Starting a 30 gal tank a lil advice please!

as1720

Member
Well i started our tank that has been sitting for about a year and a hlaf. Here is a list of what is in it... The tank has been running three days we are going to get the live rock today.
Bak Pak bio filter and protien skimmer.
Undergravel filter
crushed coal
100 watt heater
I used tap water (didnt know not to yet)
i used cycle
stress coat
I also have for the tank,
water test kit, for Saltwater Amomonia, Saltwater high range pH, Saltwater nitrite no-3, Freash and Saltwater Nitrite no-3
Hydrometer
3 different types of tropicle fish food.
Am i missing anything?
We plan on doing a FOWLR. What would you guys reccomend would fit in a tank this size fish wise? How much Rock should we buy?
 

teresaq

Active Member
Hi and welcome.
I would get rid of the undergravel filter, those are for fresh water tanks, and the crushed coral could cause you problems. it get pretty nasty fast. I would take it out and replace with either live or dead sand.
for live rock 30 to 40 lbs would be a start. you could do mostly dead base rock and seed with live rock to save money.
you are going to need a couple of small powerheads for water movement and a hob filter would work well for your tank.
good luck
T
 

newbfish

Member
I too would get rid of the crushed coral and the under gravel filter. Like TeresaQ said they are meant for fresh water.
 

as1720

Member
is the info i got on why this set up works...
The crushed coral wont get nasty becuase of the undergravel filter.
And the undergravel filter will keep the tank a little bit cleaner.
Will having either do any harm?
Can i leave the filter in and add sand on top of the coral?
 

newbfish

Member
Well I'm not a pro or anything, but there are good bacteria that lives in the sand and you would eventually suck them out and I heard it was bad to disturb the sand bed. You can layer the crushed coral then the sand on top but over time the crushed coral will win the battle and be on top.
That's just by going with what I've read, no experience with crushed coral.
 

anadliv

Member
When i first started saltwater I was 12 years old, that was 16 years ago. Back then they LFS said i should use crushed coral and an undergravel filter to keep it cleaner. This was before most people use live sand and live rock. Anyway back then when i used crushed coral I could not keep my nitrates low enough to keep a fish alive, another reason was nolive rock. SInce I was only twelve I didnt have much money to keep things going. I recently strated a tank 2 years ago with live sand and live rock and eveyrthing is perfect.
 

ajroc31

Member
I have to agree with everything NEWB said. CC would go, and the undergravel would go. Also, its a new development for me, but I would be careful not to take up too much swimming space with live rock. I took out a dozen or so of rocks out of my tank, and noticed a huge difference in my fish. They are out more, and they tend to hang out where the rocks are gone, and new space opened up. When I set up my new tank, I will not use as much live rock in the tank, I think I will just put most of it in the sump, and use enough to create some hiding spaces.
 

as1720

Member
ok so take out the CC and the filter.
What else do i need besides the live rock im going to get today?
What do i need to circulate the water? Do i need some other filter?
 

bill109

Active Member
Originally Posted by as1720
http:///forum/post/2692851
ok so take out the CC and the filter.
What else do i need besides the live rock im going to get today?
What do i need to circulate the water? Do i need some other filter?
to circulate the water look at powerheads, if it is in ur budget look at koralias i think they are called.. they cost a little more but are well worth it..
if it is a 30 i would say 2 would give u good flow. just one on each side. as for size im not to sure. maybe a size 3 and a 2? or 2x size 3..
 

ajroc31

Member
Well you need sand, so you could invest in that today. I would get some regular argonite (not sure about spelling), and maybe if you want, but it is little more pricey, a bad of live sand, to kind of speed up the process. To start the cycle, you would need your filter hooked up, and the sand. I strongly recommend getting 4 or 5 shrimps from your local grocery store, cooked, or uncooked, it really makes not difference, put it in a bag with holes in it, so that water flows, or you could just dump them in, get a powerhead, and let the cycle begin.
 

as1720

Member
So should i empty the water that is in the tank now? And refill it?
I did use the cycle and the sress coat.
 

ajroc31

Member
Well you don't need the stress coat thing, as you don't have or should have anything live in there. But the water treatments don't really do anything of significance.I guess you could use the water that you have there now for the cycle, since you will take 50% of it out once the cycle is done, but ideally, I would cycle with RO water. And if your lfs tells you that you could cycle with demsels, please don't listen, its true, but that's kind of cruel to put those fish through that.
 

as1720

Member
No i wouldnt hurt any fish! I plan on cycling the tank with live rock.
So i really need to take out the CC if the undergravel filter is keeping it cleaner then it would with out it?
Will what i have work?
Is sand really needed?
 

ajroc31

Member
The undergravel would not keep it cleaner, it would suck all the waste and keep it there. In addition, it would provide room for oxygen,which you don't want in your sand bed. Some people have CC, I am 110% against CC, and I think most people here are. IMO sand is an absolute must have. The more the better. As for a cycle, you will need to provide a source of ammonia, something decomposing, like shrimp from your local store. Lr won't do the trick, not enough waste created. Back to the undergravel, it has to go, CC, its a prefrence, read more about it here, but I would recommand you take it out. But the undergravel, trust me, this is from experience, it must go.
 

bill109

Active Member
i agree, although cc is cheaper sand is much better.. you will thank yourself in the future for having san. i have seen post after post of people taking out there cc and placing sand in and wishing they just used sand.. with some good flow ur sand will keep clean so the undergravel isnt needed.. u could cycle with lr if you wanted but A.) ghost feeding or B.) using a shrimp from ur grocer and letting it decay will work as well
 

as1720

Member
I took out the CC and UGF yesterday. Now i have to get the money togther to buy sand, water pump, and the live rock.
I was hoping to just buy live rock. oh well. The wourld of salt water has such a worm welcome. Like burning a hole through my walltet. lol
 

jerryatrick

Active Member
My advice on live rock is to search around for local hobbyists that are looking to get out of the hobby. You need at least 55 pounds of LR and at a LFS I think best case scenario would be you only spending $300 ($5 a pound). I have seen people selling LR for as low as $2 per pound.
 

ajroc31

Member
You could buy the LR piece at a time, you don't need to dump $300 right away. Collect it slowly if money is an issue, you could cycle your tank with sand, no need for lr. it seems that you are rushing abit, be patient, or things will go horribly bad. After my tank died, I had to throw it into a quick cycle again because some creatures survived, and could not start it over, and I am paying the price now. The tank never really recovered from it.
 
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