing for my daughter(and myself dont get me wrong i love fish)...anyways i guess my first question is that....Do u need all of the rock first introduced to be live or can u say use 20lbs of live and the rest dry for a 55 gal setup????
Another thing is if u can, do u still need to cycle the tank or will it be ok not to.... and put lets say 2 clowns in there to start???
Hi, and welcome to the site.
You can indeed use dry rock with the live rock and let it seed. No matter what you have to let the tank cycle. We don't use fish anymore to kick start it...instead we use a piece of raw shrimp. Put your rock in first and then the sand around it (you can't build on shifting sand). After you have the rocks and sand all set the way you want it...add the chunk of shrimp and the waiting begins.
You will need a lab type saltwater test kit...I suggest a master kit, it's cheaper than individual tests. First look for ammonia spikes, then for nitrite...and last the nitrates. You want the ammonia and nitrites to be at 0 and stay there at those readings for at least a week before adding that first fish.
At the top of the new hobbyists section is a 101 tips for starting out...it's a very helpful read.

 

[deejeff442]

is it me or have there been alot of new hobbists with 55 gallon tanks lately?
just to add one thing to flower .not to point out the obvious but you need to get the tank totally set up and running.powerheads and if you choose a hob filter,skimmer ect.but to get the tank going through the cycle just lr,sand and powerheads will do.
isnt there another izzy here also?

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by deejeff442 http:///t/389900/started-new-aquarium#post_3449047
is it me or have there been alot of new hobbists with 55 gallon tanks lately?
just to add one thing to flower .not to point out the obvious but you need to get the tank totally set up and running.powerheads and if you choose a hob filter,skimmer ect.but to get the tank going through the cycle just lr,sand and powerheads will do.
isnt there another izzy here also?
Hi deejeff,
Yep another Izzy, hense the number in the back....LOL...but I don't understand the number on the back of your handle, maybe another deejeff years ago or something..
I have read a few SW fish books and they reccommend starting with at least a 55g because the smaller tanks are harder to maintain and keep stable. I had hopes that the thread on 101 tips would cover the rest of the set up since the main question was mixing live and dry rock. I wanted to express to Izzy that the rock should go in FIRST before the sand.
Glad to see I'm not the only one on here this early in the morning.

 

[deejeff442]

i am always up early.no work going on lately so i spend my time here and on the piano lately.i have always put my sand in first.but of course push the rock through it to the glass.
the reason i have the 442 on my name is because i used to have a couple Oldsmobile 442's .
i have a 55 set up in storage i found on clist a couple years ago for $100.i didnt really need it but it was cheap and i figured i would use it someday.well it will soon be my new qt after the 33 gallon explosion.
my Internet is running super slow for the last week so they are coming out today to fix it.plus the power went out the other night for an hour and now my tv satellite dont work so they are coming tomorrow to fix that.stuff breaking all over the place around here.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by deejeff442 http:///t/389900/started-new-aquarium#post_3449050
i am always up early.no work going on lately so i spend my time here and on the piano lately.i have always put my sand in first.but of course push the rock through it to the glass.
the reason i have the 442 on my name is because i used to have a couple Oldsmobile 442's .
i have a 55 set up in storage i found on clist a couple years ago for $100.i didnt really need it but it was cheap and i figured i would use it someday.well it will soon be my new qt after the 33 gallon explosion.
my Internet is running super slow for the last week so they are coming out today to fix it.plus the power went out the other night for an hour and now my tv satellite dont work so they are coming tomorrow to fix that.stuff breaking all over the place around here.
LOL...I remember when I thought a 55g was a big tank. I have the 90g, it is just as long as the 55g (48 inches) but wider. I did that when I upgraded from the 55g, so my lights and equipment would still fit. I'm glad that I didn't go bigger, I can hardly manage the 90g...I can't imagine keeping up with a 125g or larger tank...I'm disabled and no man in the house here.
Oh, and I would never again build on the sand like you mentioned, just pushing the rocks down. I had a linky sea star years ago that dug under a corner of a rock and crushed itself.

 

[izzy69]

Thanks for the info......and yeah the number on the back was just an old nick name I had from when I played halo online years ago and it just stuck with me LOL......another thing I was wondering was I have the live rock in my tank already and I am waiting on the dry rock to arrive....will the live rock die if there is nothing in the tank for it to feed on or what????? I do have 1 750 gph power head do u think that would be enough or should I get another one????? How long will it take for the dry rock to be seeded or bactirialized ????? And thanks a lot for all the help....

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by izzy69 http:///t/389900/started-new-aquarium#post_3449228
Thanks for the info......and yeah the number on the back was just an old nick name I had from when I played halo online years ago and it just stuck with me LOL......another thing I was wondering was I have the live rock in my tank already and I am waiting on the dry rock to arrive....will the live rock die if there is nothing in the tank for it to feed on or what????? I do have 1 750 gph power head do u think that would be enough or should I get another one????? How long will it take for the dry rock to be seeded or bactirialized ????? And thanks a lot for all the help....
As long as the live rock is in saltwater the critters deep inside are fine. The dry rock will get bacteria within a week and the little critters will make a new home soon enough.
I always liked to have three power heads at least, and you want the surface water is move, so one PH needs to be pointed up. Then a power head at each end in the back pointed forward so the flow hits the front glass and bounces back onto the rocks keeping them clear of detritis. Everyone has their own methods...that was just mine. A spray bar for the surface can be rigged on a maxijet type PH by drilling about 5 to 6 holes in a PVC pipe, capping it and attaching it to the PH. Grey plastic conduit 1/2 inch will not as bad as the stark white. Or you could purchase a Fluval brand spraybar and use that on the maxijet.

 

[izzy69]

Ok cool .......and once again thanks for all your help....1 more question so after the whole cycle is over would it a good idea to put 2 clowns or just one???? Can u have more than one clown in the same tank???? Also do saltwater snails reproduce like they do in freshwater? ????

 

[deejeff442]

i have baby snails in my tank all the time.there is great debate on keeping clowns together.i have had a maroon with two percs and no problem.but depends on the type of clowm.tomato and clarkii are nasty.i have never seen percs fight .maroons are supposed to be nasty but mine was not.its a gamble

 

[red tiger]

Quote:
Originally Posted by izzy69 http:///t/389900/started-new-aquarium#post_3449411
Ok cool .......and once again thanks for all your help....1 more question so after the whole cycle is over would it a good idea to put 2 clowns or just one???? Can u have more than one clown in the same tank???? Also do saltwater snails reproduce like they do in freshwater? ????
Adding to deefjeef442, I have had percs, tomatoe, pink skunk in a 40 with no problem! It's a hit and miss!