Just starting out

[golfer]

After 30 yrs of FW, I'm finally trying my hand at SW. The tank is a 40 gal hex and has been cycling with 40lbs of live sand for 72hrs now. My question is this: I currently have an Emperor280 running with no media in it. Is this the proper way to go ? Over the next 3 weeks or so I plan on adding live rock to enhance the filtration. Do I add the protien skimmer then or wait ? Third and finally, do I need to have a sponge pre-filter over the inlet port of my Penguin powerhead? Any other suggestions would be greatly accepted.

Thanks, Paul

[OrionGirl]

Two quick questions...What are you using for an ammonia source? and, Where did you get your live sand?

Unless you have ammonia in there, either manual additions or a decaying organic, you aren't really cycling. Some sources fo rlive sand will include some decaying critters, as will some sources for live rock. The bagged 'live sand' that is sold in places like Pet Smart is usually not really live--it's been without a food source for too long, and the bacteria have died, as have any microfauna that might have been in there initially.

If you have an ammonia source, then I would hold off on adding cured live rock, since the spikes will kill off many desirable critters. Uncured live rock will have dead matter on it, and will spike much harder (also killing off critters, unless lots of water changes are performed to minimize the spike).

Most people wait until the tank has cycled--ie, had the ammonia and nitrites spike, then go to 0, before adding a skimmer.

Running with no media is what I would suggest. I would not put a pre-filter sponge on, since this sponge will quickly clog with various critters (stony tube worms and the like), slowing flow and increasing the amount of maintenance you have to perform.

What do you plan on keeping in there?

[golfer]

Tank inhabs will probably be Tangs or Damsels. I started with live sand from a very honest LFS who swears by the very same stuff you say is no good. I guess I'll find out the hard way. I seeded the tank by taking a fully saturated Bio Wheel off an existing tank and added it to the new set-up.Adding more bateria is not out of the question if you think it is needed. I was thinking about adding a few mollies ( cruel , but effective) to jump start the cycle.

[OrionGirl]

Well...Tangs and damsels are not a good idea. Tangs need big tanks, with lots of swimming room. Kept in smaller tanks (anything under 6 foot), they are very prone to stress related illnesses, and die quickly. Even in large enough tanks, tangs should be added only after the tank has stabilized and gone through all it's 'new-setup' stages.

Damsels, on the other hand, are territorial little buggers as a group. There are exceptions ( we have a very well behaved blue damsel), but some are absolute scum (we had a 3 stripe who beat up on a foot long lion fish). I would look at the pygmy angels, basslets, and goby fish for a tank your size.

Keep in mind that an LFS that is tops at FW may not be so great when it comes to SW. Bottom line--like all bacteria in a bottle products, there is a shelf life. Live sand that has been sitting in a bag probably won't help much. Testing by adding some ammonia and then testing the water to see if it has been metabolized is the only way to know.

Bio-wheel from an existing SW tank? Excellent source for seeding. If it's from a FW tank (sorry, please don't be insulted--I've heard it all here!), the bacteria are different from FW to SW, so it won't help at all.

Ammonia in some form is required to keep the bacteria alive, and to encourage their growth. Easiest method is to dump a few cocktail shrimp from the market in there and let them decay. Using mollies won't work--just like in FW, the bacteria bed will develop to accomodate the waste from the mollies, and no larger. Adding your 'real' stock will result in another spike, not a good thing for the fish.

[dcallen]

Hi,

I agree Tangs are not the best choice. I tried Tangs a couple of times in my 70 gallon tank and I had little to no luck with them. My tank was not really large enough to accomodate them. I agree a 6 ft. tank would be much better. Damsels on the other hand are hearty fish but not something that you would typically want in a tank in my opinion. I agree with OrionGirl, gobys and blennies would be good and maybe a Flame Angel or one of the pygmy angels, I wouldn't mix angels I would keep one only. I would hold off on adding the skimmer until later. Having 30 to 40 lbs. of live rock would be nice for the tank as well.


Good Luck!

[karlas]

the best way to jump start and cycle your tank is to get a couple table shrimp and throw them in and let it go. it can actually take a while to cycle a saltwater tank some have taken a month or a little more. the only way you know when your cycle is up is by making sure ammonia and nitrite are at 0. dont use fish to cycle it is very harsh on them especially with the cycle of a salt tank most do not live through it and the ones that do can end up with permanant respirtory and or gill damage.

getting live sand is a good thing but if it goes thru the cycle can kill off some stuff. if you get lr will it be cured or uncured? since your starting your tank with no livestock in it yet it would be best to get all rock and sand now. you can add rock later but if it is uncured you will have to cure it in a seperate container.

i agree with the tang some of the smaller species can go in a 55 but most need a 75 or bigger tank. what do you want to set it up as? fo, fowlr, reef, community, aggressive?

check out these links

starting marines (http://www.shirleyaquatics.co.uk/pages/marine/keeping_marine_fish_printable.html)

reef keeping 101 (http://www.reefcorner.com/reef%20keeping_101.htm)

creating understanding and maintaing a sw aquaria (http://www.expat.or.id/info/aquarium.html)

live rock faq (http://sps.reefkeepers.org/LiveRockFAQ.htm)

sand bed faq (http://www.reefkeepers.org/faq/cache/33.html)