Ready to add Water - advice please

[gridley]

My wife and I are setting up our first SW tank - 90G with approx 23g in the sump. The plumbing is done and we have tested for leaks. We have purchased 70lbs of dry rock so far and have 60 lbs of dry sand. We are planning on buying 20-30 lbs of live rock.

Are we on the right track with this?

Our plan was to put in the dry rock and sand and start adding water directly from the RO/DI unit (yes, we realize that this will take a long time!). As I understand it, this will eliminate the sand storm that some people have told us about. Once the tank is full, I was going to add salt and turn on the pump. Once the salinity is right we plan to head to the LFS to get the 20-30 lbs of live rock and begin the let the tank cycle.

Are we on the right track with this?

Thanks in advance!

[Reefing Newbie]

You are almost on the right track.

He sure that you put the dry rock in before th sand smother nothing digs under the rock making the rock collapse.

One other suggestion would be measure out your water as you add it. It will help for dosing calcium and alk if you plan on getting any stonies or clams. Good luck!

[00Warpig00]

Also the best way to prevent sand storm is to rinse your sand really really well before you put it in the tank.

Nick

[SushiGirl]

Personally I would add salt to the water before adding it to the tank so it will mix more easily. With rock & sand in the tank already it may settle out rather than mix completely. This will also be good practice for when you have to do water changes later when you can't add salt directly to the tank anymore.

[medic155]

Personally I would add salt to the water before adding it to the tank so it will mix more easily. With rock & sand in the tank already it may settle out rather than mix completely. This will also be good practice for when you have to do water changes later when you can't add salt directly to the tank anymore.

+1. I did my first fill the way the OP is suggesting, and it was a pain!

[dzfish17]

personally i would add salt to the water before adding it to the tank so it will mix more easily. With rock & sand in the tank already it may settle out rather than mix completely. This will also be good practice for when you have to do water changes later when you can't add salt directly to the tank anymore.

+2

[Gatorfan]

I did the same as the OP about a week ago setting up a 120. Once the return pump is on, adding salt to a high flow area of the sump worked well for me.

[BigBarnacles]

I did the same as the OP about a week ago setting up a 120. Once the return pump is on, adding salt to a high flow area of the sump worked well for me.

Same here. Worked perfectly.

[andrewey]

Make sure to rinse the sand if you can, and I would give the whole thing a few days to settle before adding live rock. However, if you are going this route and you have time, might I suggest not buying the 20-30lbs, and buying a single specimen piece of rock from a trusted reefer? If you have a "sterile" system right now, you can monitor what hitchhikers you let on, as you're bound to have a bunch with that much live rock. However, if that's not a concern, go ahead and have fun!

[kbell2433]

I fill my empty tank and sump with ro/di then added IO reef crystals salt running all powerheads and return pump. waited a day or so made sure salinity was 1.025, rinsed aragonite sand and with a large bowl filled with sand put the bowl down to the bottom and slowly dumped out sand repeat untill done and leveled off. Not to clowdy when done. Added dry rock. The next day all was crystal clear. re aqua scape when you get live rock and let cycle. Then slowly stock. Patience is the key.

[gridley]

Thanks everyone - I apprecaite the comments and the input. I would like to explore the thought of not adding 20-30lbs of live rock and only adding one piece from a trusted reefer - from a time perspective, how much longer will this route take before I can begin to add a cleanup crew and then fish?

[andrewey]

It should take substantially longer, although some think its worth it in the end. However, half the tanks I set up I do the way you were going to do, and I usually am ready to add fish in a month or so (although be prepared for longer dpending on your readings!). I would also suggest getting a cup of sand from a fellow reefer that is relatively clean to further help seed your sand (which has a different set of microorganisms/fauna, but the bacteria is usually quite similar).