Starting a 37 column tank with no live rock...

[cmholl]

Hello, I recently started a SW tank and I wasn't planning on putting any live rock in it. I started it with 20lbs of dry sand and 10lbs of live store bought sand. Along with the sand I bought this really big piece of dead coral that I have in the center of the tank. Well my question is, will this dead coral become live and if so, will it be enough in the tank for the fish or will I need to add rock structures throughout the tank?

[/IMG][/IMG]

 

[mr. limpid]

I hope you mean live with bacteria not become a living coral. Dead corals do have some holes in them but nothing like rocks, so it will support some bacteria but not enough to filter the tank. Do you have room for a sump? Or you need a canister filter.

 

[cmholl]

Yes. I meant live with bacteria.... And I have a bio wheel filter right now and I just ordered a protein skimmer.

 

[mr. limpid]

Personaly not a lover of the HOB filters not enough room for filrter media. Is this tank going to be a reef or fish only?

 

[cmholl]

Fish only

 

[mr. limpid]

Forgot to ask this a standard tank not reef (Pre-drilled hole)? If standard you'll want a good ammonia remover type of filter, like a canister filter.

 

[cmholl]

Yeah. It's just a plain tank.. I was looking at this ammonia remover floss. Will that be good? I do plan on upgrading later on. Just want to see if I can do this whole saltwater tank thing before really dropping money.

 

[mr. limpid]

The floss doesn't work that good, your better off placing zeolite in the HOB this will absorb ammonia and you can recharge it with salt.

 

[cmholl]

Why do you mean by recharge it with salt. And would puttin this in my hob mess with the tank cycle. I've only had it up for 2 weeks.

 

[mr. limpid]

Recharge means cleaning the material so you can reuse it. And yes it will slow the cycle, you want the ammonia to be consumed by bacteria. The bacteria uses the ammonia as food source and multiplies. Basically when cycling your tank for the first time you want the ammonia to increase to 1 on your test kit scale, then remove the source of ammonia (raw shrimp). Test daily till you get a 0 reading then ghost feed tank like there is 1 fish in there, while this is going on test nitrates and nitrites, when they hit 0 you are good to add 1 fish.

 

[cmholl]

The raw shrimp would be used to start adding the ammonia to the tank right?

 

[mr. limpid]

Quote:
Originally Posted by cmholl http:///t/394813/starting-a-37-column-tank-with-no-live-rock#post_3514364
The raw shrimp would be used to start adding the ammonia to the tank right?
correct, place it in a nylon, makes it easy to remove.

 

[cmholl]

Thanks for all the help mr. Limpid!

 

[mr. limpid]

I've been looking up zeolite is basically for fresh water tanks. But I found a good product as a filter media Seachem Matrix Bio-Media.

 

[cmholl]

Thank you ill have to look into that this weekend. Another question... What do you think would look better. A painted black or blue back of the tank?

 

[mr. limpid]

I have dark blue but I've seen black both are good, depends on your taste.

 

[novahobbies]

I agree with Limpid....I've had both. I prefer blue, but that's my personal taste only. Go with what looks the most neutral compared to the rest of the room's background.

 

[beaslbob]

I would add some macro algae to make it look like a planted tank.
If will also balance out and stabilize operations. So that ammonia and eventually nitrates and phosphates are unmeasureable.
But that just my .02