taking the dive

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uitenhage
hi all. i will be purchasing an amw102 at the end of the month. also i am a newbie, so lots of questions coming. first of all, should i change any of the stock items or do any mods to the stock tank. can i cycle wit nsw. what is the light schedule during cycle time, how many hours if any at all. should i add bacteria and if is, witch brand. can i use normal sand from a beach for substrate or sand with more grit like shells. same for dsb, beach sand or with more grit. where in pe can i find macro algae, can i source from rockpools. is nsw from beachview ok for tank and water changes. what would the water change schedule be from the start. what is the light schedule for the sump, with and without macro algae. thanks in advance.
 
can i cycle wit nsw
Yes, 100%, as long as it is from a clean beach area with no pollution.

what is the light schedule during cycle time, how many hours if any at all.
Entirely up to you on this one, some cycle with lights on between 8 and 12 hours a day, some cycle with lights off, I prefer to cycle with the lights on as I believe it allows the algae/diatom/cyano blooms to start and hopefully burn themselves out before you start stocking the tank.
can i use normal sand from a beach for substrate
Yes, once again, from a clean unpolluted beach and collect sand from below the water line, it's a heavy, tiring job so take some helping hands with you if you can, lol.
what would the water change schedule be from the start
Once again, this is up to you, personally I do not do water changes during cycle as I believe it allows the tank to stabilise and settle without being constantly interfered with. I see no point in doing waterchanges during a cycle.

Best of luck with your new tank, be sure to post lots of pics. :)
 
thank you sooooo much for the quick reply. regarding the water changes. would 10percent a mont (after cycle) be fine?. and i think i will leave lights on during cycle, your advice makes sense about burning out itself
 
U can get water from beachview/sea view, noordhoek ski boat club or from bayworld. Just get hold of bayworld first to confirm when and if there are any membership fees
 
great thanks for the advice. does anyone know of mods to do before filling the tank? or should it stay standard. maybe put in overflow box or spraybar
 
hi everyone. so last night a friend sent me a text, his 60x60 cube is for sale, everything included, the tank has been runnung for 2months now, finished with cycle, has 2 clowns, 3 chromis, scarlet cleaner and some small coral. 3 pulsing zenias, 2 zoas, kenya tree, mushrooms and a recordia. im going to fetch the tank today, will upload pics if i can, im using my phone. so holding thumbs
 
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at last. the tank is up n running. now i want to load pics. has anyone loaded pics with a phone using opera mini? can someone please explain how???
 
uploadfromtaptalk1439785497439.jpg

uploadfromtaptalk1439785497439.jpg
 
First looks like star polyps.
Second looks like a Kenya tree
 
Stand is built and going in tomorrow for cupboard to be built around it. What is the best to use for base of tank. I have the normal foam under the tank, should i put a 20mm marine ply sheet on the stand and then the tank?
 
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