[Mirkle]

i started my SW tank a few days ago, have filters/skimmers going and i have 2 powerheads and T5 lighting coming to me that i orded also i have 2 150 watt heaters coming to me in mail.. my question is i want to buy the LR now, if i get it would the cold Temp in my tank kill it or mess it up? reading only about 66.. taking forever to get my heaters ;(

[e_baer]

What kind or rock are you looking to get? Either way I would wait for those heaters to come and warm the joint up a bit.

[Jeremy0322]

I am pretty sure that as long as you dont freeze it it wont kill it all off. I would assume that you will need to cycle the tank anyways so you are going to want to kill it all off first, unless i have that wrong. You should be alright, that is all i am saying.

[Mirkle]

lookin to get Fiji rock.. ive seen 35lbs box of Fiji foundation rock i was thinking of gettin then maybe getting another 40 lbs of reg fiji rock?? i think i seen you should have about 1.24 lbs per gallon right?

[WILLIAM1]

I would say 2#s of lr per gallon. I would even think about 4 or 5 inches of sand. Remember when you put your heaters in the tank one is for a back up heater right? So turn it on a couple degrees lower and only run on all the time.

[Mirkle]

i think i might go about another inch of LS (to 3") i heard storys about have a DSB giving hypoxic pockets that can make some bad bacteria.. i was gonna have both heaters goin, have one in each corner, i have a 55 gallon.. or do u think put one of them (150watt) in the middle?

[glampka]

You should put the rock in before the sand - that way you have the rock on a firm base. Sand in first & if you have some burrowing fish you're looking at a possible disaster.

[bmward64]

You need 110lbs of LR in your tank, I would use one heater as a back up and only run one at a time like william said, unless you have another back up heater on hand because if you lose heat, and don't notice you will have a disaster on your hands! Also go with lots of sand, these guys know what they are talking about!

[e_baer]

110lbs is a little crouded in a 55.

I have 70 in my dt and another 40 in sump and other tanks. I would not euggest getting much more than 8-, otherwise your fish wont have anywhere to swim!

[NATIVEVAMAN]

There is an old wives tale going around about dsb's developing pockets of hydrogen sulfide(rotten egg smell).Speaking from a purely chemical stand point you dont have the raw material in a dsb to produce dangerous levels of hydrogen sulfide.The rumor comes primarily from the fact that a little tiny bit of that stuff smells really bad.The hydrogen sulfide would have to disolve into the water to be hazardous and I dont think that can happen in one second as it rises to the top.Anyone who has ever had a dsb knows what I am saying is true,its the people that never had one or dont understand a dsb that start this junk.

[e_baer]

Originally Posted by NATIVEVAMAN

There is an old wives tale going around about dsb's developing pockets of hydrogen sulfide(rotten egg smell).Speaking from a purely chemical stand point you dont have the raw material in a dsb to produce dangerous levels of hydrogen sulfide.The rumor comes primarily from the fact that a little tiny bit of that stuff smells really bad.The hydrogen sulfide would have to disolve into the water to be hazardous and I dont think that can happen in one second as it rises to the top.Anyone who has ever had a dsb knows what I am saying is true,its the people that never had one or dont understand a dsb that start this junk.

I have heard that "tale" too. But form what you are saying, you sound correct. Since i will be having a 5" DSB in my seagrass tank I have been reading tons about them and have to agree with you.

[dinor2]

I just recently made my 2-3 inches of sand into a dsb with 4 inches and, even though there are some algae 'spots in some of the middle of the sand, I have 7 nassarius snails plowing thru the top 2 inches which, releases nitrogen pockets in the sand and they do a superb job of keeping the surface perfectly clean. And, it gives the nitrifying bacteria plenty of room to thrive to help keep nitrates down.

I got most of this info from Nativeman, these people are like a giant reef encyclopedia! And with all their experience, you really can't go wrong here!