Newbie looking for advice

[es355lucille]

Originally Posted by 0sprey

She would consider the 'purple' rock to be premium because it's covered in coralline algae (that's where the purple comes from), instead of being bare. I'd actually recommend buying a mixture of different rock types from different stores; you get a nice mixture of organisms coming in on the rock that way.
Look for miniature fan worms and the like; they'll spread to the rest of the rock once you have them in your tank.

So once I have the sand and rock in the tank, what would be the best steps of helping it along? Just leave it and observe? Feeding? Do I feed the live rock? what type of food if I do have to? I am a true Newbie! Brad

[o.c.d.]

You should also educate your self on what to avoid. Not just types of fish but pests. You'll find a multitude of organisms on and in the live rock. You DO NOT want all of them. Knowing how to id pest IMO is very important. Know what bad hair algae, flatworms, aiptasia look like (just to name a few) Knowing this stuff will save you battles in the future. Inspect every thing all the time. This is not to scare you. It is just another challenge in this hobbie you should be aware of. Good luck we are all here to help.http://www.melevsreef.com/pest_control.html This also applies to fish health knowing what to look for in a healthy fish same rules apply. I started fish only them reef after a short time.

[syeve]

I am fairly new to this as well so don't be afraid to ask any stupid question. I should tell you thought, 99% of my questions were answered in other threads, I just seached and most if the time my exact question was already covered in detail. Welcome!

[es355lucille]

Originally Posted by syeve

I am fairly new to this as well so don't be afraid to ask any stupid question. I should tell you thought, 99% of my questions were answered in other threads, I just seached and most if the time my exact question was already covered in detail. Welcome!

Thanks Syeve, I spent all of last night until 3:00 am looking at threads and finding new and old posts. When I first made my initial post I had not found anything and was not sure how to even search. I have found many past posts that help, but everyone starts to answer direct questions that pertain to my situation and its more fun to meet people this way. Thanks Brad.

[syeve]

You're prob right, the sharing of info needs to cycle through or what would be the point of an active board! New tech is also not going to be covered in older posts...just pretend I didn't write anything

[es355lucille]

Originally Posted by o.c.d.

You should also educate your self on what to avoid. Not just types of fish but pests. You'll find a multitude of organisms on and in the live rock. You DO NOT want all of them. Knowing how to id pest IMO is very important. Know what bad hair algae, flatworms, aiptasia look like (just to name a few) Knowing this stuff will save you battles in the future. Inspect every thing all the time. This is not to scare you. It is just another challenge in this hobbie you should be aware of. Good luck we are all here to help.http://www.melevsreef.com/pest_control.html This also applies to fish health knowing what to look for in a healthy fish same rules apply. I started fish only them reef after a short time.

Thanks for the information. I quickly read a portion of the attached link. I will spend some time reading all the great information you have collected over time. I will be chatting to you more as I get started. I am not sure if I was purchasing a bunch of live rock, how I would quarantine it for this period. My idea was to start out slow, so the main tank that I would purchase could be used as the quarantine.....hmmm I will have to think about this more closely.

Brad