Tank Ready to go?

[aceroc]

I have a 75gal tank with crushed coral substrate, hirock base rock comming in the mail, Penguin 330, Penguin 350, Emperor 400, DIY sump running a pump at 935 gph,Vortex diatom XL, PowerSweep Powerhead 270 GPH, sea shells for clenup crew, extra salt for water changes, R/O unit, test kit, hydrometer, and digital thermometer. I am going to add some LR after a week from putting in my other base rock. I am 2 weeks into the cycle and the only other think i can think of i need to get is a skimmer wich i will buy this weekend after i get paid.
Does this about cover it? Would you say i am ready to go after my cycle finishes?

 

[celacanthr]

well most people would suggest losing the crushed coral...

 

[kdfrosty]

Yup....lose the crushed coral, get a skimmer and a refractometer.

 

[carshark]

Originally Posted by KDFrosty
Yup....lose the crushed coral, get a skimmer and a refractometer.
ditto

 

[aceroc]

i don't plan on getting rid of the CC. I have 80lbs in it now and at $29.99 a 40lb bag i really dont think i am going to throw it out.

 

[acekjd83]

lol, yeah, thats usually why people keep it... it sux for many reasons, but it's expensive and thus indispensable. o sweet irony.

 

[aceroc]

what about adding Sand to my tank with the CC? Sand base ontop of the CC?

 

[carshark]

no if anything add the LS to the top of it.......

 

[crazyaqua]

LS is worth it in the long run it really is

 

[dougai]

keep the cc
i prefer it over ls
i had ls for a year, then switched to cc about a month or 2 ago

 

[acekjd83]

a month isnt long enough to see the problems with accumulated detritus and inadequate biological filtration that are commonly associated with cc. the pores are large enough to allow chunks of waste to sift down below the highly oxygenated surface and they build up into a thick rotten layer. sand keeps the chunks on top where they are easily eaten by detritovores or caught by the current and filtered out.
adding sand to the top wont change anything. the sand will sift through the cc and you'll end up with the jagged cc on top of the ls, preventing larger inverts from stirring the sand or eating the detritus in the pores. adding sand to the top is just throwing good money after bad.