should i have something else

[angel1237]

i went to my reef store and they didn't have everything i needed to start a brand new saltwater reef tank...soooo they gave me what they had and the rest will be in in a week...in my tank right now is 25lb live sand..and the salt water...they told me i could let that sit until the live rock is ready in a week...is this ok? should i have something else in the water like a shrimp or anything? it also has a 850gph circulation and wave pump in it.. i have it turned off right now because the water is very cloudy..how long can i keep it turned off? it has been off all day....thank you soooo much..i am a beginner.

 

[RalphsReef]

Since you don't have any livestock, you will be OK with just the water and sand. I'd leave the powerhead on. The cloudiness will subside. You might as well get that part over with now, as it's going to happen once you turn the power heads back on. You could also toss in the shrimp now to get things kicked off. As you know, live rock should be your next step. That will give the nitrifying bacteria more surface to live on, thereby cycling your tank. Make sure to test for ammonia, then nitrite, then nitrate before adding livestock.