Thinking Of Going From Fresh To Marine

[GShorty1981]

No the rock hasent started curing i bought it dry the guy in the shop said this particular live sand is so good it cycled his tank at the front of the store (which he showed me) in the same day (he was using just ocean rock,not live rock).

Obviously i think thats dumb and would rather trust a million google searchs over this 'marine expert' lol so im gonna see how it goes with my live sand and ocean rock...if it cycles well i will give it ago,if not i will add some live rock bit by bit.

I mainly avoided the live rock because it was crazy price in my lfs (£14 a kilo) (£80 for 5).

I'm in no hurry to add my clowns and clean up crew,i'll add them in a month or however long it takes.

I found some good marine lights for £25 that clip on to my tank so i can have a few small corals in the future...and the power head i will look for online.

My idea about the tap water was this...

...actually no,your right lol...i may as well do it the proper way rather than cut corners for the sake of a quid or 2

There RO is £5 per 25 litres so i'll do that once a fortnight or so.

The guy told me to keep the fluval with its filter pads in as it would help whats your opinion on this?

 

[Mystil]

I just dont like the idea of having a RO unit fitted (a cheap unit in lfs was £100 and god knows how much to have it plummed in!) and none of my LFS's sell it premixed.

Are you 100% it is need for Inverts? i heard its was only needed in coral set ups and to control Algae

Hiya Glen...Taunton aquarium centre sell Marine water as I saw a chap collecting some last week....no clue how much it costs though.

 

[GShorty1981]

Cool i'll give them a buzz after work tommorow.

So cage whats your opinion on skipping the Live Rock and 'making my own out of live sand and ocean rock' like the guy in my LFS said?

He reckons hes never had Live Rock in any of his set ups that he uses to breed Sea Horses and stuff

 

[CageUK]

£5 sounds expensive for RO, it may be worth a bit of investigation, I'm sure you could do better. I did find it in a garden centre fish supplier for £1.50 for 25ltrs but it was miles from me and they have moved now anyway. £5 would buy me premixed water and I personally wouldn't pay more than £3.50 except in emergency.

If you are in no hurry then you will be fine with the ocean rock, you just won't get the little critters that come with live rock. Lets hope your live sand produces something, but I wouldn't hold my breath!
If you decide to add some live rock, you will only need a couple of bits just to jump start the cycle and get some critters.

I personally would take the pads out of the filter as they become nitrate factories. If you do decided to keep them in to filter out floating solids then just ensure that you clean them under tap water as part of your weekly maintenance.

Sounds like Taunton is an expensive place to live if you are a fish keeper. If you are close to the sea then you should consider starting a coldwater marine tank as well!

cheers

 

[GShorty1981]

I think its just the particular store i chose to use..it hasent got a great reputation,wouldnt ever by fish from there! lol

The best one as Mystil mentioned was shut today so i'll have a browse tommorow.

So basically Ocean rock will do the same thing,just take ages to cure?

How much pieces of LR do you think i should get? how about something small like 2kg? I could get my head around spending £28 on some small rock rather than £80 on a slightly bigger small rock

I was planning on getting more ocean rock maybe 2 more pieces then add the white mooth rocks i already have behind the Ocean rock so i have a 5 piece structure then stick the small 2kg (if that is enough) live rock on top so i have like a tiny lil reef (when i get my lights).

I may run the fluval empty just as a power head until i can afford my nano powerhead..then i may just stick with one.

I have sold all my FW stuff now,the tetras all went today and my FW inverts/plants and livebearers are going wednesday so i can get on cycling..i cant wait .

So this is what i have left to get...afaik

Light = £25
Powerhead = £20-£30 depending where i buy it
Clean up crew of 4 turbos = £10
Cleaner Shrimp = £15 (added later)
Pair of Percula Clowns = £25

and possiblity of

2 more ocean rock = £14
1 piece of Live rock = £28-£80


would one more small fish be ok in this set up (with the hardware im using) or is that pushing it? i saw some nano display tanks all had 2 clowns and 2 blue damsels with yellow tails not sure of the names....are these compatiable or a bad idea?

 

[CageUK]

The amount of live rock you get is entirely up to you and your budget. All of the rock will eventually become live. The live rock you buy will seed the tank for the cycling process and should give you some critters. More live rock = faster cycling & more critters.

Check the power output of your fluval, I would be surprised if it was as good as a dedicated power head but it would certainly be a good supplement to a decent powerhead.

Re: your stocking. Your strategy of cutting back on live rock/powerheads etc is based on light stocking of the tank. I couldn't give a definitive answer given all of that. You could suck it and see. Damsels though can be aggressive and rather nippy so be aware of this and if you do still want one then add it last.

Hang on a minute!

I have no plans to keep corals because i really dont like them at all! I think they look weird and freak me out lmao!

I only want 2 Percs or false percs (not bothered which) and thats it,with some rock as decor..i dont want to add any other fish at all.

I found some good marine lights for £25 that clip on to my tank so i can have a few small corals in the future...and the power head i will look for online.

Bit of a contradiction here methinks he he

It always gets you this way which is why it's best to get what you need to start with what you need so you don't get caught out.

Cheers

 

[GShorty1981]

Less of a contradiction more of a change of heart after reading about them for hours on end.

 

[GShorty1981]

I have just been offered a piece of live rock by a shop that is 8" high by 8" wide by 4" deep,they say they have no scales in the sjop and they sell all larger pieces at the same price (£18.99)

Now i'm tempted to go and get it....but have no clue on its weight anybody got a rough idea by the dimensions i mentioned?

I know its a stupid question but the shop are really unhelpful...even tho very very cheap.

They also said they have pieves the size of a fist for £3.50

Gah!

Taunton aquarium center are selling it for £11.75 a kilo..so may go that route cos cant find any other solutions other than people in manchester and other places up north for £5 a kilo! but the courier would cost serious money.

 

[shibby]

come to sanders garden world, i work there every sat sun mon and thurs. 9.99 a kilo for live rock. its worth it just to see the display tank i get to work on

 

[GShorty1981]

I might just do that mate...can you get discount for mates and family? hehehehe

 

[CageUK]

Take some kitchen scales in with you and get them to weigh it. Let as much water drain out as possible first though!

In a smaller tank, bigger pieces can be a little difficult to aquascape around so you may be better to get a hammer and chisel to it if you buy it!

Or take Shibby's offer up


Cheers

 

[shibby]

i'l see what i can do i have to buy a load for myself soon anyways!

 

[GShorty1981]

 

[GShorty1981]

Just bought a api test kit (£25) and a Koralia nano powerhead (£29.99)

Dude in the shop again said i was stupid to want to buy live rock

 

[CageUK]

Well there's a first, an LFS talking you out of buying their products!

Crazy though, live rock is the best and most natural form of filtration available for the marine aquarium and absolutely essential if you end up with corals!

Having said that, you have rock already and if you are prepared to wait a (long) while it will become live... so maybe that's what he meant. As I said before buying live rock will speed up the cycling process and is likely to give you hitch hikers etc but given the above you don't have to have it but it's not stupid to buy it!

Didn't you find a cheaper Koralia than that?

Cheers