Tanner's 25G..FINALLY

[Tanner]

So I finally got all my stuff and i'm going to start setting up my tank(pictures to come)

I just have one question, if I can't buy all the live rock at once($$$$) is it okay to buy a little at a time? I know it might affect my levels of ammonia and whatnot but how much will it really mess up my tank?

 

[dcantucson]

Once your tank has cycled then you can start adding fish to it SLOWLY
1 every 3-4 weeks.

 

[fastrd400]

It will be fine to start your tank with what you have and can afford as far as the LR. It can and does get expensive, and I think just about everyone on here started their tanks with less LR than what they currently have now. The last piece of rock I looked at was 160.00, course it was like 32 pounds.

 

[Bifferwine]

Yeah, just add rock gradually. If you can, keep the rock in a separate tub (with saltwater, a powerhead, and heater) for a few days after you buy it. If it shows zero ammonia and nitrites then you're good to add it. If you can't do that, just do a piece at a time.

 

[Tanner]

alright thanks everyone! Pictures will come soon! I'm just cutting the hole where the front of the tank will show into the living room :D.

 

[Tanner]

Heres a pic of where the front of the tank will be displayed
yes, thats Harvest Moon on the TV lol

 

[AdeptMrSniffles]

Lookin good Tanner, is it going to be in a seperate closet space? or just in the wall?

 

[Tanner]

What do you mean by seperate closet space? haha

 

[Bifferwine]

I think he's asking if there's anything behind the tank. Sometimes you can plumb the tank through the wall if there's a closet or another room behind it.

 

[Tanner]

Oh yeah, Well its not even sitting in the wall, its sitting behind the wall in my room,

 

[yote]

I think Tanner just cut a hole so he can still see his tank from the living room:D

Cant wait to see it coming together.

 

[lilyicu]

Tanner, I have gradually been adding LR since I started my tank back in April :)

 

[Tanner]

Haha yeah basically, I just gotta put the trim up to make the "viewing hole" complete haha.

SO I ran into some trouble when mixing the salt and whatnot, I realized someone was screwing around with the calibration on my hydrometer.

Long story short, The salt levels are way out of wack, good news tho, I only mixed a little bit of the water first, so now I can even it out :).

 

[wontonflip]

Good start, Tanner...and +1 everyone about the adding rock bit. My 125 has only 40lbs of lr. I'm adding gradually. If you add lr, definitely do what Biff said and monitor it in a tub of salt water for a while. Maybe when you do a water change, save your old water for the rock. Otherwise you might cause another cycle in your tank. If you add plain ole base rock, you should be fine just dumping it in the tank. Base rock is cheaper, too....by a LOT.

 

[Tanner]

Ok thanks! like literally i only have like 8-10 pounds of LR at the moment =S

 

[Tanner]

So I just added the sand and its like, very cloudy, this will go away..right??:shock:

 

[dcantucson]

Yes give it some time to settle.

 

[Tanner]

So can I add my rock now?

 

[Bifferwine]

Yep you can add your rock. Make sure that it's sitting on the glass, not on top of the sand. If it's on the sand it can shift and cause a rock slide.

 

[Tanner]

Alrighty :) , and when do I do my first water test?