psychadelicdrea,
your idea with taking base rock and seeding it with live rock will work. Thats what I did on my 55 gallon. The more live rock you have, the less time it will take to seed the base rock. If you put it all in before your cycle, then the die off will kick start the cycle process for you. For that same reason, if you try to place live rock in your system after it has cycled, you should cure the live rock first in a seperate container to avoid sending your system into a mini cycle state.
Tap water is such grey area filled with possible unknowns. I suggest using RO/DI water. I get mine for my LFS for about 20 cents per gallon.
IMO, for a FOWLR system, you need a rate of 10x turn over per hour. If you go reef, then it depends on what you would want to put into it. Most will say that 20x turn over per hour will work. Setup multiple powerheads to hit the water at different directions.
I can't stress enough to take this slow. One thing you'll find out quick is that everyone has their own opinions. Read as much as possible and see what works for you.
Hope you find this helpful and good luck
Justin
your idea with taking base rock and seeding it with live rock will work. Thats what I did on my 55 gallon. The more live rock you have, the less time it will take to seed the base rock. If you put it all in before your cycle, then the die off will kick start the cycle process for you. For that same reason, if you try to place live rock in your system after it has cycled, you should cure the live rock first in a seperate container to avoid sending your system into a mini cycle state.
Tap water is such grey area filled with possible unknowns. I suggest using RO/DI water. I get mine for my LFS for about 20 cents per gallon.
IMO, for a FOWLR system, you need a rate of 10x turn over per hour. If you go reef, then it depends on what you would want to put into it. Most will say that 20x turn over per hour will work. Setup multiple powerheads to hit the water at different directions.
I can't stress enough to take this slow. One thing you'll find out quick is that everyone has their own opinions. Read as much as possible and see what works for you.
Hope you find this helpful and good luck
Justin
