New to hobby, have some questions...

[Lava Lamp Freak]

Hello everyone. After many years of wishing, I finally took the plunge and bought some stuff. Someone locally was moving and I got a good deal on Craiglist. Here is what I have so far.

75 Gallon Glass aquarium with black wood stand.
Eheim 2217 Filter
AquaC Remora Pro Protein Skimmer with drain and Mag-Drive 3 Pump
Coralife 48in Lunar Aqualight
SEIO 620 PowerHead
60lbs Caribbean Live Sand (dry sand, includes Bio-Magnet pack)
30lbs Dry Base Rock

I have been reading a lot and that has made things even more confusing. Here are some things that still are bumping around in my head.

Water
My plan is to start with pre-mixed salt water from the store. I could possibly mount a RO/DI filter in the bathroom but I'm not sure if I have enough space for one. I live in a two bedroom condo and have limited space. I know in the long run I would save money making my own water, but I just don't yet understand what would be required to install it.

Live Sand
Is 60lbs enough for a 75gl tank? That is what the LFS told me I would need. It is OceanDirect Caribbean Live Sand -- it is a dry sand -- and has a packet of Bio-Magnet with it. The LFS told me that it would have everything in it that a live rock would; crabs, starfish, etc., but I've not been able to find any information online that confirms that.

Live Rock
I'm going to start out with fish only. Since my rock is just base rock, is having it in the tank at this point is even helping? I do have an Eheim 2217 filter, so is live rock even needed at this point for a fish only tank? If I do need live rock, how much is needed, in addition to my base rock, in consideration that I do have a mechanical filter?

Sump
I know that many people are doing sumps. Is this something I need to look into immediately, or is that something I should add once I'm more experienced?

Skimmer
Is the skimmer necessary at this point? Should I have it on the system from the beginning, or just add it once I have the tank stocked?

Lights
Someone told me to leave the lights off while the tank is cycling to keep algae from growing, and someone else told me to leave them on for 8 hours a day. What is the general method for lighting during the cycling stage?

Thanks for reading. I'm so excited to get started in this new hobby. I'm not going to be impatient in this, I want to do things right. Also, I'm not worried about spending money -- just wasting it. I am a little concerned with the LFS I've been going to. They seem to tell me what I want to hear. I'm not sure how much they tell me is the truth versus sales. There is another store a little further away. I'm going to visit them tonight and see what I can learn from them.

 

[Grins]

Water:
Many don't keep their units up all the time, they'll take them down after brewing water to make room. Of course you still need a container to brew the water.

Sand:
You don't need live sand, the sand will become live by being in your tank and near the live rocks. Get a good quality aragonite and you'll be fine. As for how much it depends on what you want to keep and if you want a DSB (deep sand bed). I personally chose for about 2"s of sand.

Live Rock:
You don't need rock for a fish only tank. Once you add live rock it becomes a FOWLER tank. Some choose that instead of fish only because the fish they select like the cover to swim through and they like the look of the rock. As for how much rock, it depends really. Some say to use 1-2#s per gallon. You can get away with less rock if it is porous, you'll need more if it dense. An option that many use is to combine live rock with base rock. This saves money up front and works for those that are willing to be patient (something that you'll need anyhow, patience that is). Back to whether you need the rock or not...no you don't need it in a fish only system.

Sump:
You can add it later, I did. It does help but there is no harm in adding it later, just make sure that your stand can accomdate it underneath.

Skimmer:
No it isn't necessary. You can add it later, some never add it to a FO system. Those that have them however say they'll never not have one again after seeing what it pulls out of the water. You'll be fine without one on a FO, do your research and decide if you wish to add one and what kind as you are cycling your tank.

Lights:
You don't need lights during the cycling stage. Many keep them off to help keep algae at bay until the tank is cycled and you can have a clean up crew in there. However, you're going to have some algae blooms even if you don't keep them on at first and some say turn them on if you wish but it is only for your benefit. Better to keep your water quality good than worry about whether your lights are on for 6-10 hours a day in my opinion.

Misc:
I'd get another powerhead...you'll want at least 10x turnover in that 75g. Do you have test kits? A refractometer or hydrometer?

 

[Lava Lamp Freak]

Water:
I'd get another powerhead...you'll want at least 10x turnover in that 75g. Do you have test kits? A refractometer or hydrometer?

I was already thinking about buying another powerhead. I can keep the 620 to use later in a QT.

I have a hydrometer. I'm not sure about the refractometer. I have several bags of stuff to still go through, so I might already have one.

In a FOWLER tank, would I not use the Eheim filter and use the 1-2lbs of live rock per gallon instead?

 

[Grins]

Nothing wrong with the 620, you'll just need more flow even with it. A hydrometer will be OK to start with but when you want more accurate readings you'll want to upgrade to a refractometer.

You can actually run both in your FOWLER. Some will say to only use live rock, some will say to get rid of the bioballs in the filter, but if you do regular maintenance on the Eheim it will not hurt to run it as well.

 

[BMorgan]

Well Hello and welcome to AC! :welcome:

I'm just a newbie on here too trying to get some information but it sounds like you are off to a good start. You have definitely come to a good place to get input and advice and it sounds like you want to do things right.

I'm sure others with more knowledge will chime in on this also but as for your water, I know that when I saw a pre-mixed solution of SW it was very pricey. Another alternative (this is what I do) is to buy some heavy duty 5 gallon jugs and go to certain grocery stoes that have an RO unit you can get water from. I get mine for like 30 cents per gallon. Most grocery stores have something similar.

The live sand that you got is the exact same stuff that I purchased and it has worked great. Mine was, however slightly damp inside (unlike some where there is a bunch of water in it) and not completely dry inside. Regardless though, regular sand will become live after awhile anyways so it's fine. Seems like you probably have enough. Most people seem to recommend 1"-2" deep.

As far as your rock, you should be fine the way that is. Dead rock can also become "live" over time with being in the tank but if you have the filter and are doing a FO tank right now you should be fine.

As far as your other questions, I will leave that up to some smarter people here. :drool:

 

[Lava Lamp Freak]

I'm sure others with more knowledge will chime in on this also but as for your water, I know that when I saw a pre-mixed solution of SW it was very pricey. Another alternative (this is what I do) is to buy some heavy duty 5 gallon jugs and go to certain grocery stoes that have an RO unit you can get water from. I get mine for like 30 cents per gallon. Most grocery stores have something similar.

Thanks for the information. They want $1.25/gl for saltwater and $0.75/gl for freshwater at the LFS. I'm going to look around some more and see what I can find locally. I think I can get water from Walmart, but not sure of the prices.

How do you mix your water? I have a 5gl bucket. If I mix the salt in and drop in a heater and a powerhead to aerate, how long will it be before it is ready to add to the aquarium? I could buy another bucket and heater then I could make 10gl at a time.

 

[BMorgan]

I have found that having lots of buckets comes in handy!
I usually mix mine the same way about 24 hours before a water change. Depending on how you want to eventually do your period partial waterchanges 2 5 gallon buckets might work. I know some people use big tubs or even plastic trash cans.

 

[Lava Lamp Freak]

You mix yours for 24 hours? The LFS told me to put a powerhead in the 5gl bucket and give it about an hour, then check the salinity and if it is good then its ready to put into the aquarium. Of course the same person told me that tap water would be just fine for a fish only tank.

I checked Walmart and Kroger. Kroger wants $1.35/gl for purified water (reverse osmosis) and $0.95/gl for distilled. Walmart didn't have purified water but wanted $0.64/gl for distilled. The LFS wants $0.75/gl but they sell their 5gl buckets for $10.99 with first fill free. That is $164.85 before tax, lol. So, I guess I'm buying an RO/DI system. The LFS has one for $139. I'm going to check it out tomorrow. Any recommendations?

 

[BMorgan]

Ouch! I would definitely reccommend investing in a good RO/DI system if that's the cheapest available to you. Unfortunately I don't much about which ones are good but I'm sure someone else will chime in here.

 

[Lava Lamp Freak]

Now I have a new problem. The tank seems to be leaking. It is empty right now, but my parents helped me move it and when we lifted the tank there was little water left in the bottom and when it collected in one corner it started running out. This same thing happened when I bought it on Saturday, but the seller told me that he had just cleaned the outside and it was just water trapped in the bottom frame.

I just called and told him that it was leaking, and he told me just to buy some sealant from Home Depot and that would fix it. He tried to blame it on the moving. From what I've read you can't just patch up a bad seal, you have to completely reseal it. What should I do?