which steps should i take

[fernalfer]

Ok so i have 140lbs. of Marco rock inside of a Brute container with RODI saltwater, heater, and powerhead. I'm getting all of the phosphates out of the rock using Phosfree. It is working well and the Phosphates are going down. Once down to respectable levels i will start the cycle of my 120 gallon tank. Now i have an additional 44 gallon Brute i will be using to mix the saltwater going into my 120.

Since i can't make all 120 gallons of water at once what is the best way to proceed?

- Put 40 or so gallons of mixed saltwater in the 120 while i start making an additional 40 or so gallons repeating this until i get the desired amount of water for the tank? When should i add the sand (which will be livesand) and when should i add the rock?

- Should i put a powerhead circulating the first 40 gallons while the rest of the water is being made?

Lots of questiond just not sure of the order in which i can get this done the easiest

Any suggestions would be very helpful..

 

[Pete polyp]

Personally I would mix about 60% of the water in the tank before anything goes in. So about 60 gallons or so in your case. Once you have the salinity dialed in you can add the rock and sand then top it off from the trash can.

 

[fernalfer]

I thought about doing that but was not sure how hard it would be aquascaping under the water. Also do you mean just fill it with RODI right in the tank? And then mix the salt in with a powerhead, add rock then sand. Then mix the remains in brute to fill the rest of tank?

 

[Pete polyp]

Yep. Put about 50-60 gallons of water in the tank, turn a pump on and add salt. Scaping underwater is actually easier because the rock won't seem as heavy.

 

[Salty1962]

Your going to have a cloud storm from the sand but it should settle down in a couple of days. I put canister filter on mine to clear it up quicker.