Getting back into the hobby need some advice.

[jtatum2701]

Its been about 6 years but i've decided to set up another reef tank. basically I have a 20Gal tall with 40lbs of live rock and maybe 2.5" black sand bed. I also have a 60Gal cube just tank and stand with a corner bulkhead in bottom of tank. I have a 20Gal whisper power filter im using now for circulation on the 20Gal and a regular tank light. the rock and sand was nearly frozen when I bought it so i'm assuming that most of the life in it is gone. its been sitting in my tank for 11 days and i'm wondering what I need to buy next skimmer or lights? I mainly want to just let the 20 Gal cycle and keep the rock in there till I can afford to move everything to the 60 cube or bigger tank. any feedback is appreciated!

[Original Fin]

You'd be surprised how resilient LR can be. I'll bet you could cure it in the display in 4-8 weeks. All the die off would be fuuel enough to cycle the tank. No water changes during this time. If it was pre-cured LR you might not need a skimmer for a while, but I bet you'd want to run one ASAP with a lot of die off.

I would not run lights at all for a couple months until you're sure that nitrates/phosphates are somewhat under control. Otherwise, you're sure to have nuisance algae problems. Don't dose anything during this time, just keep salinity and temp constant.

[reeferbill]

Hi jtatum2701 ; I would look for a descent skimmer before the lights. Their are alot to choose from , I bought an Eshoppes 100 gallon rated hang on from Drs Foster and Smith for 130 US$ . They have a video of it on their website thats why I got it. The Eshoppes works better than the Red Sea Turbo Skimmer I paid twice as much for. The light you could use a Metal Halide Pendant or LED Fixture . (for the 60 gallon hex tank) Happy Reefing!!!!!!!!!!!