Getting ready to start!

[piano15]

First off thank you to everyone who has helped me out, I appreciate it.

 

Getting ready to set up the tank and then wait for the cycle to begin!

 

Anyone have any suggestions in case I have missed anything?

[VW_TDI_02]

Always add salt to water and not the other way around. It makes mixing a lot easier. Mixing in a 5 gallon bucket instead of in a tank makes it much easier to measure out the right amount of salt. Always lean towards adding too little salt than too much. You can always add a little more salt to get the salinity up but having to make more RODI if you add too much salt is a lot more time. Oh, and as always, take it slow. This is an incredibly slow hobby and you really need to take your time with the tank. Taking your time often ends up resulting in less wasted time and headache when compared to dealing with the problems that rushing can cause.

[piano15]

Thank you.

 

Definitely going to be making up the salt in water rather than vice versa:)

 

 

I used to have a 55g reef and I learned that its better to go slow than rush with this hobby.

 

This time around I have really taken it slow. Trying to do everything from tank stand, leveling, water, rocks, etc the right way from the beginning:)

 

Can't wait to watch rocks sit for weeks.lol

[VW_TDI_02]

Oh, speaking of rocks, the hardscape is also one of the toughest parts. I like to put a bit of egg crate across the bottom of the tank and then fill in the squares. After that, add the live rock and then the rest of the sand. There are a few reasons. The egg crate protects the bottom pane of glass in case you happen to drop something in the tank or a rock falls. The reason I say fill in the squares is just to prevent any air bubbles from getting stuck under the rocks. Adding the rock next and placing it directly on top of the filled eggcrate gives you a stable base for your rock structure. If you put the rock on top of the full sandbed, it isn't as stable. I know my male clownfish tends to hide from the female underneath one of the live rocks where only he can get in so he's dug out a small little cove in the sand but since the rock is right on top of the eggcrate, the rock isn't going anywhere.

 

The final thing is about the hardscape itself. It's really difficult for most people to find a hardscape they like. I think it's easier to deal with moving rocks while the tank is still dry and not filled with water so start scaping early. When you think you have the right design, cover the tank for 24 hours or so and then come back to it. If you still really like the scape then you're good to go. It makes a huge difference giving yourself that time away from looking at the tank and then coming back with fresh eyes.

[piano15]

You read my mind!

 

I decided to go with the egg crate under my rocks for the exact reasons you stated. I always worried in my last tank that my goby and jawfish would demolish my rockwork and tank by their digging!

 

thank you for suggesting filling the squares that will be under the rock, my main concern with using eggcrate was nutrient buildup or air bubbles.

 

we will be placing the eggcrate directly under the rocks but not throughout the tank.

 

I think your suggestion of waiting 24hrs is the best way to go because I know we always want the best look for our tanks but I'm using mostly liverock in the tank so it can't sit for 24hrs out of water.

 

thank you

[Exodus]

Here's A snippet I wrote up years ago for an old page I used to host that's long been down, I think it still stands true for beginners and if I were to be asked what tips I have these would be the ones i would give:

 

The biggest and most frequent mistake I see made by beginners is not abiding to the golden rule of patience! Sometimes whether it be not fully waiting for their initial cycle to complete or not understanding the concept of an Established tank. Follow the golden rule and and save a bunch of useless repeated forum posts and money in your pocket!

Mixing salt is more difficult than you might think, It takes practice to make perfect. Develop a method that gives you pin point accuracy every time and stick to it! Don't rely on Hydrometers, use a refractometer and ensure to check with calibration solution at least once a month.

Don't make rash decisions in a state of Panic! To many times do people test some parameter see some off the charts result, go into panic and start trying to correct it without a second analysis. This can be a very costly mistake when taking things into consideration as a salinity test. If you find a parameter that is off before doing any sort of corrective measure find another way to test it such as a different brand of testing kit (API Sucks) or maybe a another refractometer or back up hydrometer etc.

Do not overstock your tank! Fish are fun, pretty, and wonderful to watch we all know this! There is in fact a limit though, just because there is enough water to submerge a fish does not mean you have a big enough tank for that fish, or you already have too many fish! Too small of a tank or too many fish puts a strain not only on the fish but the bioload in which returns leads to bad results. I know you like Dory and would love to have one, but I'm sorry Dorry(Blue Tang) Is to damn big for your BioCube, will out grow it and die prematurley. Dory does not belong in a BioCube or any other Tang for that matter.

Killing expensive fish or corals because not enough research was done before purchasing. Fish & corals are expensive, once they are dead there is no going back; the money has officially been flushed. Buy a low light coral and stick it at the top of your tank just to watch it fry, a simple Google search on the species would have saved that money and gave you much more enjoyment. At the bare minimum look up the species on Liveaquaria who has a cheat sheet for nearly every species particular requirements( This site is just a basic guideline) The more you look up and read the better off you will be.

Do not buy cheap equipment to start out with in effort to save yourself money "you WILL REGRET it, I promise!!" So many people start out with cheap equipment and try to skimp and cut corners and in the end it bites them in the ass. How is that you ask? Well when you come to the realization you bought a piece of equipment thats underrated for the size of tank in which you intend to use it for example you buy a Koralia 2 Power head when in reality you need a Koralia 3 for better flow, you have now bought 2 powerheads to accomplish 1 thing! If you come to the realization you get what you pay for when the equipment you purchased craps out, guess what? Your buying another! Didn't choose the right size aquarium from the get go... you get the point.