Will Setup Work??

[sdascher]

I have a 125g tank - I want to set it up with Saltwater Fish Only! I own a Eheim Pro 11 - Seaclone Skimmer and I have several powerheads to choose from . I want to use 1 to 1.5" of live sand and around 50 lbs. of some neat base rock. I also have lighting (both single & twin strips) to choose from. Is this a working set up??? Do I need anything else (equipment) for a fish only tank????
Thanks

 

[simm]

Sounds ok to me for a fish only. However youll need a heater and IMO I would make the DSB a little deeper and I would add much more LR. The DSB and LR will help your filtration. Lighting should be ok just get some actinics as well.

 

[cboyfan2020]

I agree. shoot for at least 120lbs of lr all together and a 4" SB. This will keep your trates down which are that big of a deal in a FO but still better to keep them down.

 

[elan]

i have a 135 and used about 400 lbs of sand, and 175 lbs of rock... you can get away with 300lbs of sand and 120lbs or rock such as cboy said, in order to have enough of a biofilter for a fish only....
or, stay with your original plan and get a wet/dry for the biofilter and do regular waterchanges to lower the nitrates.

 

[sdascher]

Thanks for the info. I only said 1 & 1/2 " sand bed because I read someone's reply to another thread about how deep should the sandbed be. I currently have 4" of crushed coral in my reef tank, I thought 1.5" sounded kind of low.......... but here I am - looking for all info. I can get!!! I have tons (about 150lbs.) of live rock that I was going to return to the LFS soon, where I got it over a year ago... its so infested with bristle worms and aptasia, that its been an ongoing battle!! The bristle worms is not too bad if only they would stay small - Something in that tank eats any thing that we have put in there. I do see baby Bristle worms crawling all over the rocks. Then babies get huge!! I have pulled out a few fat boys around 6 to 7". I have grown tired of picking them out, trying to catch them in my traps etc. they multiply much faster than I can pick them out! That is why I wanted to see if I could use my clean base rock from an uninfested tank and possibly place a couple of uninfested LR around and in between them........ unless someone knows how I can rid the rocks of these pests!! I have been reading from time to time over the past year about them, but I haven't seen anyone have a solution to kill off so many pests without killing the rock. (maybe I missed something??)

 

[sdascher]

Thank elan,
So... if I would add an Ehim wet/dry (model 2229) with ehfisubstrat for the biofilter to this tank then maybe I CAN get away with around 50lbs. of base rock for hiding places???

 

[cboyfan2020]

try a hypo salinity dip. Drop salintyin a trashcan or something) to 1.018 or 1.019 and throw the rocks in. See if that works.

 

[sdascher]

Thanks cboyfan2020,
I am thinking that you mean a hypo salinity dip for days or weeks because I have put this rock in pure freshwater for 20 minutes when I first recieved it, hoping to get rid of any pests and it didn't kill anything. I think maybe a few worms came out is all. Is 1.018 the lowest I can go without killing the good life on th erocks?? How long can I keep the rock in these tubs?? I have a 45g. tank plus some lg. plastic tubs that I used for curing rock. They would be perfect to try this in.............
Thanks for the information.

 

[cboyfan2020]

Not sure about salinity any lower or exactly how long you can do it. Do a search on this board for hypo salinty and see what you come up with. I'll snoop around for ya.

 

[sdascher]

I did get hypo salinty as a treatment for ick but th esalinity is dropped to a 1.009 and of course thats in a QT with no live rock. UMMMMM I will just keep reading and checking in once in awhile. Somebody out there has got to have this info.!!
Thanks!

 

[cboyfan2020]

the only way to effectively get rid of bristle worms...from what I have read is too completely dry the rock out which will kill EVERYTHING on your rock. Bristle worms are actually some of the best scavengers you can have. If you really dont want them then give the rock back or dry it out. I hear arrow crabs and orchid dottybacks eat bristle worms.
As far as aiptaisa, peppermint shrimp will eat them all but you should take them out if ever going to have zoo's or polyps. Fish may eat shrimp if a FO depending on the shrimp. One person said he put the rock in a bucket with no circulation for a day or two and the aiptaisa moved to the sides of the bucket. Took the rock out, dumped the bucket and no aiptasia since. Just some thoughts. Also injecting them with Kalk paste will usually get them.

 

[elan]

if you are replacing your live rock with base rock, might as well kill your live rock and then put it back...
I know some of the base rock i got was actually a concrete base mixed with sand and shells.... but the live rock is calcium based which i think is better for the tank since its more porous and.. well.. natural.