rinsing sand?

[emonemo420]

ok so these may be some of the stupidest questions you guys (and girls) have come across but im getting a 55 gallon FO tank in a few days and after doing all my research i have come up with a few questions. First off is how exactly do u "rinse" off the sand...i got a aragamax bahama gravel and another sugar sized aragamax sand?? Next questiong is cycling....i got a bacteria booster or something (http://thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/209125/i/1/product.web) that the fish store "kid" suggested along with this start zyme product (http://thatpetplace.com/pet/group/11507/product.web) now will this actually work or do i need something else to help cycle?? So if those chemicals are a waste of my time or if i need more like fish or something what should i get? I was gonna get a few snails and hermit crabs but i read that those dont help cycle and should only use to clean not cycle. Next question and this might be somewhere in the forums already but the sand i got i thought was live sand but it wasnt (oooppps im a complete newb). So what can i do to make it live? Im gonna try and get a cup or two of sand off of a friend who has a 75 gallon fishnreef aquarium if that will help. Final question i guess is the tank im buying is a 55gallon "starter" freshwater kit. I mainly want the tank, lights and stuff but will the filter that comes with it (typical freshwater "trickle" filter) work. I havent seen to many marine tanks with that type of filter. Obviously im gonna be getting/building a wet/dry filter and a protein skimmer (seaclone 150-i was told this was a good one??). Im not sure on what type of filter it is but i can find out if it will help. Anyway srry this is long but all the help i can get i appreciate and need very much. Thank you for your time.....

signed
newb with to many questions

 

[Reefscape]

First off is how exactly do u "rinse" off the sand...i got a aragamax bahama gravel and another sugar sized aragamax sand??

To rinse out the sand, i used an old pillow case, fill it half full with sand, and keep running water through it till it runs clear, well, as clear as you can get it...finish off with rinsing through with RO water..

i got a bacteria booster or something (http://thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/209125/i/1/product.web) that the fish store "kid" suggested along with this start zyme product (http://thatpetplace.com/pet/group/11507/product.web) now will this actually work or do i need something else to help cycle??

You dont need any products like this, either use uncured or partially cured live rock or prawn/shrimp wrapped in pantyhoes as the ammonia source to kickstart the cycle..

So if those chemicals are a waste of my time or if i need more like fish or something what should i get?

Personally, i dont agree with any of these chemicals, they are simply not needed, the answer above is for this question aswell...

I was gonna get a few snails and hermit crabs but i read that those dont help cycle and should only use to clean not cycle.

There is no need for these to be introduced into the tank untill the cycle has finished.

Next question and this might be somewhere in the forums already but the sand i got i thought was live sand but it wasnt (oooppps im a complete newb). So what can i do to make it live? Im gonna try and get a cup or two of sand off of a friend who has a 75 gallon fishnreef aquarium if that will help.

Adding a few cups of live sand from another reef, coupled with the live rock is all that is needed to see the sand and become live...The bags of live sand that people can buy are a waste of money in my opinion..

Final question i guess is the tank im buying is a 55gallon "starter" freshwater kit. I mainly want the tank, lights and stuff but will the filter that comes with it (typical freshwater "trickle" filter) work. I havent seen to many marine tanks with that type of filter. Obviously im gonna be getting/building a wet/dry filter and a protein skimmer (seaclone 150-i was told this was a good one??). Im not sure on what type of filter it is but i can find out if it will help.

As its going to be a FO system, live rock wil not be your source of mechanical filtration, and i cant really comment on the inbuilt filter that comes with the tank. Personaly, i dont like them for a marine system, and i would remove all filter media from it, and buy a good external cannister filter.

On the skimmer side, personaly, i would not have one as its only a FO system..

These are of course just my opinions..

Niko


P.S Welcome to AC! Enjoy the site and all it has to offer....

 

[emonemo420]

thank you for the quick reply and ur opinions....so now to question your answers....as far as RO water....i dont have ne....and i couldnt really afford a 250-300 RO system....i saw those tap water filters that you hook up to ur sink which puts out about a gallon or two or something an hour...they are like 30-40 bucks are those worth it and i also here distilled water is good...i mean it would b like 50 bucks at first to fill my tank but after that it will b cheaper just to change the water every week or two.....ok next question...ok what exactly is a prawn/shrimp?? can u get these at a LFS and are they dead???.....now as far as the LR wont be a mechanical filtration cause its a FO system wouldnt the LR make is not a FO tank would still b a FO just with live rock...and again i dont have the money to get a full set of LR for my tank being thats its about 200 dollars or more. Can i just get some maybe 10-15 pounds to get her started??...ok final and last question and im srry if ne of these questions are to newbish and to stupid i just wanna make sure im getting right it and its the stupid questions that will get ya in the end....y would i not need a skimmer for a FO system...all the books i have read and the info i got say a skimmer is all but needed or it makes ur life alot harder...but imma try and build a wet/dry filter soon i got to get all the specs i need for it if ne one has a simple easy to use design/diagram for it and ne tips for one that would b great....again thanks for your time it is greatly apprecited...

signed
newb in training

 

[SHK_ATK]

Newb joke

You can always buy RO (or RO/DI) water from LFS it would prob cost a lil less than buying distilled.


Prawn/shrimp= Raw shrimp (like the ones we eat) that produces you ammonia source, OR you could always use AMONIA from the cleaner section of you local grocery store just make sure its PURE AMONIA that has no additives or scents. look for AMONIA and Water as the main ingredients

10-15lbs of LR should be okay its a start and you could always get more LR when you have the $$$ to do so. And yes it will be a FOWLR tank

Protien skimmer are more for reefs as reefs produce more organic waste at the surface of your water column not reall needed in a standard FO or FOWLR tank

what exactly are you planning on stocking in the 55G?

 

[emonemo420]

i think ill start with the pure ammonia as it will probably be alot easier to use but how much do i need to do it...like so much per day or just a bottle all at once or how would i do that.... and as far as stocking im not really sure yet ....i know i want the "nemo" its not a marine tank without one lol but im not sure i need to do some research to avoid ne problems...i kinda want a blue/green mandarin but i hear they are a pain...if you or neone has some good suggestions on some good fish to go with my nemo please feel free the more choices i get the better off i am....again thank you for ur time

 

[5xevy]

I've always had a skimmer with my fish only tank. There are no corals to help out with the nutrients and I've found just as much "stuff" in my fish only skimmer as my reef, actually probably more.