I dont use copper for anything, and reseal every used tank i buy :) have luckily never had to use chemicals to treat anything. Worst thing ive had was ick and that was in quarantine tank. Gunna clean the tank im converting to salt really well before i do tho

A rinse in vinegar is fine if you know the tanks history:)

Are you running a sump?

Nope no sump, rock, power heads and hob skimmer

Do you guys really think that the so called live sand they sell is live or have any beneficial bacteria in it after sitting in those bags for a long time? I don't. Gimmick. But that's just my negative opinion.:lol: I'd rinse it. Only time I wouldn't is if a buddy took a cup or so out of his well established tank. Now that's live sand to me

You're probably right Madreefer, to a point. Its been proven that bacteria can survive anywhere on Earth, from the highest peaks, to miles and miles down in the crust. They can also survive extreme conditions in temperatures and high and low atmospheric pressures that would turn us to jello. Damn... they even think it can survive thousands of years on asteroids and comets (although this has not been proven). Seems bacteria can go into a hibernation like state. I'm sure a few months stuck in a plastic bag doesn't have much of an effect on these little critters. I'm sure there is some die off, but lots survive.... and given the right conditions they multiple like... bacteria, Lol.

Im with u madreefer on the sceptism on bateria in a bag. Haha ivr always told ppl to not waste there money on the bb in a bottle for fw tanks. But im just gunna go with it on this, if it does anything then cool, if not then oh well haha ive decided that .gunna go buy a premix/holding tank tommorrow. Gunna pre.mix a bunch of water and add samd first then pump water from.the brute container into tank

No matter how you just to add your water and sand be prepared for a dust bowl for up to a couple of days.

You can add a few pieces of rock after all the water/sand has been added and the rock will actually help clear the fine dust considerably faster.

One of the most frustrating things about starting up a new tank is the cycling it can cycle in a matter of days or 2 or 3 weeks and by cycling I mean a brown algae referred to as a diatom bloom which is completely normal and it will cover everything.

In this hobby patience is key don't rush and never ever be afraid to ask questions tons of knowledgable people on this site.

Yeah, i plan to add water and sand in the next day or 2, gunna leave power heads off until i get live rock. Hopefully ordering my lr from j&l on friday. Not sure what you mean about diatom and brown stuff covering everything lol from my experiemce with fw i know about cycleing tho, doesnt seem to be much diffrent to cycle fw and sw

Will brown algea go away? Haha or isbthat why ibwas advised to add cuc first after cycle is done

Your diatom bloom once it appears will happen over the course of a few days starting off small then gradually cover almost the entire tank it will be brown in colour then you can add your CuC which will start eating the bloom and then start another diatom bloom that will start another cycle. This is common to almost all new tank setups.

Diatom blooms basically start the seeding process if you will of bacteria in the tank which the inhabitants of the tank require

So, the blooms happen during cycle, my cuc wont die if i add them during cycle? Sorry if these questions are stupid lol

Sometimes yes and sometimes no. I've setup several tanks over the years and have never seen any diatom blooms. But months later I've had red cyano pop up. Some people have had all different kinds of blooms suddenly appear years in. That all depends on several factors. You might want to add some test kits to your order and learn to use them. A tip when adding your sand is to fill up your tank and add sand last. Don't just dump it in but fill up a large bowl and reach in and slowly distribute it along the bottom. Way less cloud action happens. Your gonna get a wet arm but get used to it if you stick it out in the hobby.

Oh im well used to the wet arms haha i cant even reach the bottom my 240, i have an api sw master test kit. Inuse the api master trst kit for my fw that ive found is the best

If you plan on getting any gobies (like YWG) or anythign that tunnels, I would suggest putting the rock in first, then lay the sand. That way if someone digs a tunnel, it doesn't risk shifting your rocks.

I heard that you can super glue rocks together? Is that true??

True if you have the patience of Job and don't mind your glue job looking like garbage until coralline covers it (many months on a new tank). Also, glue tends to get brittle over time and will more than likely crack at some point.

If your'e working with any of the typical reef type rocks, you'll need a ton of glue to properly hold them together. You'll also make a huge mess and probably glue bits of yourself to your rocks, your fingers, and large quantities of paper towel.

Epoxy is much nicer to work with. There are some epoxies specifically designed to hold rock structures together. A sponsor here used to sell one called Fijicrete but I can't find reference to it on their site anymore so they might have stopped carrying it.

The only stupid question is the one that doesn't get asked

Touché haha

It would take a ton of super glue but you can use it. I prefer to use a masonary bit to drill holes for clear acrylic rods and black zip ties in non-visible places.