Noob just bought Max 250

Pat24601

Pat24601

Well-Known Member
Not a dumb question. I've always assumed order doesn't matter, but your flow is bottom to top so maybe in some sense it does a little.

Personally, I put CPE on the bottom 2, Purigen on 2nd from top, and filter floss on top. That is 100% due to the frequency they need changed. I change filter floss twice a week so it's on top, purigen 1/month so its second, etc. Just makes me pull the media rack out a bit less for my more frequent changes. :)

Oh, and I started using them after the cycle. But, im not sure what others did. They aren't cheap and it just seemed wasteful to use them while cycling.
 
nanoreefing4fun

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
+1 ^

order does not matter & there no "dumb" questions, we all had similar ones at sometime in our sw journey

yes, wait until the tanks finishes the cycle before adding... you can run the stock carbon that comes with it from day one though... just to use it up, what most do
 
M

Marvilis

Member
Pat24601 said:
What moonlight do you use? I'm in the market... :)
Click to expand...

I bought 2 led strips from Amazon and use those. Here are some pics.

Stock moon
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LED Stips
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C

cdeeds

Member
So here's another question. I ordered an RO/DI set up and some salt mix but because of weather that shipment got a huge delay on it. With that being said my tank is set to arrive tomorrow and I would like to at least get it set up with the live sand and live rock in it this weekend in hopes of getting the cycle started (with the rock already in it). Can I go to the LFS and buy pre-made saltwater and fill the tank using that and then when I need to do my water changes (I should have my own saltwater by then) use my water as opposed to more pre-mixed water without it effecting the cycle or causing any harm?
 
Pat24601

Pat24601

Well-Known Member
I'd say basically that should be fine. Different mixes have somewhat different parameters, but as you will presumably be doing gradual water changes and not just changing 100% of your water I t shouldn't be a sudden shock or anything...particularly while you are just cycling. Also, while the mixes are different, they aren't *that* different. They are all reasonable parameters for coral and fish.

I certainly switched from mixed water to NSW and nothing exploded or anything. :)

As always, more experienced folks chime in if I'm wrong. :)

One thing I just want to make sure you know is you replace evaporated water with fresh rodi, not salt water. :)
 
Joeys Tank

Joeys Tank

Well-Known Member
No issues at all for the cycle. It is very common once ammonia and nitrites drop to zero that people do a large water change (around 40%). At this stage, you most likely will not have any livestock and switching from one type of salt mix to another will not affect bacterial growth.
 
C

cdeeds

Member
Well good news is that my salt and RO/DI system finally arrived today!!! Hopefully I'll be able to get a batch of water (55g needed for my tank) today. When mixing the salt I heard the general rule of thumb is 1/2 cup per gallon required. I'm using Red Sea Pro Salt so can I use that rule to start out? I looked on the bucket and read the guide but that seems like a lot of salt for 55g.
 
Joeys Tank

Joeys Tank

Well-Known Member
General rule of thumb versus instructions on the salt bucket?

Instructions win. However, if you are uncertain using a particular brand of salt for the first time, you could always undershoot it and use a refractometer to get the correct salinity prior to adding into the tank. In fact, I don't measure my salt anymore going into the bin but use salinity readings to tell me when it is ready.
 
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