Here's my plan

[Netotek]

Here is what I have so far..
- Fluval Evo 13.5Gallon Saltwater Kit
- Box of Seachem Vibrant Sea Salt
- Fluval 50W submersible heater
- Wide range specific gravity meter

Im currently running a leak test on the tank but this is my plan. Please let me know where I should change or adjust.

Going to place it where it is going to live and fill it up with water. My LFS said that our water here is great so an RODI filter is completely unneccesarry.
With the heater and the pump running, I'm going to start adding the salt as per the instructions on the box.

- the Gravity meter says it needs to be calibrated by placing it in salt water for 24hours to season the needle, can I put it in the tank overnight to calibrate then test? or what it the best way to calibrate? seems weird to me to calibrate the tester with the water im testing.

Once the water is sufficiently salty, I'm planning to go to the LFS and pick up Live rock for the aquascape and the sand. My LFS only has dry sand and they advised using all live rock for the aquascape.

Then with the live rock and sand in the tank I wait for the tank to cycle. My LFS says that by using all live rock, the cycle will be fast.

And that's as far as I have set for now. I imagine that now I can stock the tank.
I would like to have the following in the tank;
- Clownfish (2 if I could)
- Yellow diamond Goby
- an anenome
- Xenia
- Bubble coral maybe
- Some sort of Crab
- Some sort of shrimp
- Snails

Or some sort of mix of these, I know its a small tank so I can't fit everything.

 

[Stephen8169301]

What type of water will you use? Lfs no need rodi are you going to use Ro? Or tap?

 

[Netotek]

What type of water will you use? Lfs no need rodi are you going to use Ro? Or tap?

They said tap, I thought that was weird

 

[Stephen8169301]

They said tap, I thought that was weird

I’d avoid tap if you can

 

[RaymondL]

Here is what I have so far..
- Fluval Evo 13.5Gallon Saltwater Kit
- Box of Seachem Vibrant Sea Salt
- Fluval 50W submersible heater
- Wide range specific gravity meter

Im currently running a leak test on the tank but this is my plan. Please let me know where I should change or adjust.

Going to place it where it is going to live and fill it up with water. My LFS said that our water here is great so an RODI filter is completely unneccesarry.
With the heater and the pump running, I'm going to start adding the salt as per the instructions on the box.

- the Gravity meter says it needs to be calibrated by placing it in salt water for 24hours to season the needle, can I put it in the tank overnight to calibrate then test? or what it the best way to calibrate? seems weird to me to calibrate the tester with the water im testing.

Once the water is sufficiently salty, I'm planning to go to the LFS and pick up Live rock for the aquascape and the sand. My LFS only has dry sand and they advised using all live rock for the aquascape.

Then with the live rock and sand in the tank I wait for the tank to cycle. My LFS says that by using all live rock, the cycle will be fast.

And that's as far as I have set for now. I imagine that now I can stock the tank.
I would like to have the following in the tank;
- Clownfish (2 if I could)
- Yellow diamond Goby
- an anenome
- Xenia
- Bubble coral maybe
- Some sort of Crab
- Some sort of shrimp
- Snails

Or some sort of mix of these, I know its a small tank so I can't fit everything.

I have the same tank - 2 clownfish is fine and the goby. An anemone might be doable but the tank might be too small for it especially if you plan to stock corals.

Live rock: that can be a dangerous route - if the rock houses pests, you're introducing it to your tank right off the bat. Yes, it'll speed up the cycle and establish the biome, but at the cost of having to contend with the bad stuff that might come with the live rock - unless the rock is pristine, but there's no way to tell really other than take word from your LFS that it's clean.

Gravity Meter: that is strange - what kind/brand is it? I would suggest investing in a Tropic Marin glass floating Hyrdometer, or a good Refractometer. You can use this in combination if you like to ensure accuracy.

Your LFS says not to use RODI water, but okay to use tap water???? That is very odd - I would not trust any type of water other than RODI - having a salt water tank requires clean water, and using anything but can cause many problems: algae problems, coral death, etc.

You don't need to have the heater plugged in to mix the salt in - as a matter of fact it's better to mix when the water is cold.

 

[Stephen8169301]

Y

I have the same tank - 2 clownfish is fine and the goby. An anemone might be doable but the tank might be too small for it especially if you plan to stock corals.

Live rock: that can be a dangerous route - if the rock houses pests, you're introducing it to your tank right off the bat. Yes, it'll speed up the cycle and establish the biome, but at the cost of having to contend with the bad stuff that might come with the live rock - unless the rock is pristine, but there's no way to tell really other than take word from your LFS that it's clean.

Gravity Meter: that is strange - what kind/brand is it? I would suggest investing in a Tropic Marin glass floating Hyrdometer, or a good Refractometer. You can use this in combination if you like to ensure accuracy.

Your LFS says not to use RODI water, but okay to use tap water???? That is very odd - I would not trust any type of water other than RODI - having a salt water tank requires clean water, and using anything but can cause many problems: algae problems, coral death, etc.

You don't need to have the heater plugged in to mix the salt in - as a matter of fact it's better to mix when the water is cold.

follow this ^^

 

[Stephen8169301]

Also please just make sure to wait 10 months to a year before you do an anemone and coral around 6 months you could do more forgiving coral early on like Xenia or Kenya gsp but these are quick to take over tanks

 

[Netotek]

I have the same tank - 2 clownfish is fine and the goby. An anemone might be doable but the tank might be too small for it especially if you plan to stock corals.

Live rock: that can be a dangerous route - if the rock houses pests, you're introducing it to your tank right off the bat. Yes, it'll speed up the cycle and establish the biome, but at the cost of having to contend with the bad stuff that might come with the live rock - unless the rock is pristine, but there's no way to tell really other than take word from your LFS that it's clean.

Gravity Meter: that is strange - what kind/brand is it? I would suggest investing in a Tropic Marin glass floating Hyrdometer, or a good Refractometer. You can use this in combination if you like to ensure accuracy.

Your LFS says not to use RODI water, but okay to use tap water???? That is very odd - I would not trust any type of water other than RODI - having a salt water tank requires clean water, and using anything but can cause many problems: algae problems, coral death, etc.

You don't need to have the heater plugged in to mix the salt in - as a matter of fact it's better to mix when the water is cold.

Not sure if this makes a difference. When I was at my LFS they showed me the live rock and it was in a part of the filteration system, the last sump of water before it goes back into the display tank and they had what I would guess would be a 30 Gallon area full of live rock. The display tank is massive IMO 6ft long by 5ft tall, not sure how deep. And that tank has been there for 10+ years since Ive been going there.

the gravity meter thing I read wrong and it is "Coralife Deep Six Hydrometer" shows Salinity and Specific Gravity

As for the water, is there a water conditioner that I can use? no LFS that I cand find sells saltwater. In my area, people rant and rave about the water quality, always in the paper, best in the world, blah blah blah, I don't know I'm no scientist, but if theres something I can add to help, all the better.

 

[RaymondL]

Hopefully it the tank that the live rock is in doesn't have any issues or pests. Did they disclosed any information about? Still the live rock can be a breeding ground for anything that might otherwise create an issue - especially for a smaller tank it might be more difficult to control and an outbreak of any kind would be more evident.

Coralife hydrometer - these floating type instruments are prone to errors because of the way they work and prone to errors from: air bubbles...not leveled surface, needle issues. If you want to use it I'd say bring it to the LFS and take a reading of their water and compare with what they read using whatever they use. Or I'd say get one of the other salinity testers I mentioned.

It doesn't matter if your tap water is clean - it's clean for human consumption, but for marine life it's a different story. TDS, heavy metals, organics...etc can be detrimental to corals for one. Is the LFS using tap water?? If not there's your assurance.

If you insist to use tap water get some chlorine remover. Also, most help with heavy metals as well. Ie. Seachem Prime.