What to do?

[juicemonkey]

I have the 28 gallon nano jbj. Ready to get it started. I want to do it right but want advice. I just got my rock which was previous live rock but has been dried out for a bit.

The tank is empty, just aquascape (looks really good). What next? Give me the nano version of the process.

I have to places that will give me a pound of live sand from an established aquarium.

At what point do I add a reef cleaner pack?

I am in no rush but at the same time I don't want to go at a snails pace.

 

[Blackhawk Fan]

I would start off with cycling the tank. You don't want to add any animals until your tank is through this process.

Once your tank has cycled you can add a cleanup crew.

 

[juicemonkey]

how should I start the cycle, what do I do next to cycle it? etc water, sand, dead shrimp

I would start off with cycling the tank. You don't want to add any animals until your tank is through this process.

Once your tank has cycled you can add a cleanup crew.

 

[Blackhawk Fan]

Since your rock was once live and is now dead just adding the rock to the water will begin the cycle. All the dead stuff on it will start the nitrogen cycle.

So add the rock, then add water, then add sand(live sand can be added as well).

 

[juicemonkey]

Sorry for all the dumb, questions, but I never cycled a tank. I have had established tanks. How long will the cycle last and what should I look for? :confuse::horse:

Since your rock was once live and is now dead just adding the rock to the water will begin the cycle. All the dead stuff on it will start the nitrogen cycle.

So add the rock, then add water, then add sand(live sand can be added as well).

 

[Blackhawk Fan]

The only dumb question is one that doesn't get asked. ;)

It usually takes around 5-6 weeks to cycle a new tank. You will need to get a ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate test kit. As the cycle begins there will be a rise in ammonia, then a rise in nitrite, as these come back down to zero you will have nitrates rise. Once you have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and show some nitrates your cycle is complete. You would then do a water change to try and get your nitrates down to 0. After that you can start adding a few animals at a time.

You don't want to add too many animals at once or you could have an ammonia spike. Ammonia is terrible for the animals and can damage a fish's gills permanently reducing the length of their life or killing them.

 

[juicemonkey]

what sand could I use?

The only dumb question is one that doesn't get asked. ;)

It usually takes around 5-6 weeks to cycle a new tank. You will need to get a ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate test kit. As the cycle begins there will be a rise in ammonia, then a rise in nitrite, as these come back down to zero you will have nitrates rise. Once you have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and show some nitrates your cycle is complete. You would then do a water change to try and get your nitrates down to 0. After that you can start adding a few animals at a time.

You don't want to add too many animals at once or you could have an ammonia spike. Ammonia is terrible for the animals and can damage a fish's gills permanently reducing the length of their life or killing them.

 

[Dylan]

Caribsea Fiji Pink is a nice white sand.

 

[Blackhawk Fan]

I like to use the aragalive stuff. It comes with bacteria and doesn't cloud the tank very much when you add it.

Are you ordering online or going to a LFS for the sand?

 

[juicemonkey]

Not sure.....I am in the middle of no where and there is not a store any where near me for 3 hours.

I like to use the aragalive stuff. It comes with bacteria and doesn't cloud the tank very much when you add it.

Are you ordering online or going to a LFS for the sand?

 

[Blackhawk Fan]

My favorite is the special grade. It's a bigger sand that doesn't blow around as easy as the fine grain.

CaribSea: Premium Aquatics

 

[ficklefins]

So I did something similar to your situation and here is my description of the build.

- Added some "Live Sand" from a bag knowing that it wasn't live but was the best sand for higher type flow. I used this type sand but make sure to screen it for some junk (like twigs and debri) Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand
- Added the "dead" rock to make a nice aquascaping that I liked.
- Added a piece of live rock to seed the dead rock and sand
- Waited 2 weeks after the water was clear and moved to the next step
- Tested out the system with a cheap zoa frag to see if it held up
- Added a fish once the system was OK
- Then you are good to go!

You can move those levels around except for the last four steps. I did this on a 29g biocube.

 

[juicemonkey]

thanks, I will add the water tomorrow and maybe sand, still working on that issue. I have someone that will donate some mushrooms for tester coral.

So I did something similar to your situation and here is my description of the build.

- Added some "Live Sand" from a bag knowing that it wasn't live but was the best sand for higher type flow. I used this type sand but make sure to screen it for some junk (like twigs and debri) Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand
- Added the "dead" rock to make a nice aquascaping that I liked.
- Added a piece of live rock to seed the dead rock and sand
- Waited 2 weeks after the water was clear and moved to the next step
- Tested out the system with a cheap zoa frag to see if it held up
- Added a fish once the system was OK
- Then you are good to go!

You can move those levels around except for the last four steps. I did this on a 29g biocube.

 

[juicemonkey]

How much live sand did you use?

So I did something similar to your situation and here is my description of the build.

- Added some "Live Sand" from a bag knowing that it wasn't live but was the best sand for higher type flow. I used this type sand but make sure to screen it for some junk (like twigs and debri) Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand
- Added the "dead" rock to make a nice aquascaping that I liked.
- Added a piece of live rock to seed the dead rock and sand
- Waited 2 weeks after the water was clear and moved to the next step
- Tested out the system with a cheap zoa frag to see if it held up
- Added a fish once the system was OK
- Then you are good to go!

You can move those levels around except for the last four steps. I did this on a 29g biocube.