HELPQUICK! I need to make a shopping list to get my tank started before 9am tomorrow!
 

So my girlfriend bought me a 24 gallon nano cube for a late christmas present tonight and im siked but I need some quick help! I have been browsing this forum for a couple months now and im starting to get an idea of what I need....but not 100% yet. Here is the problem, she bought me two $20 gift cards to 2 different LFS's (haha im catching on to your guy's abbreviations!). You guys might be wondering whats wrong with that,but here is the catch....im leaving tomorrow at 9 AM to go back to school! Its gonna be fun loading this stuff into the Mustang and driving 3 hours. She bought me the 24 gal nano cube, 40 #'s of live sand, some chunks of rock (not LR), and a bottle of phosphate remover (I think), and a bottle of something else (forgot what it was and its packed already :( ). What kind of stuff could I buy before I leave tomorrow morning to get this tank started when I get back to school? Im thinking the stuff to mix for saltwater(how much, and certain brands?), [b] a testing kit (any suggestions?) [/b] and a glass cleaner? What else do I need to get this started? Would a few hermit crabs be able to make a 3 hour trip? I would be able to load them into a friends tank once I made it there. What do you guys think?

Also, does live sand die(excuse me if this is a dumb question)? The 40 #'s has been in a sealed bag for a few months now.

don't get anything. just setup the tank with some base rock (dead LR) and the sand. NOTHING ELSE!

Go to the LFS and buy some books. It is important to decide what you will want to keep. Then learn how and if you can do it. If you race you will likely be in for disappointment. The research can be a lot of fun to. I hope you can refrain from livestock purchases for a while or go the freshwater route. Good luck and have fun.

Dont buy any livestock untill your tank has been setup for a few weeks or longer. If your going to the store I suggest you buy the 20 gallons of RO/DI water to get the tank started. Next get some timers for the lights as this will make your life a lot easier, can be picked up from any walmart or home depot. If you want to you might be able to return one of the 20# pound bags of sand as I would think 20 pounds is more then enough for the nano cube.

A book is a good idea. YOu can also read all the * threads in RC and learn a bundle.
20 lbs of salt. That will sop up a lot of that money. Trade the nameless bottles for a refractometer, a ph meter, and the test strips for ammonia and nitrate. When you get set up where you're going, buy some live rock. YOu'll need 1-2 lbs of live rock per gallon. I cannot even imagine what condition that live sand is in...but it will provide biostuff to get the tank cooking. You may want to open the windows. It will take a number of weeks to get it going, fully cycled and all. Don't even think of snails or fish until the tank has been up and running for a month and nitrate/ammonia free for a week after that. Do not let anybody talk you into a damsel to 'cycle the tank'. Cruel and worthless. That sand will contain all the biology you could think of. [Usually you use a little fishfood.]
The idea is---you rot something in your tank, the bacteria increase, become capable of breaking down waste, ---then they do so---your tank gets clean but full of algae---and then you add snails to eat that; and THEN you can begin to think about some small fish.

Hmm I dont think I will be able to return the sand w/o a reciept and I dont know which local store it came from. As for the RO/DI water....thats reverse osmosis and what? I wont be able to transport 20 gallons of water in the mustang so I was going to buy just the salt and mix it once I got home. Any suggestions on a tester?

It's 1/2 cup salt per gallon of ro/di to mix salinity of 1.024 [recommended.] You'll need some polystyrene buckets [lowes paint dept].
Most refractometers work fine.
Go ahead and use the sand: it just may be pretty ripe, but rot is ok for cycling. I wouldn't expect live sand to survive very long at all.
YOu don't need a filter, just the pump circulating. Leave the lights off, the rock and sand, and draw a line on the tank wtih a grease pencil/'piece of tape so you'll know what the freshwater fill line is. You or whoever's tending it can just add ro/di [no salt] to that mark every day or so to keep the salinity proper. It can sit and percolate for some little time.

If you are going to use tap water you should get some tap water conditioner thats removes chlorines and heavy metals. Mix it with your tap water first and let it aerate over night. Then mix it with salt and let it aerate again overnight.

As for everything else you will not go wrong with Sk8r advice.

Do not buy the livestock until you know how to tell if the cycle is done yet.

i wouldnt recomend using the tap condition it takes chemicals out but also puts some in.

What would you use to remove chlorines?

I second just using the money on salt. You'll end up using it sooner or later and it will give you time to study up on everything else. You'll be busy enough with school ;).

If the live sand is the packaged stuff it'll be fine. It probably sat on the shelf at the store for a month before she bought it. Most of them have an "expiry date" on the back, but even if it's dead the rock will bring in the pods/bacteria you need so it should be fine.

He has only base rock. Is going to need at least one live rock.

If at all possible, avoid tap water. It imports nitrates and phosphates that make for big algae problems later and water conditioner doesn't remove those things. I cannot remember if it removes copper. I'm not sure it does at all---and if you have copper or zinc pipes, you've got copper or zinc in your water. Copper is lethal to inverts and does not evaporate, so it only becomes more concentrated over time.

Patience.... Don't rush it, if you have been on here reading you know that bad things happen quickly and not thought out.

Ok no live stock for tomorrow. Bad news, the LS has been around for at least 5 months....think its any good? Should I buy some live rock? So far tomorrow I am going to buy:

Salt-What ever the store says I need
PH Tester
Refractometer
Test Strips
Tap Conditon
Book

What other options do I have for water? I can not install a reverse osmosis system in my house.

How long does LR last? Do you add it before or after the cycle? I would like to purchase as much stuff as possible with the gift card as student life is hard on the wallet.

The RO/DI unit doesn't really need to be "installed". I pull mine out of the pantry when needed and use a faucet adapter. Since you've been browsing the forum for a couple months, you know that tap water is a big no-no :)

[QUOTE][i]<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11539002#post11539002 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by on_ice [/i]
[B]How long does LR last? Do you add it before or after the cycle? I would like to purchase as much stuff as possible with the gift card as student life is hard on the wallet. [/B][/QUOTE]

Two $20 gift cards will get you a refractometer or (if your LFS has reasonable prices) a bucket of salt :) Start with the dry goods, and have patience. Your LS is probably dead; see if you can get a couple scoops of sand from your LFS (or your buddies tank) to help seed your new tank with life.