confused please help

ok so i was reading around threds here i did the first step bought a 55 gal with a stand for 120 which is cheap in my area it came with a aqua tec 30-60 filter could i start off by filling putting in a power head a heater salt and hydro meter and let it sit then slowely progress by buying a test kit lights rock sand i hope u can anwser my questions this site is great

 

if you dont put in the rocks and sand initally, you will have multiple cycles. best to get those in wit the water asap. liquid test kits are the best. the strips are accurate

 

Because it's a used tank, the first step is to do a tapwater test. Fill it up with tapwater and let it sit for a couple of days. Then look at all seams to make sure there are no water leaks.

 

wen i picked the tank up it had water in it with no leaking so should i fill it any way and also wen should i set my sump up i wnated to jus use the filter until i set the sump up thanks and plz reply back

 

the possible damage to the seams would have happened during transportation from the former owner to your house.* As a result, it doesn't matter if it didn't leak there.Yes, you can use just the filter temporarily

 

ok so fill it hook the filter up let it run 4-5 days so wat should i order to day ?? plz anwser back thanks

 

kindly work on the punctuation so it's easier to read in future posts


I have a 55 and one of those filters. On that filter, the all black filter/sponge thing that is in it. If that is used, replace it and never change it again. The blue filter pads aren't particularly useful. I don't use them. I only use this filter to have somewhere to run carbon (drop an activated carbon bag in it) and to create flow in a little corner of rock that would otherwise be a dead spot.

During the cycle, all you need is one power head, saltwater, and a heater. You need (advisable) to have your Live Rock (LR) in it to begin with. You don't really need much. You can add additional base rock (BR = dead clean rock) later. You'll want 100+ pounds of total dry rock weight as your goal (roughly 2lb per gallon or so). Personally, I would want all my rock in before I started adding fish or corals... IMO.

Hydrometer is fine, I recommend getting a refractometer - far more accurate. You can find them for around $20 on eBay - not much more than a flimsy hydrometer.

This is the only time you can mix salt in the tank. After this, you have to mix it separately. No exceptions.

You want to begin with the sand, I wouldn't add this later. Do this first. Don't add playsand from Home Depot. Read up on sand choices here on 3reef.

I didn't add lights until my cycle was nearing completion... they're not needed until you have something that needs them (like a coral).

I also didn't add a skimmer until some time after I added my fish... nothing to skim yet and trying to spread the money across time...

+1 very likely to happen and is a pain. especially if you're new to the hobby. I would agree, it is easier to add rock and sand to begin with.

I believe Divott meant to say the strips are *not* accurate. They are very similar to guessing. Worthless. Use the liquid type drip tests.

I have these two:




Plus the Salifert Mg test.

it may have been *just* set up for you... you want it to sit w/water for a couple of days to be safe. it's to protect you, so up to you how long you want to do this for.

I don't have a sump... I have lots of LR and an HOB (hang on back) skimmer. You can add a sump at any point really.

Hope it was helpful.

 

yes it was so let me git this right i can let the tap water sit in there for how ever long so order the salt mix a heater and a refractor to day and can i use the tap thats in there or is it un healthy???

 

tap water has chlorine (and other elements). can be deadly.


you really want RO/DI. You can settle for RO. If you must, you can use a de-chlorinator drops to neutralize the chlorine in tap. Something like 3-5 drops per gallon. But if there is anything else (phosphates, copper, etc.) in your tap, it won't do anything to help that.

Tap Water (assuming it has been dechlorinated) is use at your own risk

The same dechlorinator you would use for freshwater goldfish... same stuff...

 

how bout if i bought gallons of distilled water would tht work