Questions regarding cycle

[GBryant890]

I'm setting up a 50 gal with a 29 gal refuge/sump right next to it on a table built specifically for the tanks. My plan is to use a DSB and LR. I'm not going to put in corals yet, just fish for now. For the DSB, I'm searching local Home Depots for the Southdown play sand that people are talking about. The sand at my local beach would be perfect, but I'm worried about harmful things in the sand. Should I be so worried that I shouldn't use the local beach sand?

I've looked around on the web and found that the recommended amount of live rock varies from 1 to 2.5 lbs. per gallon so I'm going with the average of 1.75 lbs. per gallon. This puts 50.75 lbs. of live rock in the 29 and 87.5 in the 50. I figure a few pounds more or less isn't going to hurt anything, these are just amounts to try and get. Since live rock is more expensive than base rock, I want to go with a 50/50 mix of live and base rock and save some money. Can I put the base rock on the bottom and the live rock on top or should I intersperse the live and base rock throughout the setup? I ask because I'm on a buget and want to get the rock over a period of time. It would be easier financially to get the base rock first and the live rock second.

I was wondering what sort of ratio I should use for the DSB as well. I don't want to talk about the sand in terms of pounds yet because I haven't figured out how many pounds I need. I'm going to be putting in ~4 inches of sand. Should I put in 2 inches of 'dead' sand and 2 inches of live sand? How about 3 inches of 'dead' sand and 1 inch of live sand? What do people do to start tanks from scratch if they don't have access to the four or five softball sized balls of live sand made from pantyhose that I've read about? Once I've got the live and the 'dead' sand in the tank, should I mix the two types up so the living things are interspersed throughout the layers of sand?

I've got another question that regards adding inverts like snails and crabs to the tank during the cycling process. More to the point, can they be added during the cycling process? If so, am I correct in assuming they should go in toward the end? And should they go in before the fish?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Len]

Beach sand is not a good idea since pollutants from the sea wash up and embed themselves in the grain. I wouldn't rust any beach sand within several hundred miles of industrialized areas (which pretty much excludes the continental US). And a word of warning: harvesting beach sand is illegal in some areas.

I'm a fan of Caribsea's aragonite sand products. While many will back Southdown, there have been some reports of contaminated samples. If you don't mind spending a few additional bucks, Caribsea will give you more peace of mind.

As for the rocks, most people who mix base rock and live rock put the base rock on the bottom. The problem is that most rocks sold as "base rock" is of very low quality. Mail ordered live rocks come 44-50 lbs a box and are relatively cheap by the box, so I recommend you order all live rock intead. I can't imagine good base rock costing much less then $3.00/lb. Setting up the tank right the first time will be a lot less of a gamble and may save you lots of money in the long haul.

The ratio of live sand to "dead" sand can be more like 1:4. For 3-4 lbs of dead aragonite sand, add 1 lb of live sand to seed it. Some people prefer to add the live sand after the tank is cycled. Mixing really isn't required as the live organisms will make their will through the sandbed.

Don't add any live stock during the cycling period. Inverts are particularly sensitive to water conditions so only add them when the tank is cycled; same thing goes for fish. It doesn't matter if you add them before or after fish, although if you're keeping fish that might eat snails and crabs, it's better to add the inverts first so the fish don't regard new additions as food.

Hope that helps

 

[Jolieve]

Also... don't listen to your lfs if they tell you you need to add uncured rock to the system, or fish to it to get it to cycle. You really don't. If you don't see ammonia levels rising after two weeks, I'd try just adding a few pieces of mysis or brine shrimp (thawed) and see if that doesn't get things moving for you.

 

[Anonymous]

Another vote fpor the carib sea stuff. There new "live sand" wet packages are really nice. Don't put too much stock in the "live" part, but the good thing is it's pre-rinsed. You can put a couple of bags of aragonite on the bottom with a few bags of the pre rinsed stuff and the water stays clear. As oppossed to Southdown taking a good while to settle down.