Hey everyone,
I've had a 46 bow salt tank before but because of moving issues ended up with a 20 gallon nano with just one clown it it. I've since found a bigger place and have am thinking about restarting my 46 gal. it's bigger and is more forgiving than the 20 gallon tank with nitrates/nitrites spikes.
though i've kept two saltwater talks before i'm still fairly new to the marine system and just had some questions.
1. my live rock has been sitting in the garage for about 4 months, would it recolonize itself if i were to clean it up and put it back into my 46 gal or would i have to get new live rock to populate it? i was thinking about putting it in a tub and running salt water in it with a powerhead for about 3 days then a final rinse and put it into the main tank to start the cycle. after that, i was thinking about buying pods in a bottle to help jump start the pod population and to help colonize the rocks.
2. i've used argonite substrate in both my previous setups but i don't like it. i will probably just use a undergravel filter plate at the bottom to put my rocks on. will the plates hold up about 40lbs of rock or should i get egg crates/grates because they have more support because of the crosses they make? also, is there any major disadvantages of running barebottom if i keep up with regular maintenance?
Thanks everyone, any input will be much appreciated.
I've had a 46 bow salt tank before but because of moving issues ended up with a 20 gallon nano with just one clown it it. I've since found a bigger place and have am thinking about restarting my 46 gal. it's bigger and is more forgiving than the 20 gallon tank with nitrates/nitrites spikes.
though i've kept two saltwater talks before i'm still fairly new to the marine system and just had some questions.
1. my live rock has been sitting in the garage for about 4 months, would it recolonize itself if i were to clean it up and put it back into my 46 gal or would i have to get new live rock to populate it? i was thinking about putting it in a tub and running salt water in it with a powerhead for about 3 days then a final rinse and put it into the main tank to start the cycle. after that, i was thinking about buying pods in a bottle to help jump start the pod population and to help colonize the rocks.
2. i've used argonite substrate in both my previous setups but i don't like it. i will probably just use a undergravel filter plate at the bottom to put my rocks on. will the plates hold up about 40lbs of rock or should i get egg crates/grates because they have more support because of the crosses they make? also, is there any major disadvantages of running barebottom if i keep up with regular maintenance?
Thanks everyone, any input will be much appreciated.