Greeting's From Brooklyn NY

[Paul B]

Hello Queezy. I was also born in Brooklyn. Bensonhurst near Coney Island. Nice to meet you. :)

 

[p1u5h13r4m24]

Hello and welcome! As others have said white vinegar mixed with r/o water will work. Let the equipment soak in it for a few hours with some scrubbing in between. Live vs dry rock is personal preference. I’d say most lean towards live, but I personally use dry rock.

 

[Queezy]

Hello and welcome! World Wide Corals is right there in Orlando. It doesn’t get much better than that on your doorstep.

That is one of the stores I visited, and I was impressed with the layout and customer service.

 

[Anna K]

Welcome to the community Queezy! Most of the answers above are great for getting started. I used liverock and sand for my tank and I did the old fashion month cycle process. I know there's bottles of stuff to help do a 'quick cycle', but I think the month long wait (even though technically it should have been instant cycled since I used premade saltwater but that's a different story) was worth it, because then it gave me time to work on aquascape and move anything around and just more time to plan.

Since you're in Orlando I highly suggest going to Reefapalooza that's happening next weekend! Apparently the Orlando show is like the Superbowl for reefapalooza, and you'll be able to see A LOT of different setups and be able to ask a lot of questions directly to those that you may purchase from in the future!

 

[danreef55]

 

[BryanM]

Good morning, everyone,

My name is Queezy and I’m new to the saltwater aquarium hobby. I originate from Brooklyn NY but recently relocated to Central Florida close to Orlando. If you know of any aquariums that sell coral and fish, please recommend. The reason I joined this forum is learn from the community through inquiries as I will utilize you all for your expertise. I’m still learning so much about aqua scaping and saltwater in general. I do have some questions regarding the set up. Below is a list of my equipment as of 04/15/2025, as well as some general questions I do have.

My set up consist of the follow below:

90 Gallon Tank and Stand with 2 Hole internal overflow.
LED Lights (I don’t know the make and model as I brought all the equipment used.
29 Gallon Sump with Fiji Baffle Kit.
Heater
Hydor return pump.



I do have some questions regarding the set up.

What are some best practices when it comes to cleaning used equipment?

Tips for choosing dry or live rock for my aquarium.

How do I cycle my tank?

Welcome aboard!

Have you considered starting a build thread?

Citric acid / RODI water combo for cleaning seems to be solid.

Live rock, always, if you can afford it.

 

[MikeyZo]

Brooklyn in da house!

 

[Queezy]

Welcome aboard!

Have you considered starting a build thread?

Citric acid / RODI water combo for cleaning seems to be solid.

Live rock, always, if you can afford it.

I'm new to the forum, explain to me what a built thread is?

 

[BryanM]

I'm new to the forum, explain to me what a built thread is?

You can read up on them here:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/tips-to-make-your-build-thread-get-noticed.247496/

 

[CoralB]

Welcome !! :cool:

 

[theMeat]

Hello Queezy. I was also born in Brooklyn. Bensonhurst near Coney Island. Nice to meet you. :)

Me too. Sheepshead Bay/Gravesend boarder

 

[Genvid]

Me too. Brooklyn Brighton beach.

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

Welcome to Reef2Reef

 

[theMeat]

Me too. Brooklyn Brighton beach.

When did you live there? Favorite lfs ?

 

[Gman83]

Welcome!

 

[Genvid]

When did you live there? Favorite lfs ?

I've been living there for the last 25 years, the area is constantly changing. Something goes, something comes. Lots of new buildings. People have changed, housing prices are huge, because the ocean is nearby.

 

[tharbin]

Welcome to R2R! For cleaning you want a mild acid. Citric Acid (dry powder you mix with water--also sold as saltwater pump cleaner) and Vinegar are the most common types. Soak the equipment for a day or so and then clean with a brush. The acid will remove most of the stains caused by saltwater and coralline algae.

Cycling the tank has a few variables depending on whether you use live rock or dry/manufactured rock, natural seawater or saltwater mix, even live or inert sand. The basic idea is to have some bacteria for the nitrogen cycle and a food source to kick start them. Live sand or rock or natural seawater will all have them and you only need to feed them. Dry rock, sand or saltwater mix will not have them but they occur naturally over time if provided with a food source (Ammonia). You can feed a sterile tank with Ammonium Chloride or rotting food like shrimp and the bacteria will eventually appear all on their own or you can buy bottled bacteria to 'seed' the tank. Once you decide whether to go live or dry you should ask again if you have issues but you will need test kits for at Ammonia and Nitrate, and preferably, Nitrate. The goal is you will initially see Ammonia in the tank from the food (as it rots) or the Ammonium Chloride and then you should start to see the Ammonia decrease after a few days. That shows that the first group of bacteria are converting the Ammonia (which is very toxic to saltwater fish at normal pH values) and converting it to Nitrite. If you test your Nitrite once the Ammonia starts to go toward zero you will see it rise. It will take a little while but the next group of bacteria will start to appear to feed on the Nitrite and convert it to Nitrate. Don't pay too much attention to what the Nitrate value is at this point as it is skewed by the Nitrite in the water. The end goal is to have zero Ammonia and zero Nitrite and some value of Nitrate. There's more to it but that's the basics.