The Process

tomorrow night i'll be ready to get my tank in place, add sand, aquascape with 100# of live rock, setup my filters and start my cycle.

question: where do i start???

i have my ro/di running now filling up a 32 gallon trash can, i also have another 36 gallon can ready to go to mix my salt water . . . i think? theres a third trash can that will be full of the LR i'm picking up after work.

the sand is comming from an established tank, should i still rinse it, or leave it be? if i rinse it it pretty much has to be in tap water, is that ok? i also have a 20# bag of live sand, does that go ontop on the other sand, or does it get mixed in?

the live rock i was told to do a fresh water dip in i assume RO water, is that enough, or should i scrub everything off and start fresh?

i got some 4" pvc pipe i was planning on cutting into rings to make some LR base stands, should those go in before or after the sand?

should i get the rocks where i want them before i add in the salt water, or add a little water after the sand, then the LR?

sorry about all the questions, i'm just really excited about tomorrow and really dont want to mess anything up.

thanks!

~Will.

 

In my opinion, if you rinse live rock and live sand in fresh water, you'll defeat the purpose. Rinse them in saltwater to get rid of debris and unwanted algae, but leaving the biological base (all those little bacteria) intact. I didn't use live rock or live sand when I set up my tank, so I'll defer to those with more experience.

The LR base stands can go in either before or after the sand. I don't think it matters.

You asked "should i get the rocks where i want them before i add in the salt water, or add a little water after the sand, then the LR?" Get the rocks where you want them, first. Then add sand. Then gently add the water. You can start with a little water, first, if you don't mind getting wet.

 

I filled my tank halfway with salt water, then added gravel, rocks, sunken ships, etc. Then I filled it the rest of the way.

 

Level your stand. One of the most overlooked things. So simple to do, and can be a disaster if you don't.

+1 to everything already listed

 

At the very beginning, it's a very good place to start...

I would mix the salt in now and let it sit as long as possible (up to 24 hours) to let it stabilize. Fresh salt has whack parameters. Mix it with a strong power head in the trashcan, and a heater.

if you rinse live sand from an established tank in tap water you'll end up with (mostly) dead sand. You can do it, but you'll have to flush out a lot of dead organic matter. if the tank the sand came from is healthy, i.e. no massive algae blooms or cyano problems, you're probably best off keeping the "used" sand as is. If it's from a well established tank it's as good as your 20# of "live sand". As for mixing.... it will mix anyways. If your live sand in a bag looks better, put it opn top. I put Bimini pink on top of dry sand because it had a better assortment of small shells and coral chunks in it.

I used a sheet of egg-crate on the bottom of the tank to cushion the LR from the very bottom of the tank. the pipe idea would work if you line the entire bottom of the DT with it, but ultimately you'll probably move your rocks around a bit, and digging out their "bases" would make a mess. I see PVC rings used to support large coral frags... dunno about rocks.

This is what I did: egg crate, minimal sand (to fill voids in egg crate), 1/2 water, bottom LR, more sand to 1.5-2", rest of water, upper LR. You don't want you LR to be out of water any longer than it has to be. It took about 3-4 days for the water to clear up.

I was in your shoes all of 3-4 weeks ago. Tank is doing well now... but I am by no means an expert on SW (yet), so if anytyhing I've suggested is wrong, don't hate me. I'm sure moer informed minds can/will chime in if there's anything that will kill you

-Doug