Need help getting started

[jaustiniv]

I have my 55 Gal set up with live sand and rock. I just had the water tested and was told it is ready to go. I was wondering what types of snails and crabs i should get and how many? My sand is pretty deep avg 2-2.5" deep.

[Texreefer]

check out www.reeftopia.com

[AMulwani]

www.garf.org has info on how to start a reef. has anybody used them? reeftopia is cheaper though

[txstateunivreefer]

def follow the advise above snails and hermits at the LFS (local fish store) are 199 or so each however there you can get them DIRT CHEAP and its quality live stock mine are still alive and kicking. usually rule of thumb is 1 crab per gallon and 1 snail per 1.5 gallon. how much rock you got? give us some more info and lots of great advise will head your way

by the way WELCOME TO MAAST

[junkstang]

just wait to see who has a sale on thier next shipment and or right now would be a good time to become a charter member so that you can get a discount at a few lfs. I am just know becoming a member and wishing I would have done it sooner.

[AMulwani]

I'll be ordering from reeftopia June 20th

[jaustiniv]

i've got about 80lbs of rock. it only has one sponge on it right now. I have a t5 lighting system with a canaster filter, 1 power head, and a new protien skimmer. I need to build a new canopy for it though, the old one has some problems. What height should the lights be over the top of the tank?

[erikharrison]

www.garf.org has info on how to start a reef. has anybody used them? reeftopia is cheaper though

Garf Rocks.

You could snag a couple of cups of sand from different people to help seed yours. General rule of thumb for clean up crew= 1 crab per gallon (blue legged hermit) and 1 snail per 1 1/2 gallon.

If you order from garf, get some garf grunge. Choice stuff!

[brewercm]

I have my 55 Gal set up with live sand and rock. I just had the water tested and was told it is ready to go. I was wondering what types of snails and crabs i should get and how many? My sand is pretty deep avg 2-2.5" deep.

1. When you say the water was tested and you were told it was ready to go. How long has this tank been up?

What I'm getting at is that if it hasn't been around 4 to 6 weeks you may still be going through a natural cycle or getting ready to go through one. If the water was just put in and tested it will show up as good.

2. I like a mixture of snails that clean the glass, burrow the sand, clean rocks. Mexican turbos (great for rocks and glass), Astreas (also called turbos but don't clean the rock quite as well), Nassarius (love to burrow in the sand). I also like to have a couple of emerald crabs for buble algae, I actually saw mine munching away on caulerpa the other day, and fighting conches do a great job of keeping the sand bed clean. I also have about 150 to 200 of the small blue leg hermit crabs, great little algea eaters.

These are my preferences but you can get an idea of what you need, just don't get too many that they die of lack of food for all of them.

[jaustiniv]

Tank has been up for about 1 week, i got my protien skimmer going through the breakin period right now. When should i put the snails and crabs into the tank? Should i turn on the lights or not?

The lights have a voltage change switch and a polarity switch, i am not sure what that is for.

I went to the Garf web site, it has a lot of great information, thanks for the site.

[AMulwani]

No problem, I get my tank next friday. Bought agrogate and grunge from GARF. I'lllet it cyle with just that four weeks. If agrogate does not look good, I'll buy the coraline live rock.

see what hapens.
my tank is at the store already but they can't deliver till next friday :(

[AMulwani]

I am learning patience already and I do not even have a tank yet!

[brewercm]

The only reason I would understand the ligts having that is if they may be set for other countries maybe. You will be hitting your cycle soon and once that has been completed then you should get a good cleanup crew in there. You can start using your lights now, actually probably best to do so to get your diatom bloom done and over with. May want to start them initially for aout 4 hours a day and bump it up weekly.

Read up on the cycle of a saltwater aquarium and what you can expect to see over the next few weeks. BTW, what kind of light do you have?

[blueboy]

i would turn on the lights, then wait till you start seeing an algae bloom to add cleanup crew. getting some sand from some established tanks as mentioned would be a great kick start.

[jaustiniv]

Cliff, do you have any suggestions on some good books? I will start using the lights today. I know that Rivercity is haveing a sale, 20% off snails and crabs this friday after 7pm. do you think that it would be too soon to add the clean up crew then?

[jaustiniv]

I forgot to mention, i have t5 lighting with 6 54w bulbs.

[brewercm]

I don't own any books myself so I don't know what to recommend. I'd look through the fourms and do searches for anything that you may have questions about.

[jaustiniv]

That is what i have been told to do, and have been doing. I like to read in the can and it is hard to do that with a laptop. No problem, I appreciate all of the help i can get.

[sharkboy]

I like one of the books by Robert Fenner "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" as a start and something like "The reef aquarium volume 3 by Delbeek and Sprung....a little later