Setting up a new tank methods?

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

If you were to setup a new reef today what steps would you take?

LR
Would you get cured LR from a LFS?
Would you get uncured LR from a LFS?
Would you get LR from an online supplier?
Would you get dry rock from an online supplier?

Depending on which rock you purchased how would you get it ready?
Through the rock in the tank and let it cure for 2 months?
Through the rock in a tub and cure it for 2 months or more?
Use the cooking (dark tub) method for 6 months?

Once decided would you use sand?
if so,
Something like natures ocean/caribsea live sand (I know its not live)?
Play sand and hope its clean?

I am still debating on a 28G tank or a 75G tank but leaning towards the 28G for less maintenance.

 

[CJM1224]

the bigger tank will be easier to maintain. it is easier for pH, for example, to change up or down. it will take alot more to change the levels of a 75g tank.

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

the 75G will also require allot more lights, allot more salt, allot more water for top off and water changes. Which means more tubs laying around and I dont have a allot of storage space for those things.

28G - 5 gallon water changes and maybe 1/3-1/2 gallon of evap a day
75G - 20G water changes and 1-2 gallons a day of evap a day.

 

[tosiek]

The caribsea sand is nice, gives you grades and sand types. For a more "saltwater" look i would go carib or other packaged SW sand rather than play sand. At 20-30$ a bag the two that you would need for a 28g won't hurt the budget too badly. Think it was 30$ for dry sand in 40lb bags. Whether its "Live" or dry it all depends on how you want to set up the tank, live for a boost to the cycle or seeded with someones sand.

The same with the LR. I recently purchased LR from a vendor here and it was a mix of marco, fiji and other rock so i was able to pick and choose. Alot of people have alot of the marco rock laying around extra you could pick up to save yourself a month + of wait time from them if thats what your looking for.

As far as it beeing dry uncured rock or pre cured it all depends what you want out of it and how many hitchiking critters you want roaming your new tank. Ive seen alot of the veterans here say they would go pure dry and bleached/washed rock and start everything from scratch just to minimize unwanted hitchikers.

I would throw the rock into the tank and let the tank cycle with it for 2 months if i were starting from scratch. The cure is just a cycle happening with the rocks. why cycle twice?

 

[tosiek]

The evap on the 28g is going to be roughly a gallon, and the 75 will evap just over a gallon. Its going to run you about the same amount of work a day topping off either. The 75g is going to be 5-10g of water for the water change, and you should be doing 3-5g on the 28g. Its either one bucket or two between the tanks. And realistically you can do 5g water change on both tanks a week and everything be super happy.

I would be more worried about the stuff required for dosing and equipment costs as thats the difference between the tanks. $$ on setup and equip. The LR is gonna scale a few hundred to fill between the two tanks.

 

[tunicata]

hmm, im just starting a new tank. I've decided to go a different route than when I first started one.

Everything new. So, starting with dry rock, bagged sand that has the look I want, let it sit in the tank and cycle itself out. I took a small piece of rock that I hadn't seen any unwanted hitchhikers on (yea, I know they could still be in there) and placed it in the new tank.
I also used about 5g of water from an established tank that had no obvious sign of evil hitchhikers.

I used all new equipment or old equipment that I had steam/boiled in some manner.
I'm not worried about how long it takes this time (not as much).

More so worried that some how I'll get pests....

 

[hijinks]

i bought rock that had a lot of life on it from a tank break down. Had some apstaia which is now under control and came with some algae which is starting to get under control.

On the flip side it was an instance cycle and I've been more then happy with what I got.

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Well my thought are even dried rock will have dead matter in it that will need to be cured/cycled out before it becomes a phosphate factory. I want to setup the tank right and as trouble free as possible (impossible) but I do not want to try a 6 month moethod that may or may not make a difference.

 

[hijinks]

dead rock will still have a cycle time.. you can speed it up by buying a small piece of cured rock. It might smell a bit but probably not as bad as dieing live rock would.

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

and that in my living room is not going to fly. My garage is not heated (water is frozen in the garage currently).

 

[tunicata]

You know...I don't get it. My tank has been sitting there for quite a while, but it has never had a bad scent to it.

Even when I had rocks cycling in a bucket during the summer, no scent, no discolored water. Albeit, I had a skimmer, heater, and pump on the bucket, but....it was dry rock.

Maybe it does smell...and no one in my home notices?

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

I dont have a skimmer for a curing tank. I am still deciding on a tank as well.

 

[hijinks]

the smell really has to do with how much ammonia is being produced.. If your dead rock is pretty cleaned you might not have much of a smell.. Like if it came from a pretty clean tank it might not have much smell.. but if it was from a dirty algae filled tank it will be nasty

 

[Rob_Reef_Keeper]

Well it will be from the LFS or online supplier.

 

[hijinks]

online supplier will have die off due to the shipping process. Generally they just wrap it in wet newspaper.

if its cured at a LFS its a instant cycle since you can just buy a bucket or such and bring it home and place it in water when you get home.. just cover the rock in a wet towel while you bring it home from the LFS.