Newbie and I need help!

Neither of these will be problems during the cycle. That's the nice part about cycling. It gives you time to gather more supplies. After the cycle it is recommended you get a skimmer, specially for your first tank.

 

SORRY one more question!!!

2 of the fish that I am hoping to have in my tank are bottom dwellers (diamond goby is one of them). Will the crabs in the CUC bother these fish?

ok one more question. once the nitrate cycles and all the chemicals are set, does the tank just cycle on its own after that? Is there anything that needs to be done other than adding chemicals/doing water changes to keep everything in balance?

AND

For the corals, what light do you recommend? I am on a somewhat tight budget but want to get the right equipment.

 

The crabs shouldnt bother the goby if its healthy. (As far as Im aware, I've never had that issue with my gobies)


With the tank cycling you can cause "mini cycles" by adding stuff to fast, just because the bacterial colonies havent caught up with the waste being produced. Other then that Its just maintaining the balance of the setup, whether its adding calcium for your corals or other trace mineral suppliments.

With lighting depending on what it is, I've seen debates lately whether its the intesity of the light or the placement... Im sure someone with more coral experience will chime in.

 

the salinity is 0.021-22. ? typo? the salinity is supposed to be at 1.022-25..

 

What type of coral are you looking to keep?

This site is awesome for budget lighting:

Aquatraders - Wide selection of Aquarium Lightings including T5 HO, Power Compact, Metal Halide

Not the best quality, but I as well as several others I know are running them and like them.

 

Thank you so much!

So I just went to my fish store and bought 4 pieces of live rock (13 lbs) and 2 large pieces of "base rock" (15 lbs). I am currently putting it in my tank and wanted to make sure that I did it correctly. How much of the base rock is "allowed" to touch the bottom of the tank?

Any other tips on setting it up? I have the epoxy glue.

Danielle

 

Probably too late to tell you this, but you will probably want to put egg crate across the bottom so your rock is truly on the bottom. Take my advice and dont rush into anything. Take it nice and slow, your cycle should be finished in around 3-4 weeks. For optimum water quality you should get a protein skimmer, cpr and octopus are the cheapest bang for your buck, look for the hang on back series. What kind of water are you using? If it's tap water it might have chemicals and stuff in it that will kill corals. Your going to need about 150 watts of lighting for that size tank. If you get a diamond goby watch out they will try to jump out (had this happen to me) Do you have any test kits? api is the cheapest you can get and they work alright. If your tank starts to explode with algae dont worry it will go away soon enough. Finally...reasearch, research, research. Hope this helps.

 

i wouldnt go epoxy crazy just yet if i was you.. because there is some trial and error when it comes to aquascaping your tank, think hard about how you want it, make sure it is stable but also has alot of crevices and caves for the fish to hide and feel safe inside of. and just when you get it they way you want it you will change something else and like it better (viscous cycle) haha. you have the whole cycle to figure out your aquascaping so take your time. not to mention you are going to wanna add Alot more rock to that 55 gallon than 28 lbs. the rule of thumb is 1-2 lbs per gallon for a nice full look.

 

Just starting my aquarium up needs a few parts and im on a budget. this is the best site i have found for decent parts if your not wanting to break the bank

Thanks a bunch ;D