Aquascape help - Page 2

Maxxumless · 01/09/2014, 08:04 PM

Yep, LR die off will start your cycle, more so if it wasn't cured before getting to you. You'd know if it was raw rock - the smell is very distinctive. Everyone's cycle is different. Some finish in a couple of weeks. Some in days, if they have seeded media & bacteria. A cleanup crew can start after ammonia & nitrites have peaked then fallen to zero. IMO CUC is a 'as you need it'.

Travish881 · 01/09/2014, 08:41 PM

For the cuc if I do need it I would get a few snails and a shrimp would I have to dose calc for them or no ?

Maxxumless · 01/09/2014, 09:19 PM

Nope, however, if you're planning on getting a lot of hard corals might as well start thinking about how you're going to dose in the future. Ca, Alk, & Mg wont start to decrease until you have more than a few snails and a shrimp, but it will being to drop in month two or three as coraline really starts to kick in. Add corals and it will plummet pretty quickly. You can start to develop strategies, and test one or two right now, so when it does come you're not trying to play catch up with all three swinging all over the place as you try to figure out what to dose. In this hobby, the easiest methods tend to be the most expensive. Auto dosing pumps will get you zeroed in fast and painlessly, but buying a doser with three pumps is out of some people's price range. I've used most methods but really the biggest two are kalk & three part dosing. Kalk is by far the cheapest, but it comes with serious downsides; overdosing kalk is easy, the powder should never be inhaled, mixing can be a pain, and anything that touches kalk will need to be cleaned regularly due to buildup. I use a three part doser on one tank and am going back to kalk for a larger tank (like I said, it's expensive to dose three parts). Tanks that are over 60 gallons should use a reactor as dosing becomes much more difficult for kalk and way too expensive for normal Joe's for three part dosing.

Travish881 · 01/09/2014, 09:31 PM

Not to sure on corals right now don't think I'm going to go for sps or anything to hard to take care of at least not for now but one question I have is that the sand bed seems to be much thicker in some places then others and I even think one piece of LR might be buried so what's the easiest way to smooth out the sand bed to get it level without removing my rock if that's possible don't think the GF will be happy if she has to build the aquascape again this time with water already in the tank trying to avoid that but idk if it'll be possible now cause it looks to be about 3 inches deep in some parts and then 1 inch especially behind the LR layout

Maxxumless · 01/09/2014, 09:40 PM

Any changes to the scape and sand should be done now, during the cycling phase. Nothing much to hurt in the tank atm. Just smooth it out with your hand. As little rock should be touching the sand as possible. You want water to flow through (under, over, through, and around) your rock so waste products don't pile up. A turkey baster will push sand around behind the rocks. No worries about clouds - they'll settle.

Don't under estimate easy to care for corals. Some of them grow like weeds and can suck down a lot of minerals from the water, even some soft corals.

Travish881 · 01/09/2014, 09:49 PM

Oh no trust me underestimate is something I wouldn't do the one that I really want is I believe a brown leather mushroom I love the look of them I think a great addition

JonV88 · 01/12/2014, 12:35 PM

1 st attempt

2nd attempt

3rd

Travish881 · 01/13/2014, 09:55 AM

image.jpg
Switched around the scape let me know what you guys think

smom1976 · 01/13/2014, 11:13 AM

Awesome thread at this point.. I am in the same boat.. I believe we put water in the same day.. in the same tank

I got a 36 gal bowfront and we are on day 3 with water... I did go ahead and pick up a light and when the light is on all kinds of feather duster looking things come out of the holes.. 2 that I have found.. as for the branch thing.. is it really small and almost dark burgundy about the size of a pencil lead? I have one piece of live rock that has a bunch of them growing on it.. I haven't seen any crawling things just the duster like things and some purple and real dark pink coralline. and the burgundy pencil leads .. I really hope this thread keeps going so when the need arises someone else will be going through the same and we can figure this out..

with my bowfront I have 46 lbs of rock.. (43 dry 3 live) and around 55 lbs of sand (40 dry 15 live) I too do not have a sump or a skimmer just a HOB filter at this point.

Awsomedudy · 02/08/2014, 12:56 AM

absolutely lovely

SM6 · 02/08/2014, 10:31 AM

I have a 36 Bowfront as well. It is difficult to find info or other reefers with this tank heh. I am waiting for my 30 lbs of dry rock from reefcleaners to arrive.

What lighting choices are you all going to make?

Are you all planning on a sump?

01/13/2014, 11:13 AM	#34
smom1976 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: pensacola fl Posts: 61	Awesome thread at this point.. I am in the same boat.. I believe we put water in the same day.. in the same tank I got a 36 gal bowfront and we are on day 3 with water... I did go ahead and pick up a light and when the light is on all kinds of feather duster looking things come out of the holes.. 2 that I have found.. as for the branch thing.. is it really small and almost dark burgundy about the size of a pencil lead? I have one piece of live rock that has a bunch of them growing on it.. I haven't seen any crawling things just the duster like things and some purple and real dark pink coralline. and the burgundy pencil leads .. I really hope this thread keeps going so when the need arises someone else will be going through the same and we can figure this out.. with my bowfront I have 46 lbs of rock.. (43 dry 3 live) and around 55 lbs of sand (40 dry 15 live) I too do not have a sump or a skimmer just a HOB filter at this point. Last edited by smom1976; 01/13/2014 at 11:22 AM.

01/09/2014, 08:04 PM	#26
Maxxumless To the Max... Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 2,364	Yep, LR die off will start your cycle, more so if it wasn't cured before getting to you. You'd know if it was raw rock - the smell is very distinctive. Everyone's cycle is different. Some finish in a couple of weeks. Some in days, if they have seeded media & bacteria. A cleanup crew can start after ammonia & nitrites have peaked then fallen to zero. IMO CUC is a 'as you need it'.

01/09/2014, 08:41 PM	#27
Travish881 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Myrtle Beach Posts: 117	For the cuc if I do need it I would get a few snails and a shrimp would I have to dose calc for them or no ?

01/09/2014, 09:19 PM	#28
Maxxumless To the Max... Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 2,364	Nope, however, if you're planning on getting a lot of hard corals might as well start thinking about how you're going to dose in the future. Ca, Alk, & Mg wont start to decrease until you have more than a few snails and a shrimp, but it will being to drop in month two or three as coraline really starts to kick in. Add corals and it will plummet pretty quickly. You can start to develop strategies, and test one or two right now, so when it does come you're not trying to play catch up with all three swinging all over the place as you try to figure out what to dose. In this hobby, the easiest methods tend to be the most expensive. Auto dosing pumps will get you zeroed in fast and painlessly, but buying a doser with three pumps is out of some people's price range. I've used most methods but really the biggest two are kalk & three part dosing. Kalk is by far the cheapest, but it comes with serious downsides; overdosing kalk is easy, the powder should never be inhaled, mixing can be a pain, and anything that touches kalk will need to be cleaned regularly due to buildup. I use a three part doser on one tank and am going back to kalk for a larger tank (like I said, it's expensive to dose three parts). Tanks that are over 60 gallons should use a reactor as dosing becomes much more difficult for kalk and way too expensive for normal Joe's for three part dosing.

01/09/2014, 09:31 PM	#29
Travish881 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Myrtle Beach Posts: 117	Not to sure on corals right now don't think I'm going to go for sps or anything to hard to take care of at least not for now but one question I have is that the sand bed seems to be much thicker in some places then others and I even think one piece of LR might be buried so what's the easiest way to smooth out the sand bed to get it level without removing my rock if that's possible don't think the GF will be happy if she has to build the aquascape again this time with water already in the tank trying to avoid that but idk if it'll be possible now cause it looks to be about 3 inches deep in some parts and then 1 inch especially behind the LR layout

01/09/2014, 09:40 PM	#30
Maxxumless To the Max... Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 2,364	Any changes to the scape and sand should be done now, during the cycling phase. Nothing much to hurt in the tank atm. Just smooth it out with your hand. As little rock should be touching the sand as possible. You want water to flow through (under, over, through, and around) your rock so waste products don't pile up. A turkey baster will push sand around behind the rocks. No worries about clouds - they'll settle. Don't under estimate easy to care for corals. Some of them grow like weeds and can suck down a lot of minerals from the water, even some soft corals.

01/09/2014, 09:49 PM	#31
Travish881 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Myrtle Beach Posts: 117	Oh no trust me underestimate is something I wouldn't do the one that I really want is I believe a brown leather mushroom I love the look of them I think a great addition

01/12/2014, 12:35 PM	#32
JonV88 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: New Rochelle,NY Posts: 342	1 st attempt 2nd attempt 3rd

01/13/2014, 09:55 AM	#33
Travish881 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Myrtle Beach Posts: 117	image.jpg Switched around the scape let me know what you guys think

02/08/2014, 12:56 AM	#35
Awsomedudy Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 1	absolutely lovely

02/08/2014, 10:31 AM	#36
SM6 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 82	I have a 36 Bowfront as well. It is difficult to find info or other reefers with this tank heh. I am waiting for my 30 lbs of dry rock from reefcleaners to arrive. What lighting choices are you all going to make? Are you all planning on a sump?