Whats your opinion?

[kashi410]

Ok guys heres what Im dealing with. My mother currently has a 92 gallon freshwater bow front tank which she wants me to help her convert into a saltwater reef tank. However, she runs a daycare business out of her house and can't have an empty tank sitting in the corner, especially one that stinks of curing live rock. I was wondering what your guys' opinion is on my wonderful idea, basically is it wonderful or not. Hehe! I was thinking about buying aragonite, live rock, and put them both into a large food safe trash bin with a water pump and maybe a heater. I was planning on letting the water go through its cycle, also let the live rock cure and then move it all over to the big tank when it all ready. By doing this, the 92 gallon bow front would only be w/o fish for maybe a day or two while I clean things out and add on the extra parts. Let me know what you guys think. By the way, I plan on moving it all over, the rock, water, and dsb!

[MalHavoc]

Your idea sounds fine, except for the sand bed. They typically don't move that well anyway. I'd probably just soak some aragonite sand in a bucket of "dirty" tank water that you've obtained from another reefer. That way, it will develop the necessary coating of bacteria and can be added to the bowfront when you decide to set it up.

[NorthCoast]

I agree with MalHavoc's response, however, the dirty tank water should be saltwater not dirty freshwater. It may not make a big difference in that you really just want to get a bacterial film buildup since the DSB would be moved anyway. This avoids the milky water look from the addition of new dry fine sand. I would imagine that different strains of bacteria exist in freshwater and saltwater, moreover, the freshwater bacteria would not survive. Just thought this should be noted since you are converting from FW to SW.

You could also use some small bits and pieces from the Live Rock while soaking your new sand. It really doesn't tank much.

Later,
NC

[MalHavoc]

Originally posted by NorthCoast
I agree with MalHavoc's response, however, the dirty tank water should be saltwater not dirty freshwater.

Definitely! This was what I meant, but thanks for being clear on the point.

[kashi410]

what would be the problem with soaking the aragonite in the same bin i am soaking the live rock in? Wouldn't it develop the bacteria it needs in the trash bin with the other stuff? Basically, I just dont see how it would be different to soak the aragonite seperately. Please clarify.

[figuerres]

my $0.02 worth;

I would clean out the tank say on a friday and have a shipment of live rock and sand from say www.tampabaysaltwater.com or whoever you want.... on hand and i'd put the sand and one or two large rocks in there right then.... let the sand cycyle as-is with the rock. go to a sign shop the makes cheap signs and have them make an "Under Construction sign" to hang on the front of the tank. add a poster board with photos of some of the smaller critters that are in the sand (stars, worms etc... ) and on the poster board tell them to see if they can find them, I bet folks will have a blast teching the older kids and stuff.

meanwhile in a big trash can etc.... start working the rock and add a pice to the main tank each week.....

that way they see it slowly building up to some cool stuff....


I bet they will think it's neat to watch the changes from one week to the next.....
put up more photos and links to web sites like this one and make it an educational diasplay in action....
most folks will not know that hair alge is a bad thing.... they will just say "look at the pretty seaweed growing in there" and so on.... :D

[figuerres]

PS: my rock did not stink from tampabaysaltwater unless I was actulay taking stuff out of the tank -- in the tank with the top on there was no smell.

[kashi410]

what would be the problem with soaking the aragonite in the same bin i am soaking the live rock in? Wouldn't it develop the bacteria it needs in the trash bin with the other stuff? Basically, I just dont see how it would be different to soak the aragonite seperately. Please clarify.

[MalHavoc]

It'd just be easier to handle if it was in a seperate bucket. It also won't have all of the crud that fell off of the live rock curing in there with it. Picking up several hundred pounds of sand off of the bottom of a garbage pail isn't that easy to do.

[figuerres]

Originally posted by kashi410
what would be the problem with soaking the aragonite in the same bin i am soaking the live rock in? Wouldn't it develop the bacteria it needs in the trash bin with the other stuff? Basically, I just dont see how it would be different to soak the aragonite seperately. Please clarify.


the sand will not form a DSB that is stable, when you move it it will cycle.

for a good dsb it needs to form a layer of aniarobic bacteria deep in the sand. when you move the sand from the tub to the tank the aniarobic life will die back and have to re-establish in the tank.

also some of the arobic life will get buried and die.