Im new and I just built a tank - Page 2

MrMustang · 02/19/2012, 05:39 PM

oh and where is the best place to get LR i have been getting it at wet pets but its like 6$ a pound.. any where else less expensive?
thanks

ghellin · 02/19/2012, 07:06 PM

Not really sure on live rock usually someone.selling their whole tank is the best.

Also I reread my last post and I left out the word "not" when refering to airstones they are not typically used.

MrMustang · 02/19/2012, 10:34 PM

ok cool and thanks. i am going to go to the new store tomorrow morning when it opens. will crabs add any bio load to the tank or are they like snails and i can just throw them in while the tank is cycling.

MrMustang · 02/19/2012, 10:41 PM

here is my tank now... i know the live rock looks pathetic lol. i hope to get more this week. the sand is live and there is some limestone in there also.

luvabunny · 02/19/2012, 11:13 PM

Seriously, I would just slow down and look at your empty tank for now. You cannot "just throw" anything into a cycling saltwater tank, snails and crabs included. Inverts are some of the hardest critters to keep alive if your balances are out of whack.

Your tank needs time to cycle. You need to finish with aquascaping. One bag of sand is probably not enough for a healthy system. After you have set it all up, let it cycle, and had good measurements for a week or two, you can begin to add things, very slowly, and usually one at a time. If I'm following the thread, you have "moved" your SW into a 20g?
You are going to want to stick with smaller fish. You have to remember that with very few exceptions, everything you add to a SW system was very recently swimming in the huge ocean. Putting it into a 20g is going to be a culture shock to say the least.

Take some time, let things settle, do some homework on some small, compatible fish, and plan out what you want. Anything that eats will place a bioload on your system, even snails and crabs.

SW tanks are NOT like FW tanks, in that you can just up and move them around in an afternoon. Any disturbance is likely to set off some sort of cycle. And BTW, even a 55 or 75g may get the tang police after you.

MrMustang · 02/19/2012, 11:51 PM

Yes the tanks are all switched around and I am starting the sw off right this time. Idk why I tried to cheat the system last time. So why no snails? I have a friend who started out and put just snails in there. When my mom and I did a tank we put snails in the same day we set the tank up with lr and ls and it had no problem. and I did not mean throw in I know it all takes time. And I had just wondered about the crab.

luvabunny · 02/20/2012, 12:25 AM

The short of it is that a cycling tank will have high amounts of nitrates, nitrites and ammonia. Those mean death to most inverts.
Also, almost without exception, snails either eat detritus or algae, neither of which will be present in a brand new system. If the high cycle readings don't kill it, it is likely to starve to death.

MrMustang · 02/20/2012, 02:35 PM

alright, i will just wait then! i am so excited and i have learned so much in the past week than i did by just researching it.

02/19/2012, 07:06 PM	#27
ghellin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Edmond Posts: 1,844	Not really sure on live rock usually someone.selling their whole tank is the best. Also I reread my last post and I left out the word "not" when refering to airstones they are not typically used. __________________ 180. SRO 3000INT w/ANC. Fluval SP4. Gyre. DIY LED's/T5s. Apex. Bluefish. Clams. Tangs. SPS.

02/19/2012, 11:13 PM	#30
luvabunny Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Central Oklahoma Posts: 1,371	Seriously, I would just slow down and look at your empty tank for now. You cannot "just throw" anything into a cycling saltwater tank, snails and crabs included. Inverts are some of the hardest critters to keep alive if your balances are out of whack. Your tank needs time to cycle. You need to finish with aquascaping. One bag of sand is probably not enough for a healthy system. After you have set it all up, let it cycle, and had good measurements for a week or two, you can begin to add things, very slowly, and usually one at a time. If I'm following the thread, you have "moved" your SW into a 20g? You are going to want to stick with smaller fish. You have to remember that with very few exceptions, everything you add to a SW system was very recently swimming in the huge ocean. Putting it into a 20g is going to be a culture shock to say the least. Take some time, let things settle, do some homework on some small, compatible fish, and plan out what you want. Anything that eats will place a bioload on your system, even snails and crabs. SW tanks are NOT like FW tanks, in that you can just up and move them around in an afternoon. Any disturbance is likely to set off some sort of cycle. And BTW, even a 55 or 75g may get the tang police after you. __________________ April Current Tank Info: Current Tank Info: 75g bowfront

02/20/2012, 12:25 AM	#32
luvabunny Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Central Oklahoma Posts: 1,371	The short of it is that a cycling tank will have high amounts of nitrates, nitrites and ammonia. Those mean death to most inverts. Also, almost without exception, snails either eat detritus or algae, neither of which will be present in a brand new system. If the high cycle readings don't kill it, it is likely to starve to death. __________________ April Current Tank Info: Current Tank Info: 75g bowfront

02/19/2012, 05:39 PM	#26
MrMustang Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: , Posts: 38	oh and where is the best place to get LR i have been getting it at wet pets but its like 6$ a pound.. any where else less expensive? thanks

02/19/2012, 10:34 PM	#28
MrMustang Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: , Posts: 38	ok cool and thanks. i am going to go to the new store tomorrow morning when it opens. will crabs add any bio load to the tank or are they like snails and i can just throw them in while the tank is cycling.

02/19/2012, 11:51 PM	#31
MrMustang Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: , Posts: 38	Yes the tanks are all switched around and I am starting the sw off right this time. Idk why I tried to cheat the system last time. So why no snails? I have a friend who started out and put just snails in there. When my mom and I did a tank we put snails in the same day we set the tank up with lr and ls and it had no problem. and I did not mean throw in I know it all takes time. And I had just wondered about the crab.

02/20/2012, 02:35 PM	#33
MrMustang Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: , Posts: 38	alright, i will just wait then! i am so excited and i have learned so much in the past week than i did by just researching it.