New all the way around!

Hi, I am completely new to the hobby, and to the forum. What I have right now is a 46 gallon bowfront aquarium. I have ordered 50 pounds of base rock, 45 pounds of live sand, a marineland H.O.T. canister filter (250 gph),and I ordered this protein skimmer. It had good reviews on a thread here. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=14MX515PCRH9RMQCHRNC

My friend has a R.O.D.I. system so i will be getting my water from them and mixing the sale myself. My question is, how do I go about starting up? Do I put the sand, rock, and water in and turn on the protein skimmer and filter? Or do i leave the skimmer off and just the filter on? I know to start with a raw shrimp to get the cycle going. I've also read not to have the light on during the cycle stages. Should I let it run for a week or so before adding the shrimp? Thanks in advance! I will keep reading in my off-time. I have a lot to learn. But i'm not rushing into things like I have seen people post about. I don't want to kill any fish!

 

I don't have a filter on mine (I just use live rock and protien skimmer) so I can't comment about what to do with that.

I had lights on during my cycle (not really needed. I just did). I added the sand, rock (used base rock), then the mixed water. Turned powerheads and heater on, threw in a raw shrimp and then just let it sit. Left the protien filter off until the cycle was nearly over. I turned it on before the end of the the cycle just so it would break in by the time the cycle completed.

My build thread: http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-of...front-beginner-reef-build-updated-104892.html goes over what I did, as well as showing how other people helped me along the way

 

I would leave the skimmer off until the cycle is over. Do you have a sump? Im just kind of confused because you got a in sump skimmer but also have the Marineland filter.

I have the larger version of the Eshopps skimmer for my 75 and I like it. It works well and the price was right! Congrats on your new setup.

 

Well rookie mistake #1. I sent my wife the wrong link so I accidentally ordered an in sump skimmer....great. Oh well, I will return it and order a different one. I need a hang on protein skimmer. I meant to send her the link to an SC aquariums 65...I was thinking this along with my filter should be sufficient. Do most people just skip out on getting a filter and get a bigger protein skimmer instead?

 

id get rid of that canister filter and put that money twords a better HOB protine skimmer

 

To answer your question, yes and no. Skimmers are a very important filtration method in reef tanks. Other forms of "filters" are media reactors. these are very common and found on most tanks. GFO (granular ferric oxide) and activated carbon among those used in those reactors to reduce phosphates and nitrates (Food for yucky algae). On more advanced tanks, calcium reactors are used but not too often.

Dont forget that in our saltwater tanks it is recommended 1-2lbs of Live rock per gallon as a general rule of thumb.. That is naturally "filtering" your water by producing organisms that do this naturally. Canister filters have been called yester years method on filtering because this hobby has exploded with new research, and methods of keeping livestock, especially in reef tanks. Canister filters i believe work best on freshwater set ups, but i have 0 experience with them.

Almost forgot. welcome to 3reef and to the hobby. chances are if you have a question, its been asked and answered here so prepare for a learning experience.

 

Ok, just to give an update. I returned the protein skimmer, and since I don't need the skimmer yet I put in 50 pounds of dry base rock from reefcleaners. I plan to get 5-10 pounds of live rock this week and start seeding. after I get the live rock in I think i'm ready to throw the shrimp in and get the cycle started. This skimmer i will be purchasing is the SC Aquariums sc150. here is a thread about it.

http://www.3reef.com/forums/protein-skimmers/sc-aquariums-sc150-cone-skimmer-review-121186.html

I also bought a 36" 156w t-5 from odyssea. I know its not the best light out there but for 100 bucks I am very pleased with it. I plan on replacing the bulbs soon and if any of the ballasts give me trouble I will replace all of them. My SG is around 1.025 right now. My test kits haven't came in yet so I haven't been able to check anything else. But with nothing in the tank other than dead rock and water I figure its all close to 0 anyhow. Also, I won't be running the light until after the cycle is over. I've read that the light will/can cause the algae growth. So to sum everything up I have water and dead rock in right now. I will be adding live rock within a week and as soon as it gets in there I will add the shrimp. As soon as the cycle is over I will purchase a cleanup crew and the protein skimmer. I haven't decided if I want to add fish afterward or not. I was thinking of purchasing another 50 pounds of dead rock from reefcleaners, but asking for smaller pieces. The first 50 pounds I got looked and felt like MUCH more than 50 pounds with 5 pieces larger than a football and 2 about half footballs. I thought it may be a better idea to get all of my rock in, and seeding before adding fish. Thoughts?

 

Alright! Just to give an update I recently purchased 10 pounds of live rock from a not so local fish store(1.5 hours away). I came straight home and placed the 10 pound piece on top of my biggest piece of dead rock and stacked all other pieces on/around it. I didn't know if it was necessary but I made sure all of the pieces of dead rock were touching the live rock. And right after that I tossed in a peeled piece of raw shrimp. I'm very excited after viewing everyones tanks on here. I'm gonna go buy all my fish in about 3 days. JUST KIDDING! I plan to wait a good month, or maybe even longer. I don't want to kill or torture any fishies. Thanks to all!