JSanta May 31, 2015 Share May 31, 2015 I was referred here by a friend I served with that said the folks here are an invaluable resource and really helped him get his first reef tank up and going. My wife and I purchased our first tank yesterday, a really nice 55 gallon tank that is about 48 inches long. I got it setup yesterday with the live sand, salt, filter, protein skimmer, heating element, and a current fan. This morning, the water has cleared up really well and the salinity levels are exactly where our shop told us it needed to be. A bit later today I will run the water quality tests and if everything goes well, we'll get the live rocks in the tank next weekend if the readings are where they should be. LED lights are on order as a set came highly recommended from a friend that has had success with his fish and corals. We are going to take this process slow and make sure we do everything we do is good for all inhabitants. This seems like a great hobby because nothing can be rushed, and it's a good reminder to slow down and enjoy life. We are located in Columbia, MD and received a ton of help at House of Tropicals in Glen Burnie. I probably won't post much at first, but thank you to everyone for contributing to people like me that are just starting out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaguy May 31, 2015 Share May 31, 2015 Welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy G May 31, 2015 Share May 31, 2015 Welcome! Just keep in mind that even with live rock you will have some die off so just be patient. What are you using to get the cycle started? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSanta May 31, 2015 Author Share May 31, 2015 Welcome! Just keep in mind that even with live rock you will have some die off so just be patient. What are you using to get the cycle started? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk If I understand correctly, we have a good 4 inch layer of live sand on the bottom to begin the cycle. The shop advised that we run this for about a week and check the chemistry, and then bring in the live rock and do another week or two to cycle again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy G May 31, 2015 Share May 31, 2015 I would add a source of ammonia as you need something to feed the bacteria and get it started. I have always just fed the tank with fish food as it breaks down it will be a good source. Others recommend a piece of shrimp or some form of bacteria additive. If the water is too clean when you start to add livestock it could really cycle again because it never really did the first time. When you test you want to find ammonia to know that the cycle has started Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSanta May 31, 2015 Author Share May 31, 2015 I would add a source of ammonia as you need something to feed the bacteria and get it started. I have always just fed the tank with fish food as it breaks down it will be a good source. Others recommend a piece of shrimp or some form of bacteria additive. If the water is too clean when you start to add livestock it could really cycle again because it never really did the first time. When you test you want to find ammonia to know that the cycle has started Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Brilliant, thank you very much for the advice! I will go and grab some food and put a bit in the tank. Not my favorite place, but I am fortunate to have a Petsmart right across the street from my house. Good for when I need cat food, but not much for my parrots or this tank! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildcrazyjoker81 May 31, 2015 Share May 31, 2015 Are you getting rock from HoT? If so I HIGHLY recommend you do not as you WILL get unwanted pests in your rock. I have had numerous people come over to my house for corals/fish and I always hear the horror stories of mantis shrimp, gorilla crabs, and numerous other predatory hitchikers. I have a friend and fellow WAMAS member on here who has live rock for sale if wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy G May 31, 2015 Share May 31, 2015 Good advice. Personally if I could do it all over again I would go with dry rock. Would have saved me some headaches Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSanta May 31, 2015 Author Share May 31, 2015 Are you getting rock from HoT? If so I HIGHLY recommend you do not as you WILL get unwanted pests in your rock. I have had numerous people come over to my house for corals/fish and I always hear the horror stories of mantis shrimp, gorilla crabs, and numerous other predatory hitchikers. I have a friend and fellow WAMAS member on here who has live rock for sale if wanted. Honestly that was where I was planning on getting it. If you could be PM me the contact info for your friend that would be greatly appreciated. I also introduced the source of ammonia into the tank and now the cycle has officially started. I will check the chemistry every day or so along with the salinity to make sure the tank has fully cycled before introducing the live rock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildcrazyjoker81 May 31, 2015 Share May 31, 2015 PM sent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave w June 1, 2015 Share June 1, 2015 Mike at House of Tropicals has been in the fish store business all his life. He always gives good advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
makai531 June 1, 2015 Share June 1, 2015 If you can use it, I've got a medium box of previously live rock/coral that you can have. It's been sitting outside for months, so its not "live" rock and would require a thorough cleaning and then need to be made "live" in your tank. I'm in Annapolis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSanta June 2, 2015 Author Share June 2, 2015 (edited) If you can use it, I've got a medium box of previously live rock/coral that you can have. It's been sitting outside for months, so its not "live" rock and would require a thorough cleaning and then need to be made "live" in your tank. I'm in Annapolis. Thanks for the offer! I've arranged for a live rock pickup from another member for this week. Wildcrazyjoker81 has been extremely helpful and we've been trading texts the past couple of days. Thank you all again for being so kind and helpful! Edited June 2, 2015 by JSanta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf June 2, 2015 Share June 2, 2015 Welcome!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami June 4, 2015 Share June 4, 2015 Welcome. I'm happy to see that our community has jumped in and been so helpful. Enjoy the community and the hobby, both are great. And, if you haven't heard about it already, WAMAS is hosting MACNA 2015 in DC September 4-6. It's an honor for us to have been selected and is a great opportunity for all hobbyists in the region to attend without having to leave the region. Go to http://www.macna2015.org for details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishgate June 4, 2015 Share June 4, 2015 I realize you are probably already too far in to change, but I highly reccomend you reconsider the 55 gallon footprint. It is (IMO) the worst of the worst tanks to use for a marine tank. It is too narrow, too tall, and most are not drillable for a future sump upgrade. I suggest a 40b (breeder) for your first tank. It is an excellent footprint and will make a nice sump when you are ready to upgrade. I also suggest a GFO reactor for algae control. Less is more with feeding as well! What filter are you using? Generally marine tanks should be run without conventional filters. The rock and protein skimmer are your filters. Traditional filters tend to increase your nitrates which will cause a lot of algea to grow. Don't put any fish in the tank for at least a month if not 2 or 3 months. Don't cycle with fish. Temper any advice you get from your LFS with their desire to sell you product!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSanta June 7, 2015 Author Share June 7, 2015 Welcome. I'm happy to see that our community has jumped in and been so helpful. Enjoy the community and the hobby, both are great. And, if you haven't heard about it already, WAMAS is hosting MACNA 2015 in DC September 4-6. It's an honor for us to have been selected and is a great opportunity for all hobbyists in the region to attend without having to leave the region. Go to http://www.macna2015.org for details. I saw that in a magazine I picked up at CTE this weekend! My wife and I are going to try and attend at least for a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildcrazyjoker81 June 8, 2015 Share June 8, 2015 Welcome. I'm happy to see that our community has jumped in and been so helpful. Enjoy the community and the hobby, both are great. And, if you haven't heard about it already, WAMAS is hosting MACNA 2015 in DC September 4-6. It's an honor for us to have been selected and is a great opportunity for all hobbyists in the region to attend without having to leave the region. Go to http://www.macna2015.org for details. I saw that in a magazine I picked up at CTE this weekend! My wife and I are going to try and attend at least for a day. You could always volunteer at the event too. Just throwing that out there ha ha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2nhle June 30, 2015 Share June 30, 2015 Welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkiboy June 30, 2015 Share June 30, 2015 welcome aboard and thanks for posting up. if there is anything we can assist with feel free to PM us. enjoy your stay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WheresTheReef July 1, 2015 Share July 1, 2015 IMHO I think you should go with a shallower sand bed e.g, 1.5-2". While deeper sandbeds have their benefits, it can also cause headaches down the line if disturbed. Also, I would add rock first so that it lies on the tank bottom. You don't want some livestock dig under that deep sand just to collapse your rock work. This could kill stuff or even break the glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cris June 21, 2023 Share June 21, 2023 Enjoy! Great hobby-great group! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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