PatrickS Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 Hey y'all, Is a 28g HQI Biocube JBJ.. Now I don't like the HQI in the hood much but the deal came with a MINI ARCTICA titanium chiller and biocube's protein skimmer( How are they?).a nice digital timer and a ocean plus duo.. I got the tank from cragslist. Nice guy... gave me a good deal. 225 bucks....! He has a much bigger tank...140gallon.. this one was a spare. Now it did sit in a garage for a year. The pumps need new propellers( HELP ME!? where can I find them? ) the old ones got rusted. I do need some help setting up this tank... Its been a long time from my last reef tank (really ended up FOWLR). Questions for you! I need any and all suggestions. 1. This is a long shot... My wife is in Galveston and I got her to get some sand for me. I think you see what i'm getin at... How crazy is it to get sand from beach? How long will it stay "live" in a bucket? Best way to make it work? 2. Best place to get live rock? 3. The only good spot for the tank is in a room with lots of windows...that or my bedroom... How much of a pain is that going to be? Thanks y'all!! Patrick Shaw P.S. I will get pics up tomorrow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasonHoff Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 hey patrick i have a 28g jbj nano cube! that i have COMPLETLY moded (I did months of research about cubes, and specficly the jbj HQI!! its a powerhouse! I would not mind if you stoped by and you could pick my brain on it! as i might you for your planted FW tank knowledge. call me 512-619-nine9six3 and you can come by sometime! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgoodwill Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 Patrick the sand will stay alive for a while so long as its not super hot; I would say maybe a couple of days? There are a couple of problems with beach sand though that would you hear from many over protective reefers, but not me. My no BS advice on it would be that sometimes depending on the area the sand you get can actually look sort of ugly in the tank, but you will not really know until you try it out. Secondly, I have not found a reported incident of this happening but it is possible if she got it from a high traffic area of the beach that things like beer, urine, food, bird droppings, etc... could have gotten in the sand. Again I think this is a long stretch but I would make sure to clean the sand before it goes in to your brand new $500 tank lol. To clean sand is very easy actually even if you don't have some form of screen to sift with. I would take that bucket that has the sand in it and get a large Tupperware bowl and scoop a handful of sand into the Tupperware and pour some sink water into it. I would then use your hand and swish the sand all around and you will see a bunch of junk come out of it; next, poor the water out but keep the sand. Repeat this as much as necessary and your sand should be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoneroller Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 IMO ain't now way you should use that sand for a reef tank. Galveston Island sand is going to be quartz based as in the Rocky Mountains, etc. What you want for sand is calcium based, from areas supplied by reefs. I would not trust any beach sand along the Gulf Coast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
offroadodge Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Agreed...just not worth putting all that beer soaked sand in a reef tank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgoodwill Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Stoneroller would sand around florida be better just curious? I have not heard opinions based on florida sand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatrickS Posted October 24, 2011 Author Share Posted October 24, 2011 Thanks for the advice! I'm still now sure if I am going to do it or not...the sand my wife brought is really dark and a little to fine. I'm thinking about doing either dead sand or dead rock.... What do y'all think is more beneficial in starting a reef tank.. Live sand or Live rock? If you had to pick... Thanks again! Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgoodwill Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 I do not think it matters because if you add one both of them should be live within a week or so. I would go with Live rock though because of all the hitchhikers they often contain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Live rock, dead sand. For sure. I got my live rock from fishy business. He pre cures it for you so you can hop right in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatrickS Posted October 25, 2011 Author Share Posted October 25, 2011 Great thanks yall! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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