gopens

Well the fish guy is going to be here in the next hour. somehow i forgot to take care of the back of my tank i.e. paint, or paper. i have been told if i rattle can the back black, it will make for a very clean back of the tank. is this a crappy way of doing it. or would it look just like a black piece of glass. i am honestly afraid of painting the 500 dollar aquarium and make it look the crap. also there is the fish tank paper you put on the back. does this work as well. some help would be nice. i am ready to paint the tank but want some direction. also if i do paint the tank, is there a kind of paint i should use. thanks

Ok, I wouldn't put sand in at all yet. Why you ask. Because the "rock" you will be getting, adding to the rock you are buying local, still need to age. The local will help a lot, with the bacteria it has in it all ready. The rock you are going to order, will do some "shedding" of dead material, this need to be removed on a reguulas basis for the first month. DID you read that right, crap, month, fraid so. Now, why I say no sand yet. Yosiphonedu wil have areas around the rocks, were crud will accumilate. It need to be siphoned off. If you have sand in it. It is much harder. If I, and just another opinion, and I'm goin to do it. I would do a rock lift, as what FlyGuy builds, that allowes full circulation. But that is something you can talk to him, about as he builds them, if interested.

 

Oh yea, is the "live sand" in a bag? Can you get a bucket of tank water, from were your getting your LR local, if so. get 5 gal if it. Did you talk to the guy we said to contact down there that does maintenence? Please answer questions. I will continue when I know

the live sand is in a bag. i am sure i would be able to get the bucket of water. also i did not contact him yet. there is a new shop that opened here in town recently, and i was going to talk to him today when he brings over my sump and skimmer...

well thanks again sir. maybe a few loans will be coming your way, lol. it looks like my custom sump well be here in the morning. i also bought my skimmer, so i am about ready, i just need some live rock. So Blaine, can youm or anyone else, give me an idea on what the minimum should be on cycling an 80gl. would 20 pounds be fine? also i do have live sand. i don't really know if this helps. i was just told to buy it...

I think top-quality live rock is one of the best investments you can make for your tank. It is covered with coralline algae, interesting hitchikers, copepods, sponges, corals, chitons, etc -- plus it's filled with the aerobic and anaerobic bacteria you need for ammonia and nitrite processing.

 

Cheap live rock won't be much more than base rock, little to no life on it at all. I was lucky and found a local hobbyist who was selling a lot of fantastic rock, and I filled my tank with it. Before seeing his ad in the classifieds here on the site I was planning on ordering cheap LR from liveaquaria.com. Now, I'm really glad I didn't 'cause I know I wouldn't be as happy as I am now.

Even if cheaper live rock is not as packed with goodies as the more expensive, won't it become just as good over time. The reason why i ask is i am looking at a 350.00 dollar difference just in live rock. thanks for the responce...

Could you use caps next time. It is hard to read when its all lowercase.

 

You can start with a few pounds of live rock. The main thing you are after is a starter source of bacteria to start the cycle. A few pounds of live rock will have plenty of goodies in it to get you rolling. Hand-made rocks are fine as long as they have cured long enough. I have not made any myself but I think it takes them a few weeks to a month before they are safe to put in a tank.

cool thanks...

well thanks to a lot of people here, it looks like my tank well be ready tommorow for water and live rock. with that being said, what is the least amount of live rock i would need to start my cycle with my tank (80gl). i am also putting in a bag of live sand. the reason why i ask what is the least i can start is because my local guy wants 5.50 a pound for live rock. that seems high because i have seen it for 1.99 pound on-line. sure there are going to be some die-off, but from what i heard it is minimal. so i was going to buy the least amount i could tommorow, to start the cycle, than order some on-line monday. also he sells this custom live rock. it looks like it is made with cement. but he told me that its better than live rock because he puts crushed coral in it. the one thing about that custom coral is he can make cool things with it. so is this custom coral just as good or should i stay away from it. thanks again for the help...

so than the 1000 gph would be fine? cool. why would i want the sump drilled? doesn't the overflow just run into the sump via a pipe than go through the sump and refun. than get pumped out out the other end. but i don't know if it is drilled or not. i am sure if the drilled is better, than that is what he is doing, but i am not sure...

well its ken again (it seems my name is coiming up often these days). i have another quck question....

so yesterday, i hade a guy come to my house to get measurments (sp) for my custom sump. he said its going to be awesome, so i am excited. now the question is the sump pump. what kind should i get. my tanks specs says that my tank is rated at 700 gph. is that enough? i hope it is because that is what i have to work with. my lfs is saying i should go with a 1000 gph pump. does that sound correct? also i bought a octopus skimmer. is that a decent name brand skimmer. again, the guy at the lfs said it was a pretty darn good skimmer. he said he uses them at his store and at his house on his personal fish tanks. well thanks again ya'll....

Plus' date=' you will have your hands in the tank alot setting, moving corals, Lions can "STING" you. It's pritty cool how much you have picked up in 2 days Did you happen to look at that WWW. I gave you? Frags for loans. I'm sure we could figure somethin out LOL[/quote']

 

i did check them out, and all the sites i have been reading is very helpful. sometimes overwhelming, but good help. and thanks again ccr for your phone call conversation yesterday...very cool of ya. and frags for loans, well now were talking, lol....

First and foremost, way to go with searching and reasearching before jumping into dark water head first (laugh) ....

 

Well since this is your first tank...I would hold off on the coral and get a feel for just having some fish. I would not for a lion at first, just because they will eat anything they can get in their mouths...I would get the tank going, and visit a bunch of LFS and look at all the different fish that you like, if you still like the bigger fish, then get the lion fish, cause he will not be able to eat an angle or a good sized tang.

 

As for the coral..Coral require alot more "fine tuning" and maitence to take care...Do you have an idea of what kind of coral you want to keep? This will give us a better idea of what can be kept...Soft coral and Stony coral is not recommened to keep in the same tank, you can and people do it, but it is in moderation. Again, I would visit local fish stores, especially upscales to get a really good idea of what an amazing SPS tank will look like and if that is a route you want to go...

 

Once you have deicided what type of coral you want to go with, this will really help us help you out...

 

What size tank are you planning on having.

well i just got an 80gl bow front. and as far as coral go, i am only looking at maybe 3 or 4 in my tank. nothing to over powering. and as far as what kind i want, i am not really sure. i know i like the soft flowing ones with glowing looking tips. i like those. can anybody recommend a nice sized fish, that has some really cool colors, but at the same time, i can put other smaller fish in with the bigger show piece fish. and that bigger fish needs to not like coral. thanks for the help pros...

ok, with the help of many on here, i think i have figured out how to set up a tank i.e. skimmers, sumps, and pumps. now i have been thinking of fish and coral for the tank. i think i am going to go with a lionfish and a angelfish or a tang (the chart i have says these would work together, but if you know different, plese let me know). now the coral. can you mix up just about corals or is there ones that can't be with others. also i know that angelfish like some coral, but what ones will they not eat. thanks

hi there im here localy in medford if you have any Q's or problems you'd like to discuss ben doing this 20 some years and happy to answer any questions u have so if u like pm me and ill get ya my phone number or visit my forum its on there happy to help.Oh by the way im tidalzone lol

ah, the famous tidalzone. i have heard so much about you. i hate to sound stupid, but do you own a store in medford. i could sure use some local ideas. i have so much awesome help form board members. i will drop you a pm with any questions. also, can anybody recommend a good monthly magazine that i can subscribe to. i am looking for a mag. that is very educational along with all the new stuff. thanks

well thanks for all the replies. i spoke with a member on these boards for over an hour today. it was awesome of him to do that. i am soaking all the info up. see, when i first made this post, i honestly had no idea what asump really was. so i was looking for a certain answer. but i relized there is no real answer. i have decided to go with a ref tank. maybe only a few refs and a show piece fish, with other little fellas. i found a chart that lets me know what would work together. also i heard that 2 pounds of live rock per gallon of water. does that sound right? thanks again ya'll

also can somebody tell me were i can find a compatibilty chart that will tell me what fish and coral i can put together. thanks again

Not to discourage you, but I wouldn't order any live rock until you have your sump, pump, skimmer, lights. The advice you've been given all ready is the best advice ever... SLOW DOWN! The biggest mistake you can make in this hobby is to be overly motivated. I've noticed that is when I make my mistakes. Nothing in this hobby comes quickly. That being said, I just ordered this sump

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=BS1111

with a little modding, and an external skimmer you can use this as your refugium. I'm going to use it on my 72g bow front, so it should work for your purposess. Hope this helps.

thanks for the help. i am trying to be patient. its just tuff, because i am so excited to get this going. i am going to do this right. it took a lot from me to not just buy everything yesterday. i knew i needed to get on-line and get some help from you finr folks. if anybody out there wouldn't mind chetting with me via pm or e-mail. i would love to get the chance to chat with you directly for some pointers and guidence. please let me know. thanks

again, thanks for the help. i am still not sure what i want to do as for as the theme i want to go with. i have seen some coral, that are amazing. at the same time, i have seen some fish that are equally amazing. when i first looked into the hobby, i thought i would just choose a few fish and a few coral, and that was that. but now i see only certain fish can work with coral and vis versa. i am so confused. i have been reading that a sump is not necessary. but someone at the pet store told me it was a must, not an option. besides i was told i have to have one now i have a tank with an overflow. well i guess i am going to learn soon. i am ordering my live rock today. but first i need to find out what sump and sump pump i need. is there a universal one that would work. or are there ones that do certain jobs i.e. better for coral, or better for fowlr....

thaks ccr, and the folks are just around the corner...

thanks for the comments. i guess i need to learn tons more. i am thinking of doing a some corals and a couple fish. so i would not say a ref tank nor would i say a fish only tank. so i guess i don't know what i would call my tank, lol. well i will continue doing my homework. oh and blown65, i bought my tank in medford. i live in grants pass.

first off, i hope i am in the right are. if i am not, i do apologize and understand if this thread gets moved or deleted. with that being said, let me introduce myself. my name is ken, i am 29, and i live in southern oregon. i have been interested in the fish hobby for many years. growing up, i would do the whole 40 dollar set up (freshwater), and when my fish died, i was done for a few years, than i would make another attempt with the same problem. well sunday i decided to jump in head first, and did some research. today i made one of the biggest investments i have ever made for a hobby. i went all out and bought a 80gl bowfront w/overflow and a stand and hood. wow, i was shocked at the cash register. i paid more for this than i planned on paying for everything, including fish. anyways, i have a few questions for the seasoned pros out there. any help would be awesome. well the main question is i need a sump and a sump pump. i have seen some crazy prices out there. what would ya'll recommend for me to get. i am looking at something nice, but not to pricey. yet its going to do a good job. i definetly don't want to lose fish/corral because i was a cheap skate. so if anybody can recommend one to me that would be great. i am going to look on-line, so i would need a name and hopefully what type it is. also, does anybody know of a good on-line site were i can find them. i was going to use eBay, and maybe look for used. well i will ask more later. again, thanks for your time and help. Ken