# Few basic questions....



## JouteiMike (Oct 7, 2006)

Still planning a few things, and want to specify some questions I have about a future nano-reef. (I never had a SW tank, but have a general knowledge)

I know the basic set-up is something like...fill the tank with water, add salt mix, use powerheads to help mix salt, put a heater in, get the water to about 78F or so, cure the live rock/sand, add the rock first, and then the sand, let it cycle, add fish.

But I know there are some key details in between those...but here are a few of my questions:

I plan on having a small number of fish (1) and invertebrates (2-3), and I was wondering when the salinity level in the tank is all set and it's time to cure the rock and add that, do I need to wait a certain amont of time before adding the sand? Or can I just add it immediately after, rinsing it off first. 

Also...if I plan on adding additional invertebrates after the live rock and sand, should I wait until it is finished cycling? I was thinking about adding a scarlet reef hermit crab and a pistol shrimp.

Finally (I think :lol When a website says live rock needs "moderate" lighting, and corals/polyps need "moderate-high" just exactly what does moderate and high mean in terms of like wattage and that kind of stuff? Pretty sure I will just stick to live rock, no coral, but I was just curious. I'm still deciding on the whole light set up, trying to not spend a whole lot.

Oh and one quick thing, I read a bunch of things on the Watchman Goby, and I really like these guys, and how they have a symbiotic relationship with the pistol shrimp. Is a 10 gallon nano too small for one of these guys? It would be my only fish if I were to get one.

Thanks in advance...and sorry if these questions were answered already.


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## trreherd (Aug 7, 2006)

http://www.liveaquaria.com/general/general.cfm?general_pagesid=236
This tells you all about shrimp/goby relationships. I say you can do it in a 10 gallon.But shrimp gobys are carnivorus so plan on feeding him frozen meaty food two times a day.(Your local fish store should carry frozen foods)
And for lighting if i were you i would go ahead and buy a nice lighting fixture for a 10 gallon it relly is not that expensive.
You will need a glass canopy(10 bucks)
And how about a nice compact flourecent light fixture to bring you up to 8 watts per gallon.http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=CU01012(100 bucks) maybe it seems pricey now but you know eventualy you will see a nice coral and say i want that.
I just purchase the same exact fixture(exept a 24 inch)off ebay and i plan on keeping High light corals in a 15 gallon nano.
as for the lr and sand questions i have no clue as i have not set up my 15 nano yet.

''Also...if I plan on adding additional invertebrates after the live rock and sand, should I wait until it is finished cycling? I was thinking about adding a scarlet reef hermit crab and a pistol shrimp.''
wait for the tank to become fully cycled before adding ANY fish or inverts 

''I plan on having a small number of fish (1) and invertebrates (2-3),''
your gunna want for fish that that.  

And by the way for filtration are you planning on anything besides the lr and sand?-how about a powerfilter or something so if you decide to get more fish you wont have to worry about overloading your system

as for the lr and sand questions i have no clue as i have not set up my 15 nano yet.


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## JouteiMike (Oct 7, 2006)

Thanks for the feedback. 

And wow, I must say, reading about that light fixture made me drool a little.... :lol: That's right about where my limit is for how much I had in mind for spending on a light setup, but it seems like it is worth it. So would that fixture be "high" lighting, or "moderate to high" lighting...seems like it packs quite the punch for brightness.

I was also looking at something like http://www.petstore.com/ps_ViewItem-idproduct-ES53120.html, just cause it was cheaper, but it seems miniscule and weak compared to the other one.


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## trreherd (Aug 7, 2006)

The fixture i showed you in a 10 gallon that would be high lighing you could keep your live rock and much more you could keep clams(very high lighting)you could keep sps coral(very high lighing)
As for the other fixture i could not access that website so i could not tell you.
And by the way if you want to calculate wether a fixture is low medium or high it depents on the size and dementions of your tank and the watts per gallon
Im not sure but it goes something like this-2-4wpg(low)4-7wpg(medium)7+wpg(high)(correct me cause i know im a little off)


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## JouteiMike (Oct 7, 2006)

I see, thanks for the info.

Sorry about the link, it included a comma...

http://www.petstore.com/ps_ViewItem-idproduct-ES53120.html

Maybe it will work now?

Oh and about the filtration...I don't think I will be adding more fish, but I do have a spare power filter, a whisper 40, incase I decide to get more than one.


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## JouteiMike (Oct 7, 2006)

Still a a question unanswered....can anyone give me some feedback?

After the water is all ready (temperature and salinity level ideal), and the live rock is cured and added...how long do you wait to add the live sand?


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## trreherd (Aug 7, 2006)

I saw that fixture and i would say go with the one i showed you.In this case bigger is better  
I dident think it mattered when you add the live sand and if your saying that you have to wait for the tank to be cycled before adding the sand i would say that the tank would already be good and cycled by the time the rock is cured.


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## JouteiMike (Oct 7, 2006)

Okay...but isn't the live rock supposed to be added prior to the live sand?


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## caferacermike (Oct 3, 2006)

It is but it isn't. The reason to add the rock first is so that it sits directly on the glass. This way you end up with no dead zones underneath the rock. However if you have large pieces they may benefit from being cushioned and supported by the sand. The idea of placing it before adding the sand is a sound one. Keep in mind that it is usually meant ofr fully cured rock as well, not dank nasty uncured rock. Cure it first. And by adding the rock first, that doesn't mean 3 weeks ahead. More like 3 minutes. Place the rock down and you can immediately add the sand. Then let the tank rest for a month. Run all your equipment as you would if it were a running tank. The organisms on the rock will benefit fromt eh powerheads and lighting.


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## trreherd (Aug 7, 2006)

Mike is there any bennefits in buying cured rock over uncured? cause when i set my tank up i think im going to use uncured and also Is there any kind of rock that has the most biodeversity(stars,worms,ect) Cause theres a lot of different lr from different places on the market and its confusing.


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## JouteiMike (Oct 7, 2006)

I know you meant the other Mike, but I'll give my opinion as well...

From what I have read....

*Cured:*
Advantages
-Less pests
-Shorter cycling time
-Nice and clean, but you still should do a small cure just to be safe

Disadvantages
-Costs more
-Less life on rock

*Uncured:*
Advantages
-More life
-Cheaper

Disadvantages
-More chance of having pests
-Longer cycling time
-Have to cure it yourself

As far as I know, it seems like the types of pacific and atlantic rock have pretty much equal biodiversity, but I'm not entirely sure.


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## usmc121581 (Jul 31, 2006)

Also with uncured rock you can introduce alot of other bad things.


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## trreherd (Aug 7, 2006)

What do you think is the worst thing that could happen if i used uncured rock in a small tank? would i beable to take care of the pests?I dont plan on adding coral for some time after i add the rock, plenty of time to notice and pests,rite?


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## caferacermike (Oct 3, 2006)

Curing rock is only a matter of holding it somewhere in clean water with currents for about 4 weeks until all the dead bits decay away. It is entirely possible to cure it in the tank if not addign any livestock. that's how I cured 300lbs in a 75g.


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