29gal in the works...

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vicedretard

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Sep 8, 2006
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in the river
ok so last night i took my day gecko and put her into a cricket keepers for the night and shut down her 29gal home and sterilized it i let it air out over night. i brought out thesand from an old saltwater tank and rinsed it and cooked it for and hour for the first batch and 30min for the second batch at 400degree along with my coral rock. im soaking my bio balls in fresh water to get rid of dust and such. today im pickinup a sleeve and carbon cup for my magnum so i can start of with new filtration and i will either put salt water in today or thursday and start cycling...ill post pics of the transformation tonight....anything else you folks can think of doing

my system will be

1) undergravel filter with airstones on each side
2) magnum canister filter for a 50gal tank with carbon and some bio balls stuffed in(on a 29)
3) 8500k light on a 12hour timer (do you think i can get some live coral going with this light)
4) heater for 30gal
5?)...i have a uv sterlizer on my 55 with my turtles cause it use to be sw but i think a powerhead would take to much room in a 29 especially with a uv hanging on theout side...i you folks think i need it on the 29 gal let me know...

and i am going to put damsels as my first couple fish get the tank going a lil more then eventually i want the tank to be an angler tank so i know all the damsel and chromis will get eaten im just using them to cycle...does this setup sound gorr to keep an angler.

thanks all in advance
 
iu don't think that you would need the UV, as there is only one fish that you care if it lives in there, so disease will prob not be a problem. for corals i think 10000K is better in general but you'd have to ask more experienced peeps about that.
 
OK I only have a minute so this has to be quick (Sorry I can reply more later if you want!)..But a few quick notes:

*Bump it up to 10-20000k
*Don't run the UV - you'll crash whatever cycling your trying to attempt
*Considering that you are using "dead" sand - mix 50/50 with live sand to start the nut. bacteria for your system - additionally so because you are using "bare" bio-system (Bare just meaning virgin in the sense of ben. bac.)
* Yes use a power head, you need the circulation
*I still don't understand why people swear they need undergravel filters in salt - sand bottom tanks..you dont.


Ok thats all I can do for now, gotta go tend to a few animals, but let me know if you want me to go into anything further ok!
 
i wasnt going to use live sand but instead i was going to let the tank cycle for a week with nothing then next tues put some live rock in and let that sit for three to five days and then slowly start adding damsels in and some coral later...then when an angler comes around that i really cant resist ill get it...
 
whoh whoh whoh you NEED the sand or rock to START the cycle it won't do anything without the bacteria.
fill the tank let it sit with a filter and heater for a day or two and add the rock then in about 2 weeks you can add the damsels then in about 2-3 months i wuold start 'hardy' corals

don't rush anything in SW it'll just turn out badly
 
vicedretard;1001194; said:
i wasnt going to use live sand but instead i was going to let the tank cycle for a week with nothing then next tues put some live rock in and let that sit for three to five days and then slowly start adding damsels in and some coral later...then when an angler comes around that i really cant resist ill get it...
Click to expand...
You use dead sand and a virgin system its gonna take a hell of a lot longer than a week to cycle anything LOL!!! Plus keep in mind that one of the awsome aspects of live rock is that it really is "Living" and can contain within some amazing suprises. Make sure your tank is at minimum mid-cycle before adding too much live rock to it, not only because it can negatively affect the organisms and potential little bitty coral babies (LOL dontcha love my technical talk), but it can also send your params into unwanted levels from die-off due to natural decay from collection and shipping, or lack of nutrients in your current water to support and revive orgamisms within the rock. Live sand is packed full of beneficial bacteria and micro-organisms and really does jump start cycling! You need it.​
 
the water in there isnt virgin...its straight out of an existing and thriving who knows how many gallon aquarium from the state owned and operated aquarium to show off hawaiis native species...
 
no need for air stones either... 29g.... i would toss out filter too. just keep up water change and a good clean up crew. if anything... just use a powerhead and throw on a sponge filter. stir the sand around and let the powerhead filter run for a bit then clean it out. if anything invest in a good skimmer. lighting needs to be bumped up. toss out undergravel.

get good live rock and plenty of it.
 
right on thanks...what type of clean up and how many should i get...so no filtration at all just water changes with a power head running...and how does the bacteria stay in the water if there is no "bioball/wheel" or is the live rock enough bio to sustain the tank...thanks
 
the rock and/or substrate is enough fro bacteria.
for clean up crew i would have
10 blue legged hermits
10 red legged
10 bumblebee snails
10ish turbo snails
and 5 nassarius snails,
but you can interchange them with prettymuch any other 'cleanup' animal that you like. and you can add starfish, urchins, cucumbers, conches, crabs, and shrimp.
 
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