Noobie Nano Reefer with a bunch of basic questions...be gentle

[gmr7494]

Hello all.

Just wanted to thank all of you in advance for the advice. This a great site with a wealth of information, and I appreciate its members for being so generous with their time and knowledge.

Having said that, I am a noobie to saltwater tanks, but I did as much research as I could over the past few months so I'm not going in to the hobby uninformed. Here's what I purchased so far, based on research, reviews, and advice from other nano-reefers:

Cadlights 22 Gallon with T5 lighting
Tunze 9002 Protein Skimmer
Ebo Jager 100W Heater
2 Hydor Koralia Nano Powerheads
AquaEuro CL-85 Chiller
InTank Media Basket with Chemipure Elite, Purigen and floss
Mixing kit with refractometer, salt, digital thermometer, and hose
API master test kit

I'm going to place the media basket in the first chamber and the skimmer in the middle chamber. I'm almost at the stage where I can purchase live rock, RO water, and live sand, but I wanted to get some advice before I do that.

Here are some of my basic questions:

1.) How many pounds of live rock and sand will I need?
2.) Any suggestions on live rock? I was looking at a LFS here and they sold Vanuatu cured rock. It was quite expensive, however.
3.) Any suggestions on live sand?
4.) If I buy fully cured rock and have it placed along with water and sand, how long do I have to wait to start putting live animals? Do I put a clean up crew first, then fish?
5.) Any suggestions on clean up crew and beginner fish?

That's all the questions I have for now. I also installed the Reefcon program into my computer so I can keep track of my water changes, maintenance schedule, etc.

Thank you again and wish me luck!

 

[oceanparadise1]

Welcome again lol!

on average they say 1-1.5 pounds of live rock per gallon but its really all up to your taste! some like a lot some like a more open look! so do what looks good to you!

As far as rock, i use fiji or tonga branch rock! but then again its up to you and what you think looks good!

i dont waste the money on "live sand" i use high desert play sand from home depot 50 pounds is 3 bucks, just get some one who has a tank to give you a cup of theres to seed your new sand with!

dont add anything untill you test! buy some test kits( most stores have the master reef kits for like 40 bucks) when all your test come back good then add animals!


as far as easy fish, damsel(but they can get mean) six line wrasse any clowns!

as far as a clean up crew when the time comes id add them as needed! start with a small crew such as a couple snails and crabs maybe a star and add more as needed! last thing you want to do is add a ton of critters and not have enough food for them!


hope this helps and good luck!

 

[chuckle_berry]

I always thought that HD sand as most other regular sands contain silicates that will produce phosphates and cause algae problems. As far as live rock i think you will do better finding someone who is breaking down their setup near you and get it from them.

 

[oceanparadise1]

Ive always used that sand and have never had any algea problems ever

 

[gilmour01]

dry rock is another option. you dont have to worry about introducing pest and its cheaper. again its all up to your particular taste.

 

[chuckle_berry]

just my .02

 

[LILBUDDHA]

I am in the build process too . I have been looking at Marco Key Largo Rock . I think theres a sand and Rock package pre-cured 40 lbs rock and 40 lbs of sand . U only pay for the rock weight .

HTH

 

[stevensun]

IME, 2 koralia nano can't creat enough flow for a 22g. K1 or even K2 will be a much better choice for decent flow. I own a K-nano and the flow can only reach about 4-5 inches ahead of it.

When ordering CUC, stay away from blue leg hermits cause they will kill your snails and take their shell. Scarlets are much less aggressive.

 

[gmr7494]

IME, 2 koralia nano can't creat enough flow for a 22g. K1 or even K2 will be a much better choice for decent flow. I own a K-nano and the flow can only reach about 4-5 inches ahead of it.

When ordering CUC, stay away from blue leg hermits cause they will kill your snails and take their shell. Scarlets are much less aggressive.

dang....I wish I could've taken your advice before making the purchase. I've read other forums that say that 2 Nanos would work OK. I put both in already in my test run and you're right: it doesn't do that much.

 

[KingRicky]

dry rock is another option. you dont have to worry about introducing pest and its cheaper. again its all up to your particular taste.

Gilmour is right, I would recommend a mix of dry rock and then add a couple of pieces of live rock from your LFS, that way you dont need to break the bank on the expensive rock. As far as the sand goes, I'm not familar with using the play sand, the amount that you need depends on you. Some don't use sand others use very little to a lot, it just depends on what you like your tank to look like. One of my buddies sucks his sand out every time he does a water change and cleans it then puts it back. His tank is very healthy and looks great. I personaly wouldn't do this but it works for him.