Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Ok, that makes sense.I would, because your going to have to keep topping off the tank for evaporation. No point until your about to get the rock. Just makes sure it’s set up prior to buying the rock.
OHHHH, ok. The “livestock” threw me off. ;ColdEdited top post. ^^^^^^ said the opposite of what I wanted lol
On Amazon, it cost $60. I believe this would work?
Issue is I would have to wait for my next paycheck and that means no livestock or anything else for that matter.
Could I go ahead and start up the tank, with the live rock/live sand and the bottled bacteria? At least I could start the cycle and replace the regular water with RO water later.
Will get it once I get the funds. Don’t plan on getting SW from my LFS, it’s just not convenient. If I need to perform an emergency water change, I would have to drive 15 minutes there and 15 minutes back.Buy some saltwater from your LFS. That'll be made with RO/DI water. Shouldn't cost more than like 50c/gallon. And yes I got my unit on amazon too. Cost about $100 CAD (RO Buddie by Aquatic Life).
Just to be clear, I, Do not setup the tank until I’m about to get the live rock.I wouldn’t***** (edit) because your going to have to keep topping off the tank for evaporation. No point until your about to get the rock. Just makes sure it’s set up prior to buying the rock.
For the dechlorinator, I don’t know, I use RO, hopefully someone els can help you with that.Ok, that makes sense.
How do I measure the salinity, using the hydrometer? I will follow the mixing directions on the salt bucket, but should I check anyway?
Also, should I add the dechlorinator first and then the salt? Or vise versa? I have a powerhead, so I should be able mix very well.
You can do what you want, it won’t hurt anything if you set it up early. But water will start to evaporate. If you don’t mind topping it off with no rock in there go for it. Just seems to be more work to add water to a tank that won’t see rock for awhile.Just to be clear, I, Do not setup the tank until I’m about to get the live rock.
He has a plastic hydrometer that measures specific gravity by buoyancy (the kind with the little plastic arm), not a refractometer. Also, should calibrate a refractometer with R/O water & 35ppm calibration fluid.For the dechlorinator, I don’t know, I use RO, hopefully someone els can help you with that.
As for do you check after mixing salt: 100% yes you check every time you mix salt.
hydrometer: put fresh water in it, adjacent it to 0, wipe it clean and drip saltwater on it. Then look through the hole. You have to do this every time after you mix, and it has to be adjusted every time you use it, if it’s been over a few hours since you used it.
Side note: as water evaporates from your tank, your salinity rises. This is because salt doesn’t evaporate from the water. So always add fresh water to top it off. Only add new saltwater during water changes when you actually remove water from the tank.
Thanks, was thinking it was the same thing. You know what they say about assuming.. eh oops.He has a plastic hydrometer that measures specific gravity by buoyancy (the kind with the little plastic arm), not a refractometer. Also, should calibrate a refractometer with R/O water & 35ppm calibration fluid.
I’ll just follow the instructions on the back of the package. So if it’s to much salinity, I’ll add dechlorinated water and if it’s not enough, I’ll add more salt.He has a plastic hydrometer that measures specific gravity by buoyancy (the kind with the little plastic arm), not a refractometer. Also, should calibrate a refractometer with R/O water & 35ppm calibration fluid.
I think I’ll set it up a day before I go get the live rock.You can do what you want, it won’t hurt anything if you set it up early. But water will start to evaporate. If you don’t mind topping it off with no rock in there go for it. Just seems to be more work to add water to a tank that won’t see rock for awhile.
Just make sure to add saltwater to the tank prior to getting your rock. So when you get home, you can add the rock and it won’t dry out.
You Need to be able to check for ammonia and nitrate, or you might be killing fish in the near future.
As far as mixing salt water, I would follow the instructions on the salt (it’s usually a half cup per gallon of water) and then measure it with your hydrometer. It always easier to add more water than it is to add more salt because the salt takes time to fully dissolve whereas adding water to saltwater will mix in in less than a minute. This may be better advice for when you’re mixing salt water for water changes down the road than it is for setting up an aquarium (where there’s no livestock and time might not be an issue).I’ll just follow the instructions on the back of the package. So if it’s to much salinity, I’ll add dechlorinated water and if it’s not enough, I’ll add more salt.
—-
I think I’ll set it up a day before I go get the live rock.
Maybe I should just wait to setup the tank all together? Got a little gift at work today, so that will help a bit.
I think I may just get the RO system and wait to setup my tank. That way if I want to get corals in the future, it should be a non-issue.
(Also where I’m moving to has very hard water, and I have moderately soft water fish now. That will come in handy up there to. )
Gotcha, I’ll definitely get it before I get the tank setup.100%. I've always heard that the only thing that happens fast in this hobby is disaster. Especially if you have very hard water/water with high TDS, an RO/DI unit is going to be a godsend. Nothing like 10ppm phosphates in your tap water to make you quit before you've even started.
The problem with this plan is that if there are any heavy metals in your tap water, you’ll never get them out of the tank or the live rock. Also, if it’s loaded with phosphates your rock will be full of that water that will then leach out for potentially months. It really is worth it to wait for the RO/DI filter (and yes it will remove chlorine, but not chloramine, so you need to find out what your city/municipality uses, should be on the city’s utilities/waterworks website). And if you absolutely can’t wait, buy 29 gallons of water from your lfs or distilled water from the grocery store (5 gallon bottles of distilled water are like $2, so six of them would be $12, and then you’ll have six 5 gallon bottles you can use to mix/store water). I know you want to get started as soon as possible, but trust me, you will thank yourself later for doing it the right way from the start. Dealing with crappy water chemistry can suck all of the fun out of the hobby, and can take months and months to fix and stabilize, so being proactive and doing what you can ahead of time to avoid problems down the line will save you time, money, and heartache. The age old saying ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ is especially true in this hobby.You know what, I changed my mind. I’ll go ahead and get it setup, cycle it, and add the live rock.
Then, once I get the funds for the RO filter, I’ll perform a 100% water change and then fill her back up.
Here is what my water company says:The problem with this plan is that if there are any heavy metals in your tap water, you’ll never get them out of the tank or the live rock. Also, if it’s loaded with phosphates your rock will be full of that water that will then leach out for potentially months. It really is worth it to wait for the RO/DI filter (and yes it will remove chlorine, but not chloramine, so you need to find out what your city/municipality uses, should be on the city’s utilities/waterworks website).
Well, I tried.I’m going to go ahead and setup the tank, but not add any livestock until I get the RO system.
Here is what my water company says:
Quoted from https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/system.php?pws=KY0030239
EWG's drinking water quality report shows results of tests conducted by the water utility and provided to the Environmental Working Group by the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection, as well as information from the U.S. EPA Enforcement and Compliance History database (ECHO). For the latest quarter assessed by the U.S. EPA (January 2019 - March 2019), tap water provided by this water utility was in compliance with federal health-based drinking water standards.
Also, live rock doesn't draw much if anything into it so even if there is phosphates in the water, it will be taken up by fish, algae and other life forms before it gets into rock.
- Legal does not necessarily equal safe. Getting a passing grade from the federal government does not mean the water meets the latest health guidelines.
- Legal limits for contaminants in tap water have not been updated in almost 20 years.
- The best way to ensure clean tap water is to keep pollution out of source water in the first place.
Phosphates and nitrates are readily taken up by algae and aren't a big problem unless I’m going to have live corals in the tank, which I won't have while cycling my tank.