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[SaltWaterN00b]

As I impatiently wait for a book i bought to deliver i thought i'd pick everyones brain.

With a 55 gallon all fish tank how much live sand and live rock will i need? After I purchase everything I need what should I do first while setting up the tank?

Ok Im standing in my living room, sand, rock, salt, water, heater, filter powerhead ready to go! now what? I know I have to read first, I read 9 pages of posts in the begginers reef forums and waiting for the book to arrive.

Is it ok to mix the salt with the water inside the tank while nothing is in it? or should i place the rock and sand in first? So, yea what steps do i take when starting from step one?

 

[drunktank]

as long as its FO, the amount of LR is up 2 you.

Your best bet, and this is how I do it all the time:

Fill your tank up with water. Mix your salt and get it to the right salinity- after that add the heater and set your temp, set your filters up etc. Add your sand and let it settle- aquascape your rock and wait for your cycle.

 

[SaltWaterN00b]

Ok so am i correct in saying there should be nothing in the tank but rocks and sand until the water is cycled?

 

[scarf_ace1981]

^^ yup.

 

[LeslieS]

Does temperature impact salinity? If the water was cool and the right salinity, and then you heated it up to 78ish degrees, would that make a difference?

 

[drunktank]

heat wont impact salinity (unles ur discussing evaporation)

BUT its easier to position everything with the heater in first. Also good bac. wont grow in cold water. So the rock and LS will need the heat, SO it's a good idea to make sure ur water temp is in the 76-79 degree range before adding LR and LR

 

[fishguttz]

Does temperature impact salinity? If the water was cool and the right salinity, and then you heated it up to 78ish degrees, would that make a difference?

It makes a difference. you must measure salinity at 78?.

I always thought that two or three large rocks set up like mountains in the sand looks good in a FO tank, especially if you have large fish, like dogface puffer or Emperor Angel.

 

[masterswimmer]

Salt dissolves much more effectively in water that is 78 degrees. I don't know that the bacteria colonies will suffer if the water is in the 68-72 range, but it just makes it easier to dissolve.

So in answer to your question, gradually increase your SG in the tank till you get to your desired level. I say gradually increase because if you shoot past your target SG, you'll have to either add more fresh water (which you might not have room for) or have to remove saltwater in order to add more freshwater to dilute the salt mix.

As soon as you've got the SG at your desired level, you can add your LR and LS.

BTW, I personally mixed my SW outside my tank. I had my sandbed in place before adding the water. I found it easier and less messy doing it this way. Some people will say that you'll get a sandstorm if the sandbed is in place before adding water. Not if you follow some VERY SIMPLE steps. I have pix to show you how to do it, without one single grain of sand flying around. LMK if you'd like to see it.

swimmer

 

[prattreef]

Temp. definately does impact salinity, that is why refractometers are temp compensated. A few degrees won't make much of a difference, but too big a spread will... please don't make me find the chart showing the exact calculations Randy

 

[cali_reef]

Temperature does effect the salinity in your tank, the water will become saltier as the temperature increases. 4 degrees F changes the density about 0.01, your swing arm hydrometer will not register this type of change and is not that accurate to begin with.

Fill your tank with salt water (either pre-mixed or mix it in the tank don't make a difference), put in the larger pieces of rock as a base for your rock structure, then the sand goes in around the base rocks so the rocks are not on top of the sand. This will prevent the rock structure from falling apart when a fish decides to move your sand around.

Regardless the type of tank (Fish Only With Live Rock or a full reef) you plan to set up, you'll need to have sufficient amount of rocks to support the bio load you plan to have. More fish stock will need more rocks to provide filtration, unless you plan to have other means of bio-filtration.

I would suggest going for a 75 gallon or 90 gallon tank if you still have a opportunity to change it, same length tank but more foot print to work with and better lighting options. IMO\IME 55 gallon tanks are not very good for salt water tanks.

 

[SaltWaterN00b]

Unfortunately i have a 55gal tank, so changing size isnt an option for me

 

[cali_reef]

Unfortunately i have a 55gal tank, so changing size isnt an option for me

If you are like most people here, you'll end up upgrading in a few months:biglaugh: .

 

[SaltWaterN00b]

OH i doubt it! The war i had to go through with my wife to get a 55gal tank was epic, there was blood and shoelaces everywhere! *shivers*

How many lbs of live sand do i need for the tank with it being fish only?

 

[marrone]

How many lbs of live sand do i need for the tank with it being fish only?

Once again you don't need any live rock or live sand. Since this isn't a reef tank you can setup it anyway you want. The amount of sand your going to place into the tank should reflect on what type of fish you plan on keeping. The same goes for Live rock. It would be fine just to put in 1" - 2" of sand on the bottom of the tank.

 

[SaltWaterN00b]

Im sorry i misunderstood thought you were just talking about live rock, sorry!

 

[marrone]

What you should really do is good to Reef Central and look at some of the tanks that are setup there, look at the picture gallery, and you can get an idea on how you want to setup you tank. There are many different ways you can go and you may find some thing that you like or some fish that you like.

 

[cali_reef]

Once again you don't need any live rock or live sand. Since this isn't a reef tank you can setup it anyway you want. The amount of sand your going to place into the tank should reflect on what type of fish you plan on keeping. The same goes for Live rock. It would be fine just to put in 1" - 2" of sand on the bottom of the tank.

Mike, what do you suggest he use as bio filtration in a FO and no live rock? Bio balls? How about hiding places for the fish? Do you mean he can use dry rocks to start?

A glass box with a few fish and nothing else looks sterile and unreal. Plus the fish would have nothing to graze on or pods to eat.

 

[marrone]

He could use a wet/dry filter or since he has a hang on filter it may have a bio wheel. The media in the filter should be enough to keep the tank running fine. He doesn't need to use live rock for bio filtration and because of the size of the tank it will also take up a good amount of space. The benefit that he would get from having LR wouldn't be the same as if it was in a reef tank. The load of fish, plus the feeding, will out weight what the benefit of what the live rock would do, specially in such a small tank, unless you plans on going with very small fish or having a lot of LR. Also adding a skimmer would be good. I'm also a big believe in using Nitrex to start off all my fish only tanks.

He could put in cured pieces of coral or dry rock to create hidding places and decorate the tank. Algae will grow on the dry rock and cured coral and as for pods that's not really an issue as he should be feeding his fish more hardier meals. The look of the tank will really depend on what fish he wants to keep. He could put in a lot of rock creating many hiding spaces but cutting down on the free space in the tank or just have some pieces of rock on the bottom creating a lot of open swimming room.

 

[SaltWaterN00b]

Now would it matter if you used all live sand and a little live rock in case in the future i decide to switch to a reef tank? Can I add new live rock to the tank with the established live rock?

 

[marrone]

You can use live sand and some live rock now and add more live rock later if you want to go reef. Adding the rock isn't a problem but the sand could be depending on the type of fish you plan on keeping now, some fish like to dig and move the sand around. Also if you do decide to change it over to a reef tank you may want a deeper sand bed or no sand at all.