I had a leak, crash and plenty of drama, but it looks like I will set up again. I bought a 70 gallon system for soft coral/reef with 35''T-5, 9w uv on the drain hose, very large diy skimmer on a map 9 pump, old eheim return pump. A few questions before I start. First off, do I need to cycle my water if my old live rocks has been in tub with flow for a month? I see snails, crabs, pods in the tub. The sand is rinsed till no smell, though life has died off. I've been recommended to have 6'' sand bed. Also, should I dip the live rocks in f/w to rid of unwanted pests, especially crabs? I had a lot of fish casualties, especially small ones like chromis, still don't know what it is. Anyways, I 'm thinking snails in the main and crabs in the refugium/sump. Basically looking assurance and some advice.
Starting again need info/assurance
- Thread starter tttat2
- Start date
DrHank
Well-Known Member
I'm assuming that you've been circulating salt water over your live rock (not freshwater). Your rock should be fine. I personally prefer a SSB (around 2") and save the DSB (6") for my fuge.
Sorry to hear of your casualties. If it was due to disease, I would recommend that you leave the rock in the tub for at least 2 more weeks (personally I would leave it there for another month). Ick and many other parasitic organisms need 6-8 weeks to completely die off.
When you do set up your tank I would add RO/DI water and salt to fill the tank 3/4 of the way and use a pump to circulate overnight. Make sure that it's at proper salinity. The next morning I'd add the sand. After it had settled, I'd add my rock. Next I'd add a few grocery store shrimp in a sock. Let it go for 3-4 days and check parameters.
If you want to move crabs to fuge and snails to the display that's fine. I wouldn't use a freshwater dip to drive them out of the rock because you will loose fauna on the rock and reduce beneficial bacteria. Hope that helps.
Sorry to hear of your casualties. If it was due to disease, I would recommend that you leave the rock in the tub for at least 2 more weeks (personally I would leave it there for another month). Ick and many other parasitic organisms need 6-8 weeks to completely die off.
When you do set up your tank I would add RO/DI water and salt to fill the tank 3/4 of the way and use a pump to circulate overnight. Make sure that it's at proper salinity. The next morning I'd add the sand. After it had settled, I'd add my rock. Next I'd add a few grocery store shrimp in a sock. Let it go for 3-4 days and check parameters.
If you want to move crabs to fuge and snails to the display that's fine. I wouldn't use a freshwater dip to drive them out of the rock because you will loose fauna on the rock and reduce beneficial bacteria. Hope that helps.
oldsaint
Member
I don't run DSB but have set up many in other tanks. If, and that's a big if you are going for a DSB I wouldn't have rinsed the sand. You need the diversity in size of particles to support the various life that makes a DSB work. When you rinse the sand you are washing away a lot of the smaller particles. When I set up a tank with a DSB I go to 3-4 GOOD LFS and purchase a pound of live sand directly from thier established tank and add them to the system. This insures a beginning diversity of life.
What type of sand are you using?
Here's some info on DSB you may or may not have seen.
http://http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-06/rs/feature/index.php
What type of sand are you using?
Here's some info on DSB you may or may not have seen.
http://http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-06/rs/feature/index.php
I rinsed my sand(fine grains, don't know what type you're referring to) because there's no life left and smells pretty bad. I do have another tank I plan to combine, plenty of bacteria and life. People advice me dsb or go w/o. They also say I might have an unwanted crab and was thinking this is a perfect time to catch him, but it might be disease as well. Just that only small chromis and small wrasses die, larger species never had problems. Anyways, you advice is cycle again and wait out to make sure to kill off diseases, start over basically, and slowly.
DrHank
Well-Known Member
That's what I'd do. As far as the crab is concerned, why not catch him now. Take a 4oz clear glass juice glass and add a large grocery store shrimp to it. Put in on a 45 degree angle against the rock (in the tub) near where you think he might be. Lights out and check in the morning. Crabs slid in but can't crawl out. With the month you have left, you might as well catch any crabs you want out.
