GDominy Posted August 13, 2003 Share Posted August 13, 2003 Ok.... So I have more questions. Given the daunting initial cost of setting up a reef tank (this is my first) I may not be able to get "everything" all at once. What I will have is the tank, some of the lighting, the live sand, the salt mix and the powerheads for circulation. Is it possible to start the tank cycling with just what I have available now? Or should I wait untill next month when I can finish buying everything? The Live rock I' am buying has been cured already and has been living in the stores tanks for at least 2 months.. It looks great and is loaded with stuff. What I was hoping to do is get the live sand going, and the tank cycling before adding the cured live rock.. Is this possible? I'm just curious, please let me know either way Link to comment
Frequency Posted August 13, 2003 Share Posted August 13, 2003 I also started my tank with low cash flow. My tank has been up for about 2 months now with live stock in all. I think you should be ok with Live Sand, Live Rock, and some circulation. I didn't actually get lights until recently (strange behavior from livestock without light). That will at least get your cycle running. Then you can decided what else you want to add. Also, advice i have for you is to really think about geting a sump up front because you can't drill once the tank is established . Your cycle should take a few weeks so thats the most important thing to get started I thinks. Oh btw, I don't belive you can cycle without rock. Rock is what really causes the water levels to go crazy, the sand alone imo probably won't do much. I.E. you will start your cycle when your rock is added. Link to comment
killrblue Posted August 14, 2003 Share Posted August 14, 2003 I would wait until getting the LR. You will have to spend more time cycling again when putting in the LR later. I also believe that LR has more critters than LS. Link to comment
ModemMan8 Posted August 14, 2003 Share Posted August 14, 2003 having just created a tank 5 days ago... i would highly recommend that u get the very best live rock that u can find and u can afford. it really does make a difference for biodiversity and aesthetics... and the critters that come attached and hiding inside are amazing... upgrade the light when u can... but make it sooner than later. the right kind of intense light is important for the biochemistry...and the colors look so much more intense. welcome to nano reefing. Link to comment
UncleLiew Posted August 18, 2003 Share Posted August 18, 2003 I started off by putting LR & Sand together in my main tank. After about two months, I bought additional LR but I cycled them in another small tank to cure it. Once done, I transferred to the main tank. This will avoid the ammonia from spiking in the main tank. Link to comment
GDominy Posted August 18, 2003 Author Share Posted August 18, 2003 Ok.. Well... I'm going to be patient then and do this right the first time around. I have the lights on the way now.... And I'll add the Rock and sand next month after I get everything set up. At this point I'm debating about setting up an additional 20 Gallon tank to sit under the main tank (also a 20) to act as a sump with Fuge.. This would give me somewhere to hide the heater and Skimmer..... I might as well do it right Link to comment
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