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No Backing out now 40b+GSP

Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 6:15 pm
by Pufferman
I've been procrastinating too long. My little GSP Diddy deserves a marine tank at his size. I have been creeping the brackish up slowly to 1.009 so far and will do another water change tomorrow after work so I can drop off my knight goby at the local fish store, he needs to be less salt I believe. I just ordered 70lbs of dry liverock " http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-tonga ... ock-1.html " Can I cure it by itself in a bucket with a pump and heater or do I need to get real live rock to seed it, or should I just dump it in my brackish tank and let it evolve with the bacteria in my tank. I have many more hardware questions after this too. Thanks in advance for ya'lls help.

Re: No Backing out now 40b+GSP

Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 11:28 pm
by Pufferpunk
You need live rock to seed it.

Re: No Backing out now 40b+GSP

Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 11:48 pm
by Pufferman
Can you advise me on the dead rock to fresh live rock ratio? And what type may have an advantage over the rest. Dangit with 70 lbs of dead rock coming ill have to set up the 10 gal quarantine tank soon also.

Re: No Backing out now 40b+GSP

Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 11:59 pm
by Pufferpunk
That's an interesting question. You could start with just a tiny bit of LR but it would take a very long time for that to transfer over to that much DR. I guess it all depends on how much bioload you need to support.

Re: No Backing out now 40b+GSP

Posted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 9:29 am
by Pufferman
My rock came in. This going to make one sweet tank I hope. I forgot who mentioned Bulk Reef Supply on here but thanks, they really hooked me up.

Re: No Backing out now 40b+GSP

Posted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 8:26 pm
by Pufferpunk
:)

Re: No Backing out now 40b+GSP

Posted: Sat Nov 09, 2013 1:41 am
by sgtmyers88
Looks good. That should provide for a nice setup.

Re: No Backing out now 40b+GSP

Posted: Sun Nov 10, 2013 9:36 am
by Pufferman
Now I just need to get the salt the rest of the way up add a few pounds of fresh rock and get a skimmer.

Re: No Backing out now 40b+GSP

Posted: Mon Nov 11, 2013 11:13 pm
by Terrance
Rockscape as you wait. Its the hardest part for me since I didn't have that many rocks to work with. Easier when there are too many rocks.

Re: No Backing out now 40b+GSP

Posted: Mon Nov 11, 2013 11:45 pm
by Pufferman
I just got that much to get free shipping and sell off the extra. That plan fell out after I got the free shipping and gave away the 20 lbs of rock I didn't like for my 40 or 10 gallon tank.My main concern now is to keep little Puff Diddy alive while I go slowly from brackish water to full reefer.

Re: No Backing out now 40b+GSP

Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 12:26 am
by Pufferman
Is food coloring safe if it leaks out of a decoration into the tank? I want to add a glass decoration filled with stained tank water. I doubt it would leak but don't wanna tank any extra chances.

Re: No Backing out now 40b+GSP

Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 9:14 am
by RTR
NINFT = Not in my fish tanks!

Absolutely nothing leaching dyes will ever be in my tanks, period. When I try a new brand or style of decoration, I pre-soak in water, then test in alcohol and sometimes even light bleach. That does include wood - I'll accept tannins from bogwood, but I pre-soak it for months first to get rid of the worst of it.

Re: No Backing out now 40b+GSP

Posted: Sat Nov 16, 2013 11:32 am
by Pufferman
Thanks, I decided it would look out of place anyways. I found this link for comparing api fresh and salt water test kits. Please put it in one of the appropriate stickies if you think it belongs .
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Downloads.html
I have tested my tank's parameters with the sg at 1.012 and figured my results by looking at both color charts side by side
8.0 ph
.5 ammonia
0 nitrite
40 nitrates
I just added last week about 45-50 lbs of dry tonga rock and am still using the ehim 2217 with the cherios and bioballs and filters that came with it. Should I empty the ehiem soon to just use it for circulation?

Re: No Backing out now 40b+GSP

Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2013 8:28 am
by RTR
Did you do a water change within 24 hours of that ammonia positive reading? Unfortunately, most hobby grade test kits cannot discriminate between damaging ammonia and "safe" inactivated ammonia treated with Prime or other effective ammonia inactivators. If there is no relatively recent Prime addition, you have an ammonia problem. There should never be any detectable free ammonia in a hobby tank with fish.

Seachem has a test kit which can read the difference, but it not very user friendly IMHO.

Re: No Backing out now 40b+GSP

Posted: Sun Nov 17, 2013 11:31 am
by Pufferman
I just retested and it looks closer to .25ppm . It was dark when I tested the first time. I will got to the fish store this afternoon to get some water to do a 50% wc today. I have been raising the salinity gradually, I wonder if I went too fast and killed off my bacteria. Its at about 1.012sg now can I start to add this bacteria stuff called microbacter7 yet. My lfs told me it would help getting the good bacteria going in the saltwater.