[Scorpa]

I am just starting a 29 gallon eclipse tank tomarrow. My lfs dealer is selling me his tank from his house that he never used. He is giving me an 29gallon tank with eclipse hood, heater, and tank stand for $75. I couldnt let this deal go by. This is my first salt water tank. What do i need to buy? I know i have to buy a hydrometer and instant ocean. Should i buy live sand or live rocks tomarrow too? As i said this is my first saltwater tank so i do not know very much or have very much experience.

thankks and help is appreciated,
Dan

[Scorpa]

.....anyone, the main question is, should i buy live rock or live sand tomarrow since im just starting my tank?

[RyanG]

You need to buy salt mix and a hydrometer, don't buy the live rock and sand now (yes i know its hard) We need to get your water quality up to par, then you should buy live sand/rock.

[passinetti2007]

allright tomorrow it all depends if you do things right if you can get live rock and sand. but probably not yet.

First and formost you want to get the tank home and set it up. Next you'll want to buy RO/DI water from your LFS. You might be able to put tap water in your tank but it is highly "not" recommended.

After your water is in your tank you can turn on the pump. As far as the filtration system that comes with nano cubes which is usually filter sponges and carbon and other stuff. I'd suggest throwing that crap out as it will only cause your nitrates to spike in the long run.

So first step.....Water and "only" water.

you'll have an empty tank no filtration no nothing just high quality H2O <-- little adam sandler humor there. lol

Next you'll want to add a heater, and your salt. Just follow the instructions on the salt container and let the flow mix it up. After your water turns clear, use a hydrometer or if you got cash I'd suggest buying a refractometer to get more accurate reading on the salinity. Also get a thermometer so you'll know the temp of your water. Nanos get hotter then your heater gets so you'll want to lower your heater 3-5 degrees and the lights will heat it up the rest of the way.

Ok so once your salinity is okay and your temp is allright. I have my 12 gal nano set at 1.023 salinity and my temp is 78 degrees. heater is set at 74.

Once you got that set, you can add sand and live rock. To save you money I'd suggest getting a bag of sand from your LFS if they sell it that way. People will argue but you don't need live sand. It's more expensive and why waste money. So I'd suggest buying between 25-30 lbs of live rock. Pick out something big to aquascape and put coral on and get about 3-5 lbs of tiny little fragments to fill up your filtration system in the back with. This will act as a natural filter and will help you out big time.

Heres a tip=if you are planning on getting anything that burrows like a goby or whatever, you'll want to place your rock on some plastic and not directly on the glass. Also don't put it on top of the sand bed because it can shift and kill your livestock which is bad.

I'd suggest going to home depot and buy a panel of that pvc plastic flouresent lighting fixture cover thingy. You know the mesh stuff that you see in offices that the light goes through. Cut that up to fit in the bottom of your tank and rest your rock on that. Aquascape how you want it. and next comes the sand which takes a while since it makes the water very cloudy.

First you'll want to turn off your filtration.

I filled up a cup of sand and just poured it into the tank. You got no fish or coral in it so who cares if it gets cloudy it will settle. I'd say do a 3 inch sand bed. Once you got enough sand spread it around till your happy and let it settle. Once it's settled turn back on your pump and wait wait wait.

Now depending on if the rock was cured or not your tank is going to cycle. I'd suggest getting a nitrate/nitrite dip stick measuring kit. You are not going to want to add anything into your tank until the nitrite is at zero which means your amonia levels have subsided and your nitrate level is below 20.

And I'd do a water change before you add anything in it too.

Also have a few buckets of RO/DI water available to fill it up when it evaporates and for water changes. You'll need another heater too for waterchanges. Adding water that is 67 degrees to water that is 78 degrees is a huge difference especially to fish.

If you are impatient like me, and you want something that moves in your tank. You can add a cleaning crew. I'd suggest 3-4 hermit crabs and a few snails.

Well I hope this helps. I think I touched up on everything. Have fun and let us know how it goes.

[passinetti2007]

Oh yeah i forgot. Once your tank is close to being cycled, go to your lfs and see if you can buy a scoop of live sand from their tanks. Take that home and throw it in your tank. This will get all the bacteria and living organisms that you would get if you bought live sand in the first place at a cheaper cost. They will multiply and you'll start seeing worms and pods and all sorts of microscopic things. This way you don't need to get "Live" sand, because it will be live sand once you are done, just cheaper.

[Scorpa]

Ok im going to the fish store in about an hour. I will pick up my 29 gallon eclipse and everything you just told me to get. I will probly get live rock next weekend and just get sand and salt and stuff this weekend.

thankks for the help, ill keep you informed on how it goes.
Dan

[crazygator]

for cycling use a shrimp from the grocery store. easier to get rid of and nicer to the living things. also , and i might have missed it, but after your tank cycles do a 25% to 50% water change to remove the nitrites. and of course don't use treated tap water, will blow your phosphates sky high