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can a 30-35 gallon tank go on without live rock?Plus, can i use rock salt to make the water salty?how to change the water and add on to the amount of salt without stressing the fish out?thanks in advance for any response

On a small tank I'd recommend the use of live rock, but it's not absoolutely necessary, it will just help you out a lot.

You should use a synthetic sea salt for your marine tanks, like Instant Ocean. Rock salt will not work.

Your water change water should be mixed prior to actually changing the water. You can do this in a clean rubbermaid bin or a trash can that you will use for this purpose only. You will need the bin, a heater to bring the temp of the mix water to the same as the tank water, and a powerhead for water movement.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

is it possible to have a SW aquarium without any substrate but a few LR?mine is a 39 gallon..can it run just on a HOB filter and some live rocks?Can i use a pair of percula clown or any damsels to cycle the tank?i read about this before but the LFS owner told me not to get any for the time being.thanks in advance.

You want a substrate. The bacteria that change the ammonia to nitrite and nitrate to nitrate, for the most part, live in the substrate. I don't know how it would be possible to have a SW tank without a substrate. A deep substrate and lots of live rock is the best combo.

Make sure to read all the posts about starting a SW tank. If you have a notion that you want a cheap SW tank, there isn't such a thing.

-Josh

okay, i'll get some tomorrow.dont get me wrong, if its not a must, then i wont get it..it is called spending wisely.. btw, is it possible to cycle a tank with a damsel? thanks for the reply.

Damsels are very hardy fish. Usually I use the liquid bacteria to help jump-start the tank. Leave it alone for a week and then add fish according to the tank size. For a 30, Id probably have about 4 fish in week 2. If you're not going to use bacteria at all, the fish should do OK with proper water changes. Just be aware there is the very real possibility of losing one, or all the fish.

okay..i'll leave it for 14 days then i'll get a pair of percula clowns.

You cant just leave it though, you know you have to find out a way to start the cycle. Sometimes people will use a cocktail shrimp or something. You need an ammonia source to get your cycle going.

I'm not in favor of cycling with damels, because:
A. They get very aggressive if you leave them in there.
B. It's a PITA to catch them again.
C. It is sorta cruel...

There's also products like BioSpira or New & Improved Cycle.

-Formerly known as the Ferretfish

im cycling it using LR..btw, at another board, some guy told me that its ok to go without any substrate..is it ok?just LR and HOB?

Yes, you can have a tank without a substrate. But IMO it looks awful. Detritus and other nastys will collect very visibly on the glass bottom, and sure it's easy to remove this way, but it's very unsightly. Also, your tiny critters will have nowhere to live. Copepods and whatnot oftentimes will live in the substrate, and they are very beneficial to the health of the system.

If you were keeping SPS and were obsessed with water quality, you might think of going bare bottomed, but I don't see why you'd want to.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients

its not too bad..cuz now, there is a layer of white things from the sea salt..i'll try to get a little.Thank you for the info.

I bought some dead sea sand.I do have 2 LR but nothing much on it..the LR is fully cured.Is it ok? I just tossed 3 pieces of prawn into the tank..when should I remove it?

Usually I use the liquid bacteria to help jump-start the tank. Leave it alone for a week and then add fish according to the tank size.

That really doesn't work. Bacteria dies within about 24hours with no ammonia as a food source. So if you add bacteria and then just leave the tank with only water and maybe sand that you purchased dry all of the bacteria you added is now dead. If your going to use a bacteria starter you need to have something in the tank generating ammonia. The best is to use liverock. You aren't stressing out or killing any fish and the fish that survive won't have to be captured and returned to a store. Also the liverock contains bacteria and critters that will help your tank cycle much faster, stay clean, and feed some fish.

thx for the reply..but my LR..which is fully cured, looks dead..

You can't see bacteria so provided the rock has been kept wet and not frozen it has at least some bacteria. Some rock I ordered online got frozen despite a heat pack so that might be considered dead rock even though it's still wet. If the rock's been in a tank with any other critters especially fish then it should have quite a bit of bacteria on it. Also if it's been in a tank with other rock, corals, and such at the store and not dried out since then chances are some pods will show up within a few weeks of it being in the tank.

my tank is fully cycled..in 1 week..my question is, can i mix 2 percula clowns and 1 saddleback clown together?

Clowns generally do not do well with each other. I would suggest not putting two different clowns together.



Dan

i read many articles stating that saddleback and perculas do quite well with other clowns..in fact, i've seen many tanks with this combination..btw, it is overstocked if i get them?thx for the reply..