[moovinfast]

So I found a tank and I get it tomorrow. He said its a 60 gallon but its 48x20x12, so I think its really a 50 gallon. This will be my first saltwater setup. Anyway, it comes with stand, hood, four 54w T-5s, and misc pumps, power heads and filters. I have a 30 gallon I'm going to turn into a sump, and I need to get an overflow and skimmer. So now I'm looking for the best way to set it up on a budget. I was thinking I want about 60lbs of sand and about 60-75 lbs of rock. I was thinking of using non-live sand and getting a bottle of bacteria to seed it. Thought this might save a little money. Also, can you do similar with rock? If so, where would I find some? Ive been looking on Craigslist for some cheap live rock, but havent seen anything near me. Also a cheap place for sand to seed.

 

[richhershey]

What area are you located? Maybe someone close to you could help.

 

[lagrew]

yea where are you located?, IME that stuff in a bottle won't work, best to start the cycle with a piece of shrimp or just the live rock itself, Also WELCOME to TRT !!!

 

[Loverotties]

:wavey:Welcome to TRT!:wavey: where do you live?maybe there's a club near by and you could get it from a member.

 

[moovinfast]

I'm in Longview Wa. Its about 30 min north of Vancouver.

 

[moovinfast]

I just got the tank, and they aren't T5s they are PCs. Will 4 65w PCs be good enough for my 50 gallon tank. I want to do mostly soft corals and maybe a hammer. Also, It came with hang on filters and two 802 powerheads for under gravel filters and a few small air pumps and a hang on overflow. The only thing I want to keep is the overflow, but its just the box. What do I do with the rest of the stuff? I could put it on Craigslist, but I hate dealing with that.

 

[EndlessSummer]

Those lights should be good for soft corals and a hammer placed a little higher than usual. The undergravel filter, and air pumps you should put on craigslist. Youre going to have to get a sump, either a cheap tubberware, custom made (theres a lot of good info online about them, or premade.) Youre also going to want to look into getting a nice in sump skimmer, and welcome to TRT!

 

[jackers]

I found two different people selling live rock right out of their aquariums on Craigslist. I had to drive an hour and a half to each one but when you get awesome cured rock for $2.00/pound it is almost impossible to beat.

 

[lagrew]

yea thats great 2 buck a pound go for it.

 

[lagrew]

pics would be great!!!

 

[Salty O'Shen]

welcome to TRT!!

when i did my upgrade from my 20g to my 55g, i used a couple of 2 pound pieces of the LR (live rock) in my 20g and bought a box of dry rock from marco rocks. i got 27 pounds for 45 bux. i went with the key largo dry rock. it was a good way to get rock, on the cheaper side, but probably not the cheapest route. if you want to see the stuff just google marco rock.

please share pics!