New here and LR question

[sharkie]

Hi!

I found this forum a long time ago, but I am just now getting into SW tanks, so I thought I would drop a hello. I got a JBJ nanocube a little while ago, and I am getting around to setting it up. I have been into FW for about 4 years now, mainly african cichlids. But again, this will be first experience with saltwater.

Currently, the nanocube it is filled with water and regular white sand. For the last few days, I have been watching the temps and making sure the salinity is stable. The tank has been sitting at around 76-78 degrees, and the salinity is at 1.022. So, I am satisifed enough to add live rock.

So here are my questions:

1. In your experience, what are the differences between the different types of live rock? (i.e. fiji, tonga, aquaculture, marshall islands) I've been told that for a tank that small, I should probably look for shapes that are more appealing to me then the type of rock.

2. Is it better to get cured or uncured rock? I want my liverock to have a ton of stuff on it. Will I get more hitchikers with cured rock as opposed to uncured rock? I am sure I can be distracted for months, just watching stuff come out of the liverock, before I get any corals/fish.

3. Where in Austin is the best place to get LR? I've been to a few places, but I am interested in knowing the results of what happened when you got the LR into your tanks. It so hard to tell which place stocks the best LR by just looking at them in the stores.

4. If you were to mail order LR, where would you get it?

Thanks in advance for all your help!

chiu

[matt]

Chiu;

WELCOME! to MAAST. You'll get all sorts of good advice here. First thing I would say is that your salinity is too low if you want the invertebrates on your rock to thrive; you need to go for a S.G. of about 1.025-026 at 80F to get 35 ppt, which is about what natural sea water is at most reefs. Also, 76F is too cool for many reef animals; I'd keep your tank at about 80F.

You should go for cured rock from someone who knows how to cure rock; Tim Marvin in Austin usually has some really good stuff. If you get uncured rock, I suggest you cure it in a tub with good circulation, a skimmer, and decent light, then transfer it to your tank. This way you'll avoid the typical build up of nitrates and phosphates which will surely spark a nasty algae bloom in your new tank.

Have fun!

[sharkie]

Thanks!

I can for sure get the tank up to 80 degrees. I was more worried that 80 degrees would be to warm. Most of my other FW tanks run at around 82-84 degrees right now.

The specific gravity should be easy enough to raise.

Again thanks for the advice, and I look forward to hearing from anyone else who has an opinion.

chiu

[GaryP]

Having LR in the tank from the beginning would have greatly helped the cycling process. I'd get some in there ASAP.

Personally I like Tonga because it allows for greater circulation. I think that is a problem with a lot of Nanos. On the down side, it doesn't allow for as much surface area for growth of critters. You are going to be somewhat limited as to the amount of LR you can get in the tank as it is. Since you are somewhat limited to the amount of equipment you can hang on a 10 gal., the biological capacity of your LR and LS are very important.

Gary

[TAXMAN]

Welcome to MAAST.

Same as above on advice. Get the temp and S.G. up. Add some Cured LR, it just saves hassle IMO on a small tank. Josh is right about the uncured adding some beneficial elements to your tank. So really it's up to you. How big is the tank? I would look to local members on this site to get your LR from. Tim Marvin usually has some nice rock. The Tonga is nice looking because of it's branching.
All the other types of rock pretty much look the same but have different densities and have different types of coral life on them since they come from different areas.

Good luckwith your tank. Be patient and have fun.

Johnny