so much info, but....

Hi,

I am in the process of cycling a 46 gallon tank. I didn't want to go with a
reef tank, because of $. I am new to marine tanks (this is my first one)
and have been reading so much about them I'm starting to get overloaded. I
have crushed coral mix for substrate (30 lbs of it) and a penguin 400
bio-wheel filter from the fresh water days. I just bought a protein skimmer
and now am wondering if I could get by without having a special light if I
decide to go with 'live rock'?

Can I put live rock into a newly cycling tank at any point? If it is in
it's 3rd day of cycling would I get cured or uncured rock? If I don't go
with live rock (assuming it is possible with the current lighting) it will
be because of the cost. I have no problem with buying only a few live rocks
and get non-live rocks (dead rocks? ;-)) so the living organisms could just
spread.

If I go without live rock does anyone have any cool pics or websites with
pics of FO tanks and what types of decor they use?

Thank you,

...DeeOooGee

Hi DOG,

There is a lot of informtion out there, and some of it is
even conflicting. That is because there are many ways to do
things that result in the same finale.

Your lighting isn't critical to Live Rock (LR), but good
lighting will make it look better. If you buy 'cured' LR,
it will smell and look clean. That is safe to add to your
tank any time you like. Just be sure to keep it submerged
as much as you physically can, to avoid any die-off of the
onboard bacteria and microfauna.

The good thing is that even with lesser lighting, you can
still add various easy soft corals to your tank and end up
with a small reef system. What kind of skimmer do you have?
You'll want to lose the biowheel filter entirely if the
skimmer is up to snuff and you have enough LR in the tank.

Be sure to visit my site - I had a 29g for over 6 years. It
is linked below.

Marc


DeeOooGee wrote:
Hi,

I am in the process of cycling a 46 gallon tank. I didn't want to go with a
reef tank, because of $. I am new to marine tanks (this is my first one)
and have been reading so much about them I'm starting to get overloaded. I
have crushed coral mix for substrate (30 lbs of it) and a penguin 400
bio-wheel filter from the fresh water days. I just bought a protein skimmer
and now am wondering if I could get by without having a special light if I
decide to go with 'live rock'?

Can I put live rock into a newly cycling tank at any point? If it is in
it's 3rd day of cycling would I get cured or uncured rock? If I don't go
with live rock (assuming it is possible with the current lighting) it will
be because of the cost. I have no problem with buying only a few live rocks
and get non-live rocks (dead rocks? ;-)) so the living organisms could just
spread.

If I go without live rock does anyone have any cool pics or websites with
pics of FO tanks and what types of decor they use?

Thank you,

..DeeOooGee



--
Personal Page:
http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com

"Chris Gentry" wrote in message
. com...
| I'm new to sw tanks, and haven't even set up my first tank yet, but
as to
| everything I've been reading, does he have to lose the bio-wheel
filter
| altogether? Can't he just take the bio-wheel itself off the filter
and not
| run any carbon or filter media? I read somewhere that this helps
for extra
| water movement. Personally I'm not going to go this route on my
first tank,
| but I just want to rule out any possibilities. -Chris
|



If one has enough live rock, "Artificial" bio-filtration isn't
needed, and *can* in some cases cause nitrate levels to be quite
high. If you have *no* live rock, hence no corals and few sensitive
inverts, you'll need the bio-filtration, and higher nitrate levels
won't harm the vast majority of residents in a fish-only tank.

If the tank were reef, removing the bio-wheel and floss would turn
the powerfilter into a good water circulator with surface agitation
for oxygen exchange. Carbon is an opinion thing. Some use it
frequently, others never. It will remove some toxins, yes, but will
also remove trace elements and minerals needed for a reef tank to
flourish. In an FO tank, this last isn't much of a concern.

It can be used for circulation if desired, but I use
powerheads myself.

Marc


Chris Gentry wrote:
I'm new to sw tanks, and haven't even set up my first tank yet, but as to
everything I've been reading, does he have to lose the bio-wheel filter
altogether? Can't he just take the bio-wheel itself off the filter and not
run any carbon or filter media? I read somewhere that this helps for extra
water movement. Personally I'm not going to go this route on my first tank,
but I just want to rule out any possibilities. -Chris


--
Personal Page:
http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com