A newbie from a Pacific Island

[Zeke]

I've kept aquarium fish all my life, but never tried saltwater. Kind of dumb since I am surrounded by coral reefs! I have LR and LS all over me! I pity you guys for having to purchase LR for $7 and up per lb. for something I can just pick up for free.

 

Anyway, I just ordered an Eclipse 12 system from Petsmart (which hasn't shipped) originally for freshwater. Then this friend of mine (cough*Sidel) convinced me to try saltwater..."nano-reef". So now I guess the tank will be used for saltwater fish (FOWLR).

 

Yesterday, I took some LR and LS from a beach. Both are sitting in buckets of seawater and covered from sunlight. The LR is being aerated (and "curing") with lots of purple stuff on it and some critters crawling in and out of the holes (like little horseshoe crabs). I plan to keep 2 percs, and use natural seawater for 15% weekly water changes.

 

Questions:

1. How long should I "cure" the LR?

2. Will the LS be fine just sitting in the bucket of water (and for how long)? Will it eventually turn into dead sand?

3. I heard that biowheels are a No-No...but can I still use it (minus the wheel) just for water movement so that I wont have to use powerheads?

4. Is a "clean up crew" really necessary? I read about hermits being used as "clean up crew." I thought those guys will drown if put in water? I see lots of hermit crabs burrowing in the sand, but not completely submerged in water. Pls correct me if I'm wrong.

5. Will I get a faster cycle because everything I use is as close as you can get to being natural?

 

Any input is appreciated. Thanks.

 

Zeke

[CU_Reefer]

I've heard bad things about collecting live sand from close to the shore. It is possible that they are contaminated with pollutants and all sorts of nuisance hitch hikers. Your live rock looks like it might have some promise but it appears to be quite dense so you may need more to get the same amount of filtration. If I were you I would find a friend who dives and have him get some sand and live rock for you from far off shore.

 

Since you already have some that was free try it and see how it goes. It may work out fine, and if it doesn't chalk it up as experience.

 

Good luck

[sidel]

LOL, soo....someone finally took some interest. I told you this was fun and interesting

 

Anyway, for your biowheel, I think all you have to do is remove the wheel. The biowheel is not actually motor driven (current driven) so just taking it out is fine. When you receive it, you'll see what I mean.

[Zeke]

Thanks for the advice, CU_Reefer and Sidel. Yeah, the rocks I got were a little too heavy=dense; I also got a couple that were more like corals with lots of holes (and fuzzy stuff growing on it). As for the sand on the shore, is there a way it can be "cured" as to kill parasites and other bad critters? THank you.

 

Zeke

[NanoAmyDee]

Originally posted by Zeke

Thanks for the advice, CU_Reefer and Sidel.  Yeah, the rocks I got were a little too heavy=dense; I also got a couple that were more like corals with lots of holes (and fuzzy stuff growing on it).  As for the sand on the shore, is there a way it can be "cured" as to kill parasites and other bad critters?  THank you.

 

Zeke

 

The act of curing is not to destroy the life on or in the Lr and LS, but to grow essential bacteria that will keep your system stable. You want life in your LR and LS, and the most awesome rock and sand is stuff that is teaming with life that is good AND bad. It is all part of the cycle. Those parasites and bad critters are most likely what you need to have in the tank for food and cycle production.

 

You want your rock to be very porous so that there are all sorts of places for life and bacteria to grow, and so it takes up more room for your aquascaping. For the LS, go snorkeling over a reef, and look for the patches of sand that occur near higher than normal current areas. The sand is fine and full of life, and abundant. And you are more than likely not going to find petrol or a broken bottle in it like the sand you'll get from shore.

 

Good luck! Make sure to do some research while the tank is curing!

[NanoAmyDee]

Also, as for your first post. Hermit crabs don't drown. Almost everyone here has hermits in their tanks.

 

You are MUCH better off curing the rocks in the tank. Get the tank set up and put the rocks in. The lighting will help the cycle and you'll have something interesting to watch while it is setting up.

 

you will know when the curing or cycle is done because the chemical tests you will be buying has told you so, and the algae blooms have long been gone. you will also see coraline start to grow on EVERYTHING. even your hemit crabs...

 

Your cycle probably will be shorter due to the fact everything is from the ocean. BTW, what pacific island are you from? that could make a profound difference in the quality of rock and the life you find on it.

[Mugs]

i am jealous.....

[sidel]

Originally posted by NanoAmyDee

BTW, what pacific island are you from?  that could make a profound difference in the quality of rock and the life you find on it.

 

Zeke's in Guam . The reef is actually quite close to the shore. During lowtide, you can actually hike to the reef line, where there's a sudden drop off into the ocean.

 

Quick question. If you cure the rock with the lights on, wouldn't you just be encouraging algae growth and thus competing with the coralline algae in spreading? However, since the pieces he has seems to be well encrusted with coralline, it probably doesn't matter. Just a thought!

[Zeke]

Yep, from Guam (Thanks Sidel ) Thanks for the tips NanoAmyDee. I would go rock hunting again this Saturday, keeping in mind rocks that are porous I hope it's low tide! As for the sand i got from the shore, are you suggesting I throw that stuff and get some from somewhere deeper? I doubt that the sand they sell at petstores come from the "deep" parts; it's so much easier to get them right from the shore.

 

Sidel, when u say coralline, I'm guessing it's the purple growth on the rocks...what exactly are they?

 

I wish I could start the cycle in the tank..but my tank hasn't shipped yet Any tips on preventing scratches on acrylic? I heard they're "super-sensitive."

 

For the cleanup crew, are shrimps good cleaners for a 12 gal system? and so, how many of them (planning to keep 2 percs)?

 

Thanks.

 

Attached pic: This is one of the more porous rocks I've gotten. will hunt for more of these!

[CU_Reefer]

That looks great, I wish I could go out to my back yard and pick up free live rock.

[NanoAmyDee]

If you haven't put the sand in the tank (obvious because you don't have it yet) then dump that sand and go with deeper water sand. It eliminates the possibility of introducing any contaminants. The firts tank I ever set up we had to do over again because we had an oil slick on the surface of the water.

 

You want to cycle with some photoperiod because it helps the bacteria and such to grow. The algae blooms will level out eventually and you will have a stable tank.

 

The general rule of thumb for SW cleanup crews is 1 snail per gallon and 1 hermit per 2 gallons. Don't get turbos because they can knock over the rocks, and try to vary the types of snails and hermits you get so they take care of all aspects of the tank. Don't get any shrimp yet. Wait till the tank cycles. Then just try one at first. If it doesn't do the job it should then buy another.

 

The rule of thumb for fish is 1 inch of fish per 5 gallons, so make sure you get small fish if you are doing two. We only have two fish in our 20g and no fish in our 10g.

 

HTH