[Buildingmyreef]

I'm buying a new aquarium soon. Most likely 75 gallons. When stocking my aquarium with live sand and rock i'm a little confused with what to do. I've read having all live sand is not good but you still want some to finish left overs and help clean. Is this true? Please elaborate. with live rock what kind of algae is good and which isn't? how much live rock/sand do I need for a 75 specially when i'm having burrowing fish? What kind of algae do I need for some tangs and angel? How do i grow it or wear do i get it? Also with corals will it damage other species putting the chemicals they need in the water?

[demonsquirt]

One step at a time. This is a hobby your always learning in.

To start you need :

Tank and fill it with fresh water and let sit a day or two for a leak test.

Salt and salinity tester.

Water test kit and you may need 2 kits for more readings.

LR , minimum of 1 lb pre gallon , you can use a mix of base rock which is cheaper and LR to seed the other rock.

LS , i used all LS has it was in my budget and looks natural but you can use base sand.

Powerheads for water movement , atleast 15 times your tanks volume.

A skimmer.

This isnt needed but very helpfull , a HOB media filter to collect the loose debris from the fine sand.

Then let it cycle for 4 to 8 weeks while reading this or similar.

Amazon.com: The New Marine Aquarium: Step-By-Step Setup & Stocking Guide: Michael S. Paletta, Edward Kadunc, Scott W. Michael, John Goodman: Books