starting a tank

[a0b915]

I was given a 60 gallon tank with fish live rock and equipment a few years ago. It was going great then I moved and broke down the tank. I am now ready to set the tank back up after six months. I was wondering if I could keep my live rock and just start over with the cycling process. I am cleaning tank and equipment today and am going to buy new sand and water to get things going any help would be appreciated because I have never started a tank from scratch.
JD

 

[daredevil]

Is your live rock white? If it is then its dead (the white caused by deal corraline algae) but u can get it alive by buying a new piece of LR thats real lively and within half a year to say 9 months itll be close to being "re-enfected" LR. That'll save you some money, if you dont mind the wait

 

[a0b915]

The rock is definately dead so to speak, should I clean it before putting it in the tank. I had a crushed coral bottom that I would siphon to clean every time I did a water change, should i switch to a DSB with live sand?
JD

 

[trigger11]

I would clean the LR to remove any of the die off in it. Yes, I would go with the sand bed instead of the CC. CC is hard to clean and is not optimal for filtration. Plus, when you use sand it gives you a lot more options for critters that you can put in the tank.. Welcome to the boards.

 

[a0b915]

Thanks for the help! Just want to make sure I'm on track. Clean rock, tank Equipment, add sand rock and water to tank and start cycle. What sand should I use? Do I want live sand in the tank during the cycle process?

 

[daredevil]

I agree with everything trigger said, clean it down real good and put in in the tank. And LS and LR will help with the cycle and are part of it, because if u put alot of LR & LS after the tank is cycled, it could cycle again, so just keep them both in with the cycle. I used agranonite LS and it was great. Black and white sand looked great in the tank too

 

[a0b915]

Should I put about 60 lbs of agranonite sand in the tank? I have about 60 to 70 lbs of rock. Is the agranonite sand live or do I need to buy some live sand to mix with the agranonite sand? Will a piece of shrimp from the grocery store start the cycle? Sorry for all the questions and thanks for the help.
JD

 

[medievalfish]

Shrimp question is a great one! I also am setting up a tank for the first time (mine is a 55 gallon) and have some questions. I will have 80# of LS on wednesday. I have about 5# of LR now to start with. I will be using RO/DI water from the water store and instant ocean sea salt from the LFS. Because of timing I wondered how bad it would mess things up if I added the sand a day or two after the water?
Good luck with your tank!