100 Gallon Cube Tank Build

[Nanook]

Don't forget to add the detritivore kits from Indo Pacific Sea Farms and Inland Aquatics, then give them time to multiply their populations...a good diverse array of critters does a LOT for your tank and truly makes the liverock alive with critters to eat stuff and create food for other life.

[Chelsey]

Links?

[Nanook]

http://www.ipsf.com/

[Nanook]

http://www.inlandaquatics.com/

[fade32]

Hey girly you can bring all of your rock over and I could put it in my system to seed it when you get it.

[Chelsey]

Thanks!

[Chelsey]

Dave, how much do you swear by these two kits? That's a lot of money to spend (the detrivore kit from inland is $70 and the Live sand activator plus from IPSF is $60). I trust your judgement, but if I took the time I could probably pick a bunch of that stuff out of my live sand in my 40 breeder...do you think it's worth it?

[Nanook]

Well, the price is small considering that most of the stuff multiplies in your tank...if you can find a reefer that has that stuff for free or cheap then great...however...

I would definitely get the following items from "somewhere":


Terebellid worms
Stomatella varia
Bristle worms
Strombus grazers
amphipods
copepods
mysis/gammarus shrimp
mini brittlestars
microstars
trochus grazers

[Nanook]

AND, I know some people that spend $60 for a frag that may or may not make it a month, or $500 for a fish that is doomed...at least this stuff creates a very healthy and well-rounded ecosystem at the grassroots level....these critters also reproduce at the small end of the food chain creating a natural environment.

Like most things, spending some money upfront can pay big dividends and I am a big fan of these types of kits....I also have one coming from ipsf.com on Friday

[Chelsey]

How deep is your sandbed going to be Dave? Mine will be ~3" or so...will that be deep enough for the critters to survive and handle the detritus/junk load that my tank produces?

[Nanook]

My sandbed is only going to be 1-1.5" deep...most of the stuff I put down lives on the rock or sand/rock interface....the terebellid worms and some bristles reside in the sandbed...oh yeah, I like Nassarius snails and cukes for sandbed cleaning.

[Chelsey]

So what exactly did you order for your tanks?

[d.french]

it is worth it i bought 30pounds of live rock from dave and i got tons of micro starfish, mini brittle starfish and tons of spaghettie worms and other worms similar but yellow and black and mysis shrimp swimming around my tanks at night, already had many different pods and lots of bristle worms but even more now. i believe he said the tank that had live rock had package from inland aquatics in it.

[kirby_32]

For what it is worth, based on reading RC and input from folks here I will be ordering from kits Inland. I also spent some time on the phone with Mike from Inland. He was very helpful.

One thing, I did find out was their website is out of date and the kit prices have gone up a bit. I believe the detritivore kit is now $85 plus shipping.

[Chelsey]

What's the diff between ordering one of those kits and getting live sand/live rock(to seed your own) from a well established tank?

[Nanook]

Originally posted by Chelsey
What's the diff between ordering one of those kits and getting live sand/live rock(to seed your own) from a well established tank?

That depends on how "live" their sand is...did they treat it with drugs or chemicals like FWE, Interceptor, etc, etc...we don't know what all that stuff kills. Did they feed their tank adequately to have these critters? Also, most of the critters I named above live IN/ON the rock, so the sand may or may not contain much more than beneficial bacteria.

[Chelsey]

So then what do you think I should order from those two places? I know that I'd be getting beneficial stuff for my tank regardless, but I want to know what you order. I think the live rock seeding kit (or whatever it's called) is especially important because I'm buying dry rock and making it live.

[Nanook]

Originally posted by Chelsey
So then what do you think I should order from those two places? I know that I'd be getting beneficial stuff for my tank regardless, but I want to know what you order. I think the live rock seeding kit (or whatever it's called) is especially important because I'm buying dry rock and making it live.

Terebellid worms
Stomatella varia
Bristle worms
Strombus grazers
amphipods
copepods
mysis/gammarus shrimp
mini brittlestars
microstars
trochus grazers

[Chelsey]

How many of each? Sorry about needing my hand held through all of this, it's just that it never occured to me to buy all of this stuff so I'm not too sure what I should get and how much. Thanks Nook!

[Nanook]

No problem, glad to help!

I would do the "Mix n' Match 9 for $99.95 from IPSF getting the following:

Live sand activator
Baby bristleworms
Strombus grazers
Wonder mud
Amphipods
microhermits
ministars
nerite grazers
caulerpa
mama mia worms

From Inland, just get the standard detritivore kit for $70...doesn't look like much but it is worth it.

[Chelsey]

I thought that was 9 for $99.95...you listed 10 things

[Nanook]

You have to add a tenth item for $19.95 to get the ministars or mama mia worms

[kirby_32]

Dave,

Are the sandbeds clams worth adding to the list?

[icepick96]

kirby,

Unless you have a deep sandbed I wouldn't get the clams. I had a sandbed of 3-4" and they only suvived a couple of months. I never saw them until their empty shells worked their way to the surface.