Setting Up First SW - A few questions

[kstradtman88]

I am setting up my first SW tank (30 Gallon). A guy I spoke to at PetCo was very knowledgable about SW tanks and recommended which products to get from PetCo and which ones to not get from them (including the live fish). For the sand, I started with a layer of 20 lbs of ground coral and an inch layer of living sand. When I went back to the store to grab some of the living rock he recommended, the gal working was not as knowledgable. She told us to get the "synthetic lava rock" because that's what they used in their display aquariums. After getting it home and second-guessing what the lady told me, I found this site. Lava rock is a big no-no I am coming to learn and according to PetCo's website - it is not synthetic rock but actual lava rock - and it is NOT the rock used in their display tanks. I've since found a reputable SW specialist shop here in San Diego which I purchased 3 lbs of their living rock - going to get much more soon. My question is did I damage my water or the cycling by having the lava rock in there for 48 hours?

Another question I have is what are the advantages or disadvantages of how I layered my substrate? I read somewhere you can "nuke" your tank if you don't do the sand/coral correctly by allowing waste particles to "explode" if the substrate is disturbed to much throwing off the ecosystem immensely.

 

[Frey]

Most put their rock in first then add the sand around it as not creating a dead spot over the sand. Just dig the rock down in now when you put it in. I doubt the lava rock will have any ill effects on your tank. If you are concerned just add a little carbon for a few days to remove whatever you may be concerned about.
One thing you do not want to do is put live sand under inert or non live sand.
Next best advise i can give now is take your time and be patient. You can buy fish from anywhere if you get yourself a quarantine tank and watch all fish for a minimum of 30 days before adding to your main aquarium. Since you are shopping at petco you can usually find these on sale for 10 bucks for a 10 gallon tank. Get a small heater and a hang on back filter or even a sponge filter with airpump. Make sure to get a seachem ammonia alert badge!
You do not have to treat immediately if you choose not to just watch them and see if anything happens.
Next there are some medications you should keep on hand. Copper, general cure and or metroplex and kanoplex, and parazipro.
After having to take a large tank apart and catch every fish and create a large system to quarantine them all i now will be treating every fish i get if it shows signs of anything or not.
There are threads in the disease section you should read about this but i will give you the quick rundown of what i am doing now.
Pre treat the quarantine water to 1.0 copper power let this tank cycle and keep a bottle or two of bacteria in a bottle. I had good success with the biospira that Petco also sells. Once your quarantine cycles you are ready to purchase your first fish. Acclimate it to the water by floating the bag for 15-20 min. Then release the fish into the tank. Slowly raise the copper level each day to the manufacturer's reccomended theraputic level over 3 to 4 days. You can treat with metroplex and kanoplex in the food at this time to treat for worms. Once the copper treatment is finished remove the copper and do a water change of maybe 5 gallons if using a 10 gallon. Now treat with parazipro at least 2 treatments.
If you do this properly and do not just put fish directly into your display tank it will end up saving you alot of money and headaches down the road. One outbreak of marine ich, velvet or brook could wipe out all of your fish.

 

[Frey]

I know that sounds like a lot of work but it really isn't and cash wise maybe 100$ for the quarantine and the meds which you will pay yourself back with by not wiping out your tank. While you are quarantining your fish this will give your display tank some time to mature. If you bought live rock not dry rock this will give your pods and other critters time to establish themselves. If you bought dry rock this will give time for bacteria to populate. After a couple weeks maybe look at algae barn or somewhere to get some pods to seed your display.
I know i am dumping a lot on you but you should also quarantine corals and other inverts for 72 days upon getting them as well to make sure not to bring ich into your tank on them, especially if you take my advise on quarantining your fish. It would all be for not if you just start adding things to the tank. From the research others have done 72 days fallow will kill most parasites.
I hope this has not scared you away from an amazing hobby but loosing a few hundred or a few thousand dollars of fish and corals etc by not taking the proper steps in the beginning and throughout your journey as a reefer has definitely ended many of reef keepers.
Maybe in a 30 gallon you are not concerned about a few fish but who is to say in a few months or a year or so you want to go bigger. (Most do) the few fish could effect many down the road. This is my 2 cents take it for what its worth and do you. But slow and steady wins the race in saltwater tanks.

 

[SeanJ]

My advice (2 cents) -- find a local fish store that specializes in saltwater. Nothing against Petco, but when I started years ago, I had a similar experience to yours. Not the rocks, but bad advice.

This site, of course, will be of great help!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Lava rock- yikes. Find snd build a relationship with a trusted LFS TO HELP YOURSELF move forward in the right direction

 

[K7BMG]

Not every employee at Petco is a bafoon. There are exceptions.

The best advice is come here to R2R and study.
Use the search and look for the information.
There are hundreds of threads to ponder through.
You will soon get to know the superstars here and realize who will be your mentors.
There are threads dedicated to starting up the tank. Quarentine tanks, fish and coral introduction, everything.
Reef keeping is a journey.

 

[Super Fly]

Another question I have is what are the advantages or disadvantages of how I layered my substrate? I read somewhere you can "nuke" your tank if you don't do the sand/coral correctly by allowing waste particles to "explode" if the substrate is disturbed to much throwing off the ecosystem immensely.

"nuking" is referring to Deep Sand Bed (DSB) which is 4"+ of fine sand used as a filter bed, and when an established DSB is disturbed it will nuke the tank. in shallow substrate, just keep the sand clean by vacuuming it frequently during water change so detritus does not build up and you'll be fine. GL w the new tank.

 

[Reefnman2]

Welcome to R2R and good luck! glad you found a local SW LFS.

 

[Sashaka]

Pre treat the quarantine water to 1.0 copper power

Excellent advice from Frey, though you need to realize that different copper products require different doses to reach medicinal levels. A strength of 1. ppm of Copper Power will NOT guarantee the eradication of ich or velvet. As Frey recommends, you'll need to ramp up the dosage over hours or days depending on the condition of the fish.

Copper Power's label directions suggest 2.5 ppm as a dosage; however, 1.75 to 2.ppm has been recommended by the experts here as the suggested medicinal dosage for ich and velvet when using Copper Power. @HotRocks details the dosage for Copper Power in more depth here: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/ratios-for-dosing-copper-power.385871/

FYI: I have always used Copper Power as my choice of copper treatment and I shoot for 2. ppm or slightly over.

 

[lapin]

I started with a layer of 20 lbs of ground coral and an inch layer of living sand.

What are the advantages or disadvantages of how I layered my substrate?

The non scientific response:
The ground coral will host a bunch of bacteria and living things that will help with removing gunk from your tank. It is coarse ocean sand. It will also release trace elements your corals need.
Some of the gunk will filter thru the fine sand on top and get to the bottom layer. The rest of the gunk on top you vacuum out. This is good.
The bad is that over time if too much gunk becomes trapped in the bottom of your tank it can cause nutrient issues. You can help with vacuuming the bed on a regular basis. Also you do not want the sand bed to be to deep. If it is too deep oxygen will not be able to get in. If this happens nasty pockets can develop. If disturbed, you could release gasses that will ( nuke your tank) as they say.
I would not go any deeper than a 3 inch sand bed unless you have something that needs deep sand to survive.

 

[SPR1968]

You might find this helpful as well to have a read through and get to understand a few things and anything else just ask

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean...

www.reef2reef.com

On the sand bed, mine is deep in places and I’ve also never cleaned it at all. Clearly you don’t want to go around mixing it up, or you could get issues especially when it’s old (mines 4 years old) but I wouldn’t worry to much about that.

And Welcome to R2R as well!

 

[Jon Fishman]

Everyone else sounds knowledgeable in a subject when you’re just starting out...... hopefully you find a good shop, but that doesn’t mean everything they tell you should be treated as gospel either.


Welcome.

 

[Ratherbeflyen]

I've been using black lava rock for my reef tanks for over 4 years with no ill effects. There might be some inherent risks to using lava rock, but if you haven't seen any problems so far, I doubt you will going forward.