new saltwater 30g tank!! PLEASE HELP!! BEGINNER

by **eazy4647** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 5:47 pm

so hey guys just a couple starting questions. ie set up my tank and started the cycle..

1. if i started the cycle would it restart the cycle if i decide to now add some white sand? or is it ok to even tho ive started the cycle?

also any tips u guys can give. ill gladly appreciate.

by **jav36** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 8:17 pm

hey i have a 30g too

i dont think sand would affect the cycle too much and as for advice take it slow and research so you know what your doing

by **makavelithedon963941** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 8:35 pm

definitly wont restart your cycle, i actually suggest live sand if you already started the cycle, it will work perfectly. and start using B-Ionic calcium and alkalinity if you want to keep corals, that stuffs the bomb

by **eazy4647** » Wed Feb 06, 2008 10:43 pm

hey thanks alot guys any advice thrown my way is appreciated. i just bought the sand and put it in along with some live rock as of now everything going good. all my test are right on point. question though. about how long will it be before my tank clears up all this cloudyness in the water?

by **Snowboss4492** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 12:01 am

My tank was cloudy 2-3 weeks during cycle - i then quit useing the crap carbon that comes in over the counter filter media "biobags" and went to black diamond carbon and have since gotten rid of media bags all together and just fill the filter with EHEIM MECH [looks like macaroni] and put a small bag of carbon on top of that - -water is crystal clear now - so was it just the cycle? was it just the carbon? was it the new media? i can't say... but the end result is clear water, good luck , read read read read read

by **eazy4647** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 3:38 am

ok so imma take a go here and try ur idea. now i have a fluval 350 on a 30 g tank they told me it was more then enough so my tank should generally be clear as is. but imma give it a week or so since i just lay down the sand maybe it just needs to settle. and i need to add a bit more of fresh water to the tank the salinity lvl just went up to 1.025 so ill try lowering it to about 1.023. if not wat kinda media should i change in my filter i have slots for 6 diff medias two in each level pplus the spongy part. any ideas?

by **snowboss** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 2:45 pm

like i said I'm useing Eheim Mech - thats the name of it, I pulled all the "slide in" filter cartridges out and put the Mech in to the top of the filter sump {just below the part that overflows back into the tank} anf then I filled a bag with Black Diamond carbon and set it on top of the Mech media so the water flows through it as it returns to the tank - when I do a water change {I suggest 10% weekly, but you will find all kinds of opinions on this} I just dump the filter out into the water I'm disgarding, swish it around and put the media back into the filter and I also change my carbon every other week at that time also {carbon can last 28-35 days, but a few bucks for a canaster of it, why skimp on water clearity, right?} BTW - if you didn't know carbon is what "polishes" your water - I can't remember if your 350 is a dual tank filter . .if it is try leaveing one side stock and do the Eheim Mech in the other side - I'm actaully running a whisper 20 and a whisper 15 on my 20 gallon long -added the second one last week to keep up with this lovely brown algae bloom I got right after the water cleared up....AAAAAHHHHH gotta love the cycle eh? lol

by **snowboss** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 2:53 pm

Easy,
I must apologize - I thought you were running a dual tank hang over back filter system -[like a Penguin 350] - so my advise for the Eheim Mech is not correct for your filter system....I'm sure you can put it into the fluval but I'm not a canister filter guy so I don't want to tell you were to put it and have you grind up an impeller or pump, the media theory I gave you is solid but you need to find someone who has these kinds of filters for proper application , OK? I don't want you to destroy and expesive filter bud - on another thought, you could just pick up a very cheap small over the back type filter [don't even worry about size/capacity] and buy a filter bag and carbon and just set up a small water polisher

by **snowboss** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 2:54 pm

like i said I'm useing Eheim Mech - thats the name of it, I pulled all the "slide in" filter cartridges out and put the Mech in to the top of the filter sump {just below the part that overflows back into the tank} anf then I filled a bag with Black Diamond carbon and set it on top of the Mech media so the water flows through it as it returns to the tank - when I do a water change {I suggest 10% weekly, but you will find all kinds of opinions on this} I just dump the filter out into the water I'm disgarding, swish it around and put the media back into the filter and I also change my carbon every other week at that time also {carbon can last 28-35 days, but a few bucks for a canaster of it, why skimp on water clearity, right?} BTW - if you didn't know carbon is what "polishes" your water - I can't remember if your 350 is a dual tank filter . .if it is try leaveing one side stock and do the Eheim Mech in the other side - I'm actaully running a whisper 20 and a whisper 15 on my 20 gallon long -added the second one last week to keep up with this lovely brown algae bloom I got right after the water cleared up....AAAAAHHHHH gotta love the cycle eh? lol

by **snowboss** » Thu Feb 07, 2008 2:54 pm

oooppps double clic sorry

new saltwater 30g tank!! PLEASE HELP!! BEGINNER

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