WHAT FIRST,OR MIX BOTH?

[pluff]

Hi i was wondering what i put in the tank first?Do i put the Aragonite sand in first or do i put the Substrate in first or do i mix them both together and then put them in?:confused: :confused:

Thank You :rollface:

[canadawest]

There is not really a wrong or right way to start a tank, but here is the order that seems to work best for most people:

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Add your RO/DI water (or just RO water if that's what you have)
Add your heater and heat to desired temp (79-82F)
Leave tank overnight and look for leaks (Important if you haven't already done so!!)
Add powerheads and/or return pump(s) and turn them on. Then add your salt mix to correct SG (1.023-1.025)
Turn off powerheads and return pump(s) and add your sand/aragonite. If you have different grain sizes mix them up first, although finer particles will likely settle to the bottom over time anyway.
Wait a day or two for the sand/aragonite to settle, and for the water to clear.
Once water is clear, you can add your live/base rock and aquascape to your liking.
Turn on powerheads, return pump(s), skimmer and begin cycling the tank (with a piece of dead shrimp from the supermarket, not live fish!!!)
Use your lights on a restricted photo period (~6 hours a day) to reduce occurrence of nuisance algae during cycling process.
Keep testing ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels several times a week for the first 2-3 weeks. When ammonia and nitrite levels both reach '0' you are ready for your clean-up crew (snails, shrimp, hermits, etc) and your first one or two hardy fish (clowns, grammas, chromis, etc)

Good luck with your new adventure!
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[Dman]

canadawest
great outline, can I make a few suggestions?

Instead of initailly filling the tank with RO for the first night, use tap water. It is only to settle in the tank and check for leaks. If the tank does leak, then you aren't losing it to the floor, RO can be an expensive and/or a time consuming commodity to replace. If the tank doesn't leak then you can siphon the tap water out and dry it off with a towel.

Insert a line in between #'s 8&9 that would go something like this:
After you turn on your powerheads and pumps the water will likely turn cloudy again and stay so for as long as two weeks. When the water settles down again, use a small powerhead to blow the dust off of the Live Rock.

[canadawest]

Great suggestions Dman!

Although I didn't mention it, I filled my tank overnight with regular tap water to check for leaks. Then siphoned it out the front door onto the lawn. I waited another 24 hours for the tank to dry out, then filled with my filtered water.


Good point with the addendum to point 8. As the finer particles of sand will tend to continue to blow around until they are coated with bacteria and finally settle.

[Dman]

Canadawest
They say experience is a great teacher, I say she just likes to kick you when you're down, cackling that evil laugh, mocking you at every turn...oops wrong therapy board :D

I digress...I learned the hard way about testing for leaks, when I first set up my 50 gallon about 4 years ago, Slammed it with saltwater the first day, man I was in the groove. Until about 3am, as my wife was getting ready to go to work I heard her scream and heard the side of the tank split open at about the same time. Not only did I lose RO but it was mixed to boot.

It is also important to blow off the LR after the water clears. If not, the dust becomes a nutrient trap which can and does contribute to hair algae and diatom blooms and other nasty stuff that's hard to get rid of.

One other thing I thought of, while I was doing dishes no less, is sometimes it's better to put the sand in first (after the obligatory leak test) due to displacement. Especially if you are not using a sump, or you are running really tight.

Dman

[george81]

I would also like to remind the anyone to really rinse the sand or aragonite well first. I had a bag or aragonite that said "minimum rinsing required" when first setting up my old 33g. Well I added the aragonite without rinsing, poured 3/4 in before I knew I was in trouble. After that I tried to remove the cloud using 3 fine filters in my HOT Magnum canister. I had to dump all the water and start over again. Wasted R/O water and Salt. Then I spent 45 min rinsing the same aragonite.

So when setting up my 120g, I rinsed well and then scooped the sand into the bottom of the tank, to minimize the stirring up dust. Check out the pic taken just after. Water was clear first thing the next morning.

Lee

http://oberon.ark.com/~ldzielak/cloud.jpg

[pluff]

:hammer: Well i'm begaining to think of dumping my RO water and starting over,as my water is sooooo cloudy:sad: Setting up my African Cichlid tanks years ago my water was never this cloudy.I got 3 filters running in the tank to help clear up the water.Oh well i guess i wil live and learn:angry:

[cvrle1]

I personally wouldn't start over.

I had the same problem with my 33 gallon when I set it up. I added aragamax and LS and water was muddy for days. Once it settled down I turned my powerheads and skimmer on and it clouded up again. It didn't improve much over a week period. Finally i went to LFS and bought 2 peices of LR and put them in aquarium. Within 2 hours my water was crystal clear. Bonus was that there were no samll particles over the LR.

Try it, it might work.

[Kenzy]

Oops double post:hammer:

[Kenzy]

Well I just added sand and SW to my new tank yes it's as cloudy as heck but it'll settle down shortly.

Something that hasn't been mentioned is that when you're satisfied there are no leaks and are ready to add sand and water is to put your sand in first then put some plastic sheeting over it (vapour barrier or garbage bag) weight it down with some rocks and then add the water. This will help to keep the sand from getting washed all over the place. Especially useful when using finer grain sizes like SouthDown. You will still get some clouding, but not nearly as much.

Pluff, I would be patient and just wait it out. That's what I'm doing.

[ajx22]

Originally posted by Kenzy
Something that hasn't been mentioned is that when you're satisfied there are no leaks and are ready to add sand and water is to put your sand in first then put some plastic sheeting over it (vapour barrier or garbage bag) weight it down with some rocks and then add the water. This will help to keep the sand from getting washed all over the place. Especially useful when using finer grain sizes like SouthDown. You will still get some clouding, but not nearly as much.

Another simple option is to place a dinner plate on the substrate and pour the water onto the plate to reduce the agitation.

HTH,

[pluff]

:dance: Ok thanks guys,tomorrow (Friday) will be a week for the tank up and running.My water seems to be really clear now:) Seems to only get cloudy now is when i move the rock around,but its getting there :) :dance: :fish:

[Kenzy]

Originally posted by ajx22


Another simple option is to place a dinner plate on the substrate and pour the water onto the plate to reduce the agitation.

HTH,

I think that works with smaller tanks, but with me my aim sucks and I end up missing the plate!:cheers:

[ajx22]

Originally posted by Kenzy


I think that works with smaller tanks, but with me my aim sucks and I end up missing the plate!:cheers:


LOLOLOL...Your wife must hate you then. I hope that you're the one that cleans the bathroom!

:roflmao: :D :roflmao: :D

[Kenzy]

I had a feeling I was setting myself up for bathroom jokes!:spin:

[afss]

Ldzielak

you should not rinse your substrate if you are trying to accieve a DSB. It is supposedly these fine particles that help to achieve the desired effect of the DSB.

Scott

[ajx22]

Sorry...couldn't resist that one!

:crazy: :eyesspin: :lol: :lol2:


Very true regarding the NOT rinsing!!! Makes a mess leaving it in for the first little while...but helps a LOT in the long run!!