Starting my first tank

[John_B]

Hi all,

I'm planning on turning one of my fresh water tanks into salt water FOWLR. The tank is a diamond shaped corner tank, 44 gallons. This will be my first salt water tank.

I'm planning on getting 50 pounds of LR from a local hobbyist that is moving along with a Koralia 4. So, fill tank with water, add salt, add rock and let sit until there is 0 nitrite and ammonia?

I also have an extra aquaclear 70 I could use on the tank but from what I'm reading they aren't really used in salt water as they produce too much nitrates....could I run it without the sponges, just some live rock...

Is there anything else I will need to start the tank cycling? How long would the cycle usually take if I'm getting cured live rock from another tank?

I don't have a skimmer yet but do plan to get one sometime. Is this a necessity?

Thanks

[jeffreyt944]

I would say a skimmer is not a necessity and depending on what you are going to have in it is what I would worry about. I have had a 12 gallon nano running for 2 years and all I have is some live rock in the back, a carbon bag and filter media powered by a power head and I have zoas, clowns, gsp, mushrooms, frog spawn and no issues.

[John_B]

My father works for a Cola manufacturing company and I can get water from him that is filtered to start up my tank as I do not have an RO filter..yet.

The water has TDS 70 once it is filtered. Is this going to cause problems for me or would this be acceptable?

[Chiefsurfer]

something with a tds of 70 can be ok, it can also be pretty bad. It depends on what specific dissolved solids are present. I would say, don't take the chance.

As to the skimmer, it is not necessary, but I would suggest it. You can get some fairly good ones at a pretty good price.

And the filter, that depends on your stocking. If you are normally stocked(for that tank, probably 6-7 fish depending on size) you will be fine without any mechanical filtration. If you plan to heavily stock, extra mechanical might be nice.

You should also search the DIY sub-forum for info about the AC-70. There is a great mod, that's easy, and it would be a great addition to your tank. You could put some LR rubble in there as well.

Cycling would probably be short, and very minimal if your LR is coming from an established system. You can try and grab a few pellets, or a small raw shrimp to start a cycle, but if the bacteria survive on the rock, you should barely see any cycle. That is fine. When you plan to add fish, you just want to go slowly, and pay close attention to any spikes in ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. Your nitrates should be pretty low when you start adding livestock as well. I would want nothing more than 20 ppm. What if any, sandbed are you considering? There are 3 ways you can go, but whatever you choose, if you have a lot of LR, I would suggest some form of weight distribution.

[John_B]

I was thinking about 1-2" sandbed...I'd like to have some gobies eventually so I'd like them to have a nice bed to sift. I was thinking a YWG with a pistol shrimp eventually. I'm in no rush to stock, I just want to try to make sure I'm doing things right.

The only reason I'm even getting my live rock before all of my questions are answered is that I saw an add for someone getting out of the hobby and I'm getting their live rock for $3/pound. Couldn't pass it up.

[Chiefsurfer]

yeah, no thats a great deal, and there's really no issue with doing this. You might want to get some egg crate to disperse weight with your new rock. It's cheap enough, then you can either find a fellow reefer that wants it, or just throw it out when you get your sand.

[ramblinreefer]

I would recommend a skimmer...good luck on your new tank!