Order up.. Just ordered stuff for 55 FOWLR

[PmAn2k3]

Hello all, Im fixing to setup my first SW I have acess to free halide lights so, soon once i get the hang of a fowlr I will upgrade to a full reef system, right now I have the standdard lights off of a 55g Plus a 36" florecent... Im hoping it will help with the LR... I ordered so far..



1) JE-115046 55 or 60 Gallon Perfect-A-Flo Undergravel Filter

Quantity:
1
Price: $20.99
Total: $20.99




2) JE-517540 Maxi-Jet Powerhead/Pump Model 1200 (295 gph)

Quantity: 2

Price: $21.99
Total: $43.98




3) JE-120259 AquaClear 300

Quantity: 1
Price: $24.99
Total:
$24.99




4) JE-150214 Nitrate (fresh/saltwater-110 tests)

Quantity: 1
Price:
$5.49
Total: $5.49




5) JE-901333 Marine pH and Alkalinity Kit (marine only)

Quantity: 1

Price: $9.99
Total: $9.99





6) JE-116658 SeaTest Hydrometer

Quantity: 1
Price: $7.49

Total: $7.49




And thats it, I have the substrate already, Just got to get the salt now... How long after I cycle ( I plan to cycle with a Yellowtail Damsel ) do I put in the LR? my stocking ideas are...


Fish in order


4 astra snails after seeing al-G

one week later- 2 purple firefish (MUST be a pair) Same day 1- scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp

7 days later- 2 turbo snails, 2 scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp

two weeks later- 2 Tomato Clowns

6 weeks later- 1 Coral Beauty angel


Something like that and about 50-55lb of LR anyone have any problems with this, please respond.



EDIT: after cycle I plan to give the yellow tail to my brother, who has a saltwater.

 

[Guy W]

Unless your buying cured live rock from the LFS and your going to be able to move it into your tank immediatly you can add it when you cycle and it will give you the ammonia kick you need to cycle, so you won't have to cycle with fish.

What I mean is if you order your live rock off the internet for example it won't be cured because of die off during shipping. That die off will spike your ammonia enough to start your cycle.

However if you have access to live rock locally and you are going to buy it there, I would wait until after the cycle is completely done so you don't kill any of the life on the rock uneccessarly (sp?).

guy

 

[g. mcclean]

I don't think anyone uses an undergravel filter in SW anymore. They go with a deep sand bed instead. I also rarely hear of them using Aqua-Clear filters. Most use protein skimmers and LR for their filtration. We use a Fluval 303 on our 46 gallon and a 404 on our 75 gallon in addition to protein skimmers and LR. There are several articles dealing with fishless cycling that you might want to read.

 

[wayne]

I guess you got a shopping list from an older book. UG filters will not likely be very good for you, and I note you're lacking ammonia and nitrite tests which I think are much more important than nitrate ( alonger term problem). Stop that order and replace the UG with a skimmer.
And cycling with damsels is absolute arse - it's just not necessary, and if they die it's just demoralising. Give the poor damsels a break!

 

[Trigger]

I would have to agree with some of the others here. In my SW tank all I have is 5 inches of "live" sand base, and lots of live rock. Use a good protein skimmer and make sure you have a couple of water movement devices. Other than that you don't need any filteration. Good luck to you.

 

[kreblak]

In saltwater there isn't much need to run mechanical filtration. I'd save the money on the undergravel filter and the Aquaclear filter and get a good skimmer.

I agree with the consensus here, as well, in that fishless cycling is the way to go. It is more humane, and it is cheaper. Just fill up your tank with 4 to 6 inches of sand (Southdown or Old Kastle from Home Depot will do just fine), toss in an uncooked cocktail shrimp, and wait 6 weeks. As the shrimp rots, it will produce ungodly amounts of ammonia, thus kick starting your cycle. Plus, one damsel will cycle the tank for ONE fish. If you add more later, you will get ammonia spikes. Using a cocktail shrimp will create a gigantic bacterial bed within your DSB capable of handling more fish.

 

[Joey D]

clean up crew

yup, theyre all right. Don't worry about the UG filter, youll only get headaches from it, theyre a thing of the past. UG filters are only good for one thing, a BIG BIO filter. And they usually keep nitrates at high levels, unless you vacuum the gravel often and thats no fun when you have tons of live rock to move around. As far as mechanical filtration goes, it wouldnt hurt, but the skimmer is a must. And nothing more than a kick a$$ clean up crew will keep your sand bed clean. Scooter blennys, crabs, lawnmower blennies, emerald crabs work great at sifting through the sand chowing down on uneaten food and waste.