Hello to the reef sanctuary community, I recently set up a 37 gallon saltwater tank and have a few questions about the "breaking in period." My local pet store set me up wth a emperor 280 filtration pump and I think around 20 pounds of sand give ot take. They assured me that this is plenty since i am starting with a f ish only tank. After a week of water circulation I then added 20 pounds of live rock and waited another week before adding two Ocellaris Clownfish which are doing just fine. It's been over a month now and i have noticed the rock seems to have a darker brown color and some sort of brown particles on thie surface of the sand. My question is should i be worried about these factors or is this just normal for a new tank? Thanks to everyone for the help.
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The first thing you are going to learn in the hobby is that most LFSs are either clueless or set you up with the wrong equipment.
First off, I'd want to see about 20 more pounds of live rock in there, the amount you have just isn't enough. Live sand doesn't count toward the amount of live rock. The new rock must either be cured in another container or added little by little.
Second, I would add a decent skimmer to the setup. Something like an AquaC Remora, This will do far more in maintaining water quality than any hang on the tank filter.
The darker brown color your seeing is a algae bloom, but it's typical for a new tank. Nothing to worry about there.
To tell if your tank is ready for fish, you must see the levels of ammonia and nitrite rise, peak, and then drop back down to 0. They is no other way to be sure. If you don't have them, get yourself the necessary test kits for a SW system. Yes, there are quite a few you'll need. The raw shrimp method to cycle a tank, mentioned by Schwa, is an excellent way to cycle a tank.