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Finally Broke Down and got some stuff!

6K views 36 replies 7 participants last post by  Cody 
#1 ·
Well I have some 20L tanks sitting around not being used so I figured I'd go ahead and turn one into a saltwater tank. The problem is, I have three, and I have no idea if they are salt water safe. One I think is definatly not since the top is designed for a sliding wire mesh top (like for small rodents and reptiles) The other two are normal tanks but I remember one had a label saying not for use with water. I removed those labels and now I don't know which one is water safe, if either of them are. I just remembered this AFTER coming home with live sand and 4lbs of live rock and 20g of salt water.

Any ideas on how to figure out if either of them are salt water safe? Or should I just go out and buy a new 20L tank?
 
#2 ·
It would be best to get a new 20 long. If you want to check, fill the tanks with water and wait for a few days.

Have you even bought lights, filtration, heating, test kits, refractometers, salt, RO/DI water system, anything besides the LR and LS?
 
#3 ·
We have a filter. This is going to be a slow process for me. I'm not rushing into anything and I don't need lights for live rock and sand. I will probably be getting lights sometime later this month or next month. We have a filter, water, LS and LR. I'm not dumping any corals or fish in just yet so all of the major equipment is unneeded right now.

I am probably going out tonight to buy a new tank. From now on, those little labels that say if they are water safe will remain on all tanks I buy in the future.
 
#4 ·
I wouldn't have bought any LR or LS untill I got all the equipment.

I would be worried about a pretty big die-off on your LR. With no light or anything, a lot of things can die off. But, it also will make for cured rock, which can be a plus towards your tank in the future.

Good luck, I will be watching your progression. :)
 
#5 ·
What kind of lighting would be needed. I can go out and get it tomorrow if absolutely necessary but I'd would prefer to wait due to funds. The lighting they recommended was $130 and I will have money for that most defiantly by the end of the month or sometime in April.
 
#9 ·
OMGoodness! There is a little starfish thingy in there! I put the LR in first and started adding the saltwater and as I'm pouring I see this little thing with five legs! I think they are called brittle stars but correct me if I'm wrong. :)
 
#11 ·
Yes, they carry pre-mixed salt water as well as fresh water so you can mix your own. Since I'm just starting out I didn't want to have to worry about getting it wrong.

The little star is so adorable. Don't know why I'm so excited over him but I am! :D So once I get the LR and LS in and the tank completely filled and the filter up and running, what will be the next step?
 
#12 ·
Just set up the filter. I have no top for the tank but the LFS is going to cut me a piece of glass to use as a top so I can put a light fixture on it.

The water is cloudy. I guess that is because I suck at putting LS in the tank. The filter is huge in comparison to the tank. The tank is a 20L and the filter turns 280g/hr.
 
#15 ·
Since I was putting this thing together so late last night we are going to consider this Day 1. Water is crystal clear and the filter is running fine. As soon as I can find my camera I'll upload some pictures.

So how do I go about cycling this? It only has LS and 4lbs of LR. [/list]
 
#17 ·
looks good, i would recommend getting a glass canopy for it before you really begin stocking it because an open-top 20 gallon tank will epaorate a considerable amount of water everyday, as far as cycling, you can cycle with just your lr, I would add more if that's the plan though, or you can purchase 2 or 3 damsels and keep them in there for 4-6 weeks or so, nice pics, keep us updated : )
 
#18 ·
If I plan on cycling with my LR, how much more should I get. I have a few hours before work to head down to the LFS to pick up a few more lbs.

And the glass canopy is on its way. They are cutting me a top to fit the tank and they said it should be ready by next week. when the water evaporates should I just put distilled water in to make up for the water lost since the salt doesn't evaporate?
 
#20 ·
So would I need to go ahead and put another 16lbs in? :shock: That's a lot of money to be spending today. Will adding another 5lbs of live rock help cycle the tank? Or should I go with adding some damsels or something. I wouldn't mind using the damsels as long as I can return them to the store after the tank is cycled.
 
#21 ·
you can add the live rock in any amount you want (all at once or incremental) but know that a system with just 5 lbs lr will be hard pressed to support 2 fish's waste products.

also any time you add more live rock with fish in the system already it will throw the cycle out of balance and you risk losing some livestock because of high ammonia or nitrite levels.
 
#22 ·
I asked the guy at the LFS about cycling the tank and he said to get some more LR and some inverts like hermits and snails. He said they would keep the rock clean and produce small amounts of ammonia to help cycle the tank. He gave us a few so I'll be taking pics once they are in. What should I do to acclimate them? I don't have a hose for the drip method.
 
#23 ·
Do not add any livestock untill your tank is cycled.

I would add as much livestock as you can for the cycle. This will prevent problems later down the road. I would suggest 20-30lbs of rock for you.

I would try changing the filter into a fuge. It will help a lot.
 
#24 ·
How would I go about turning it into a fuge?

Oh and I was staring into the tank, looking at the rock and I see little reddish purple spots on one of the rocks. But they are not flush with the rock, they stick out and some are kinda spiky looking. Oh and I saw something crawling on the rock. It was a tannish clear, very very small and looked like a bug of some sort. Any ideas? It would be near impossible to get a picture of the bug but I can get a picture of the reddish purple spots for identification purposes.
 
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