Well, I just purchased a 40 gallon tank and I'm going to get everything I need tomorrow. The thing is. I don't know what to buy!! I have a sump, tank, and the return pump and a awesome light. What else am I needing as in chemicals and what kind of salt and sand is best?
What do I need to cycle my tank?
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Sabellafella
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Heyy are you goin with dry rock or live rock, and 2 it all preference on what salt u wanna use honestly i use esv but for 4 years i used redsea coral pro, also you can get caribsea ocean direct sand or regular live arragonite
#1-Dry Rock, there are a few hitchhikers on Live Rock that people want to stay away from, so they opt for using Dry Rock, or Dead Rock. Macro Rock is a good place to start looking for that. Either way you go you will need a minimum of 1lb per gallon. You can use Fully Cured Live Rock, and have the tank cycled in just a few days also. Other way is to use just a couple of pounds of Live Rock and the rest Macro or Dry Rock.
#2-Replacement filter media like filter floss and activated carbon (if you get a filter) Which is really not necessary.
#3-Multiple Power heads (2 or 3) 10x your water volume for just a Fish Only With Live Rock, and at least 20x your water volume for a Reef Tank. So lets say your going reef, and you have a 100g tank, you would need flow in that tank at minimum of 2000gph, or 2 1000gph power heads.
#4-Protein Skimmer, rated at 2 times your water volume. Unless your tank is under 30g, in which case you can do 10% water changes a week to rid the system of detrius. But, you'll have to watch the water parameters close, if things go haywire, you'll have to do more water changes.
#5-Saltwater Test Kits. Reef Test Kit. Test for Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, PH, Phosphates, Calcium, ALK and Magnesium.
#6-Saltwater fish food. Mysis Shrimp, Squid, Cyclopease, Algae Sheets, Romaine . Flake food is not really a good food to feed your marine fish.
#7-Aquarium vacuum. This one is iffy. Most don't use one, if you have enough flow in the tank you won’t need one
#8-Rubber kitchen gloves
#9-Fish net
#10-Two, clean, never used before, 5-gallon buckets
#11-Aquarium thermometer, digital being the best.
#12-Brush with plastic bristles (old tooth brush) - needed for cleaning the live rock if you don't get Fully Cured Live Rock.
#13-Power Strip, possibly GFCI outlets by the tank.
#14-Optional but definitely recommend getting a Reverse Osmosis or RO/Deionization filter for the make-up water, and a barrel for storing the water.
#15-Possibly a Quarantine Tank for your new fish. They sit in here for a few weeks to kill off parasites and bacteria, to keep it from getting in your main tank
#16-Heater rated for your size tank.
#17-Saltwater Mix. Marine Salt. Instant Ocean is the cheap Salt that beginners and Advanced use alike.
#18-Saltwater Hydrometer or even better a Refractometer, which is more accurate. There is also a Digital Meter that is way advanced if you have the cash.
#19-Aquarium filter (not absolutely necessary if running with adequate amounts of live rock, but nice to have if you need to use a mechanical filter or activated carbon, or GFO and such)
#20-Aquarium substrate such as live sand or crushed coral. Some go bare Bottom, others choose the 1-2" bottom, others, more advanced will try the Deep Sand Bed, which is over 6" deep.
http://www.scaquariums.com/category-s/103.htm
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Nitrogen_Cycle.html
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=aquarium+heater&_sacat=20754&_odkw=power+heads&_osacat=0
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=power+heads&_sacat=0&_odkw=salt+water+refractometer&_osacat=0
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-0-10-Sa...905?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a792587d1
http://www.marcorocks.com/
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/bulk-dry-live-rock.html
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=393
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/fish-supplies/aquarium-substrate/ps/c/3578/9805
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Lighting.html
http://live-plants.com/
http://successfulreefkeeping.com/learn/what-your-coral-needs/
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=t-5+lighting&_sacat=0
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=cree+led+aquarium&_sacat=0&_odkw=t-5+lighting&_osacat=0
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/fish-supplies/saltwater-aquarium-salt-water-mix/ps/c/3578/4685
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=15473
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4749
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4145
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/4/chemistry
http://successfulreefkeeping.com/learn/about-corals/what-your-coral-needs/
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php
#2-Replacement filter media like filter floss and activated carbon (if you get a filter) Which is really not necessary.
#3-Multiple Power heads (2 or 3) 10x your water volume for just a Fish Only With Live Rock, and at least 20x your water volume for a Reef Tank. So lets say your going reef, and you have a 100g tank, you would need flow in that tank at minimum of 2000gph, or 2 1000gph power heads.
#4-Protein Skimmer, rated at 2 times your water volume. Unless your tank is under 30g, in which case you can do 10% water changes a week to rid the system of detrius. But, you'll have to watch the water parameters close, if things go haywire, you'll have to do more water changes.
#5-Saltwater Test Kits. Reef Test Kit. Test for Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, PH, Phosphates, Calcium, ALK and Magnesium.
#6-Saltwater fish food. Mysis Shrimp, Squid, Cyclopease, Algae Sheets, Romaine . Flake food is not really a good food to feed your marine fish.
#7-Aquarium vacuum. This one is iffy. Most don't use one, if you have enough flow in the tank you won’t need one
#8-Rubber kitchen gloves
#9-Fish net
#10-Two, clean, never used before, 5-gallon buckets
#11-Aquarium thermometer, digital being the best.
#12-Brush with plastic bristles (old tooth brush) - needed for cleaning the live rock if you don't get Fully Cured Live Rock.
#13-Power Strip, possibly GFCI outlets by the tank.
#14-Optional but definitely recommend getting a Reverse Osmosis or RO/Deionization filter for the make-up water, and a barrel for storing the water.
#15-Possibly a Quarantine Tank for your new fish. They sit in here for a few weeks to kill off parasites and bacteria, to keep it from getting in your main tank
#16-Heater rated for your size tank.
#17-Saltwater Mix. Marine Salt. Instant Ocean is the cheap Salt that beginners and Advanced use alike.
#18-Saltwater Hydrometer or even better a Refractometer, which is more accurate. There is also a Digital Meter that is way advanced if you have the cash.
#19-Aquarium filter (not absolutely necessary if running with adequate amounts of live rock, but nice to have if you need to use a mechanical filter or activated carbon, or GFO and such)
#20-Aquarium substrate such as live sand or crushed coral. Some go bare Bottom, others choose the 1-2" bottom, others, more advanced will try the Deep Sand Bed, which is over 6" deep.
http://www.scaquariums.com/category-s/103.htm
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Nitrogen_Cycle.html
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=aquarium+heater&_sacat=20754&_odkw=power+heads&_osacat=0
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=power+heads&_sacat=0&_odkw=salt+water+refractometer&_osacat=0
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-0-10-Sa...905?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a792587d1
http://www.marcorocks.com/
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/bulk-dry-live-rock.html
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/aquarium-fish-supplies.cfm?c=393
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/fish-supplies/aquarium-substrate/ps/c/3578/9805
http://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquarium_Lighting.html
http://live-plants.com/
http://successfulreefkeeping.com/learn/what-your-coral-needs/
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=t-5+lighting&_sacat=0
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=cree+led+aquarium&_sacat=0&_odkw=t-5+lighting&_osacat=0
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/fish-supplies/saltwater-aquarium-salt-water-mix/ps/c/3578/4685
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=15473
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4749
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4145
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2004/4/chemistry
http://successfulreefkeeping.com/learn/about-corals/what-your-coral-needs/
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/rhf/index.php
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Lots of good information!! Thanks. I will be buying most of the other equipment before I put fish or coral in the tank so I have a little time. What is a good price range for water?
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chefjpaul
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This is not very relevant to a cycle.
You need to establish bacteria in solid surfaces.
Check out the stickies in the R2R forums.
&
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2014/5/chemistry
http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/saltwater/metelsky_cycle.html
Cleo642
2500 Club Member
If you buy live rock, which will cycle your tank faster. Also, many good hitchhikers can come live rock too. I seen a few people on here have a coral as a hitchhiker. But it's always ups and downs, here is tip to get rid live rich of hitchhikers.
Sabellafella
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You can usee either dry or live, the high salinity trick works very welll acually butt with dry your gunna have to cure it for aaa verrrryyy long time and if this urr first saltwaterr tank its basically impossible to be patient lmaoo
Sabellafella
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Theress alotttt of people here including me and videos online that can basically turn u into a marine biologist overnite, lol but one thing i have to say is alot of overwhelming information that people agree nd disagree on but theres no wrong way of doing it except, dont dosee anything you cant test for beside food lol
twilliard
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I agree a RODI unit is best but if you can get water from your local fish store to start out with you will be fine.
Cruise around spectrpures website and watch the videos they are informative
Cruise around spectrpures website and watch the videos they are informative
That would be awesome!! Im just worried to get bad hitch hikers :/ well I will go with live rock !!If you buy live rock, which will cycle your tank faster. Also, many good hitchhikers can come live rock too. I seen a few people on here have a coral as a hitchhiker. But it's always ups and downs, here is tip to get rid live rich of hitchhikers.
Cleo642
2500 Club Member
With this tip you can just sort thru the hitchhikers and keep what you want.
Kurt Copeland
Active Member
