New setup and Powerhead choices

[kparton]

I did a search looking for information but didn't find this actual question.

I am setting up my 50G again and I have old Rio powerheads that I'm not really that crazy about. I'd like to replace them. Any suggestions on what brand and size to use? I have an Aqua C Remora skimmer, so I know that has a Rio pump with it.

Also, I am trying to decide in what order to do things in the tank. I'm currently making my RO/DI water (starting with about 35G) and I have about 150 lbs of Southdown sand (going to fill up to 4 inches). I know the sand is going to make a huge cloudy mess of it for a while. Would you recommend putting in the sand first, then the water (mixed saltwater) and run just the powerheads until it clears out. Then test the pH, and add live sand and rock and let it clear out again before putting on my skimmer?

Finally, I'm planning on 80 lbs of live rock in the setup. I'm a big fan of online shopping (I had good luck with livestock). Would you recommend ordering LR online and if so, from where.

Thanks for all the help.

 

[Anonymous]

My fave powerheads are Maxijet 1200's. They are reliable, easy to clean, and quiet. I do get chatter from one when my wavemaker kicks it on, but it just last a second. Many of my MJ's are 4 years old without a problem. I don't know if they will work on your skimmer.

Would you recommend putting in the sand first, then the water (mixed saltwater) and run just the powerheads until it clears out.

It will never settle if you have powerhead running in a tank with just clean sand. Well, perhaps in a month or two LOL! I would add the rock when you add the sand. Yes, the rocks will get dusty looking, but this will all go away. Without the live rock to provide a bacterial film on the sand, the sand will take forever to settle. I have had new tanks clear up in 3 days by adding the rock at the same time as the sand.

 

[kparton]

Thanks for the advice. I would have been waiting on the sand. I just now have to ensure that I have enough water and that I have my temp/pH all correct before I add it. I think that I will order my rock and sand, so it will all get there at the same time and I can mix up the live sand and the Southdown rather than putting the live sand on top.

 

[Anonymous]

Now you will get a sandstorm even with the rock, I just wanted to be sure you know, but I know from trial and error it will be FAR less with the rock in than without it.

Even after the water clears, note that for a little while moving a rock or adjusting a powerhead may stir up a small cloud of dust again, but it should subside quickly.

 

[kparton]

I'm definitely expecting the sandstorm. I actually set up this tank before with Caribsea Aragonite. I'm using the finer grained sand seeded with live sand this time to see how it works. I don't mind the sandstorm as much as the dust on the rocks.

Should I try to run my skimmer while the sand is up and flying, or should I just leave it off. Also, I'm assuming that since I will have curing rock in there, I should be running the powerheads.

 

[liquid]

I almost think you ought to wait on the rock until the tank is cleared. That way you can light your tank right away when the rock arrives so you can keep as much life that hitchhikes in on the rock in good condition. If you add your rock at the same time as the new sand you'll have a *lot* of sediment floating around the tank and this can cause problems for some of the stuff on your rock.

Shane

 

[kparton]

Sounds like a minor difference on this topic. When I set up my tank last time, I put the Caribsea in the day after the rock and live sand went in. It caused a big cloud, but it went away relatively quickly. I just figured the Southdown with such small particles would be more of a mess.

Not sure what I'll do now, but I'll let you know what I decide and how it goes.

 

[Lifer]

Several things:
I also think that Maxi jets are the best. Sand tends to make a colloidal ( a solid in a liquid that does not settle) mixture with your aquarium water until the film of bacterial growth has covered the grain surface. This is only a couple of weeks at most. Do not "mix" the live sand with the southdown. Put the southdown first and then sprinkle the live sand across the top. Let the infauna decide where to go. Let your water clear from the sandstorm before you put the rock in. It wont hurt anything to get sand on rock but why not? Some of the creatures on the live rock will migrate to the sand. Much of anything you want on the liverock is not photosynthetic so I would not worry about the lights affecting the rocks at first. Especially since you should not run your lights too much at the begining anyways because of increased nutrient values. Give the new rock a month or so to settle in and cure before you start adding very many creatures or coral. Dont guess....test. Be careful about ordering liverock on the internet. Keep in mind that you are shipping heavy wieght with a quick delivery time. This adds up. Plus you can hand pick shapes at your LFS. I know a lot of local fish stores are not very good but if we never buy anything from them they will never have a reason to be very good. Just my opinion. Stinks doesn't it!

 

[Anonymous]

You guys think it will work to add the sand and let it settle before the rock? That has not been my experience at all. I set up a 155g with just a deep sand bed and mixed salt water and tried to let it run until the sand settled. It wouldn't settle and was cloudy for two weeks. I even set up a diatom filter about a week into it and it didn't really help. I decided to go ahead and put the rock in and in short order the water was clear. I had the same experience in a 20 too. Note that I have only used Southdown, which is notoriously dusty, so I can't comment on other substrates.

I move alot so I am always taking my tanks up and down and sometime fully replace the sandbed since it is a pain to ship, and now I always add the sand and the rock at the same time, because the water clears in a fraction of the time than a just a new sandbed in a tank of water. You don't have to arrange your rock as soon as it goes into the tank, since the water is cloudy at that time, wait for the water to clear. When the tank is clearing, I will look at the shapes of the rock and take some time to mentally map out the aquascaping.

Yes, you will get some sediment on the rock, I would think that hitchikers that survive the shipping process can take a few days of sediment.

 

[Lifer]

putting some liverock in the tank will help speed up the bacterial population growth that will eventually cover the sand grains. That is true Mulberry.

 

[kparton]

Thanks for all the suggestions. It seems that the majority opinion (with one dissenting) is to add the rock and the sand at the same time, that the time out of the light will not hurt what I'm trying to preserve.

When should I crank up the skimmer? Should I wait until the sandstorm has died down?

 

[liquid]

Crank up the skimmer right away.

Having your lights on vs. off depends on how much life comes in on your rock and what you want to have live thru the lights out. If you've got a lot of macroalgaes and possibly some zoanthids or coral attached to your rock already, lights out for an extended period of time will kill them. If all you want to preserve are pods, worms, etc, then lights out won't hurt.

Shane

 

[hopdude]

I would recommend Maxi-Jet as well. I've had 2 600's and 2 1200's running constantly in my 75g for over 2 years. No problems. My remora pro came with a RIO. It froze up several times and made a LOT of noise. I replaced it with a MAG 3.

 

[dmz94]

I used to use RIO's but they were going out a bunch plus one exploded (lots of oil). I have since switched to Maxijet's and have been very, very pleased.

 

[kparton]

I made the decision and ordered my Maxi-Jets. I bought 2 900s and a 600 for my 50G tank, so hopefully that will be enough to keep things moving.

 

[moreey]

just recently set up a 180 with southdown. I would add LR to get the sand bed bacteria started, that way the sandstorm problem goes away very fast.

As far as powerheads, do you have the ability to do a closed loop?

I would go that route, when cheap powerheads die, your not going to be happy about this at all.

I just recently purchased aquamedic 3500's. They cost alot more but I have had 4 powerheads die in the last 2 months and that has cost me a fortune in itself.

 

[kparton]

I ended up ordering live rock and sand. I put the live sand on top of my southdown already int he tank. I then built a structure out of the rock and then I slowly added my pre-mixed saltwater. In just a day and a half, all of the cloudiness is gone and it was never really that bad. It all worked out quite well.