just beginning, have some ?

[AberFitchFish]

Okay well i began to do my research/gathering info for my current setup back in June, and figured out most of the fish/invertebrates i was going to buy, etc...

I recently just began to buy the sand/liverock/ etc... to begin the cycling of the tank...however i forgot a lot of "what i need to know" stuff...lol Since i use to ask a lot here back in the summer 04.

My tank is 75 gallons, only has about 25 lbs of liverock, which is all on one side of the tank currently. I was actually curious can i use non-live rock from a pet shop and fill up the base sections with that and then put the live rock over it? And will that make the "dead rock" change into "live rock"?

Also i have been getting many little weird looking creatures, whihc i cannot take pictures of because my camera gets too blurry up that close. I have this weird about 1.5 inch long green worm and i think another one is emerging out of the live rock as well. I found a 3 legged starfish, the one with the long legs, sort of look like spider/octobpus or something, with bristles. I have these weird parmecium shaped sluggish lookig things crawling all over my one piece of live rock. i found 2 feather dusters, 3 anemones, and this weird long tubeish wormish looking thing that is brown....I know you probably won't be able to I.D. these without pictures.

I am also going to buy these PC lights from my local reef shop for about 150 bucks, it has 4 PC lights. Would that be okay for a 75 gallon? And my mom and i would like to eventually get a better protein skimmer, but currently i have this one and i have no clue how to set it up...



I do believe my tank is currently udnergoing a cycle period...it is growing like this yellowish brown stuff on the sand, si that normal? And also there is this greyish/blue mold looking stuff growing no the lvierock and a lot of bubbles that are growing on it, what is it?

This is the right half of my current setup.

[bheron]

Adam, it looks like your on your way! Sounds like youre following one of the most important rules - patience!

I'll take a crack at answering some ques as best w/out pics...


I was actually curious can i use non-live rock from a pet shop and fill up the base sections with that and then put the live rock over it? And will that make the "dead rock" change into "live rock"?

THis is definitely a great idea, but you have to make sure to but the right stuff. You want to buy "base rock" which used to be live and is very porouse. Dont buy anything called "faux". Now, it doesnt have to be previously-live rock, alot of people on here make their own rock from scratch. the point is that it has to be the right stuff to be "seeded" by your live rock. B/c, to answer your 2ns part above, YES, you can definitely change base rock into live rock. Many people do this to save cost. For example, you probably need a total of at least 75lbs of live rock in your tank. You can simply buy that live and pay a bundle (like I did!) or start with 25 live and 50 base rock and, eventually over time, it will become all live rock! just do some searches on here about "base rock" to make sure youre getting the right stuff.



Also i have been getting many little weird looking creatures, whihc i cannot take pictures of because my camera gets too blurry up that close. I have this weird about 1.5 inch long green worm and i think another one is emerging out of the live rock as well.
- hard to tell, but this could be a Peanut Worm. If it is, thats good. Do a search on here for that and see if it matches yours

I found a 3 legged starfish, the one with the long legs, sort of look like spider/octobpus or something, with bristles. I have these weird parmecium shaped sluggish lookig things crawling all over my one piece of live rock.
- too hard to tell without pics. could be typical "hitchhikers". where di you get your LR?


I am also going to buy these PC lights from my local reef shop for about 150 bucks, it has 4 PC lights. Would that be okay for a 75 gallon?
- the quick answer here is, it really all depends on what youre wanting to keep. there are certain guidelines on what type of light to get based on what you want to keep (fish, coral, lps, sps, etc!). Take your time on this one before spending $150 on something you might want t upgrade.

And my mom and i would like to eventually get a better protein skimmer, but currently i have this one and i have no clue how to set it up
= sorry, no clue either!


I do believe my tank is currently udnergoing a cycle period...it is growing like this yellowish brown stuff on the sand, si that normal?
- An algae bloom IS a normal part of a cycle. Hard to tell w/out pics. What kind of water did you start your tank with? Tap? RO? How about for top offs?

And also there is this greyish/blue mold looking stuff growing no the lvierock and a lot of bubbles that are growing on it, what is it?
Could be algae. So is good, some is undesireable

HTH!

[JustKeepSwimming]

Adam,
I'll reply to some of your questions....
Does the green worm have other arms and green\white patterns? I have a few of them from my live rock, they are harmless, some kind of brittle star I think, could be wrong. If its really a worm, and has bristles, usually they're brown I think, its a bristle worm. Not the prettiest to loook at, but I have some in my tank and they've been totally harmless as well. Some people have posted differently, but I think unless you see them munching on coral, they're not going to harm anything.

Is the 3 legged starfish white? 3 long legs, and maybe one short one (thats hard to see)? I've heard these can multiply rapidly and actually eat coral, but I've had one in the tank since I first started it, and have never caught it eating coral, or had coral "mysteriously" take a dirt nap.

As far as the little paramecium things, are they about 1/4 inch in length? Are they rectangular shaped and either seen on the glass, or in well lit spots on the LR? If so, you may have flatworms (do a search on these to view pics). If thats the case, you'll want to take care of them sooner, rather than later.

As far as teh lighting, you'll find conflicting info out there, with a lot of people feeling strongly one way or another. From my experience, I started out with PC's. I have a 72 gallon, 24 inches deep (one of the main determiners of how much lighting you need). Some of my corals did pretty well, while an acropora I had, even though he was at the top of the tank, started dying on me after a few months. The two main things you have to ask yourself are: how deep is my tank and how low do I want to put the corals, what kind of corals do I want to keep, and how much money do I want to spend?

Things like zoo's, mushrooms, various other types of corals who require only a little lighting to live, would probably do ok with PC. Other life such as clams, acropora, other intense light loving coral, require more intense light to thrive, and most won't make it after a period of time.

I switched to MH and VHO, and the change was tremendous. The colors and growth difference between the two lighting systems is immense. I run 10k MH bulbs, and 20k VHO. I think a combination of MH + VHO, MH + PC, or MH + T5 is the definite way to go for optimal lighting and color.

As I said, its totally dependent on how much money, how deep your tank, and what types of corals you want to keep. If you really want your tank to thrive, and have the money, I definitely would suggest a lighting combo. Some people also go straight MH and just get a higher K rated bulb for more blue light. MH has the most intense lighting output of all options (too strong in fact for some corals if placed to close ot the light).

I'd also strongly recommend getting a good skimmer, I have an aqua medic and am very happy with it (for a hang on skimmer). I'd also recommend getting more LR too if it suits your setup design, as you'll have better biological filtration that way. I'd thing as long as your "dead rock" is porous, that yes you'll definitely get some life populating it after a time. Can't say if all LR creatures will take to it or not though. As long as there's good water flow over it, bacteria and other healthy stuff involved in the breakdown of excess nutrients, will grow there.

The three anenomies are probably aptaisia (do another search on these) and they are considered a pest because of the rapidity of how they multiply. You can try plucking them out, or once your tank is established, peppermint shrimp work very well at eating smaller sized ones.

PS - If you want ot stick with a PC light system, I'd give you a very good deal on a hood, 36 inches, I want to get rid of, its a 2 twin 96 watt hood (PM me if interested).