Freshwater to Marine 12/9/07
Hello WWM crew how is your day going?
<Hello, very well, thank you.>
I was wondering about getting a marine tank. I know how to set them up and keep them running. But I don't know how I should get one. I have a 25 gallon cichlid tank 12 gallon goldfish tank 12 gallon eel/Pleco tank and an empty 25 gallon that are all freshwater right now and I was wondering if I could make the 25 gallon Eclipse into a saltwater.
<Sure, but a larger tank is easier (more stability) for starting out.>
Do they make marine filters that will fit the eclipse lid and lights that will fit too?
<The same filter will work fine. If you want a reef the lighting will depend on what you want to keep. You could possibly fit a power compact inside the Eclipse.>
Or do I have to make/buy a custom lid with marine pumps and lighting. Would all this doing be worth it?
<For a reef you will need additional flow via an extra pump or powerhead. It really depends on what you consider worth it. Reef tanks have a way of costing more money than you plan at the start.>
Or should I just go buy a 14 gallon BioCube and spend a lot more money.
Which would be easier?
<About the same. For my money I would get a tank in the 40-75 gallon range and plan on using the 25 gal as a sump/refugium.>
Also just out of curiosity, do freshwater test strips work for marine too?
<Some do.>
Thanks for all your help and support.
<Keep reading on this site and others to familiarize yourself with the requirements of a marine/reef tank. If you want to take the leap you will save yourself much time, trouble and money in the long run. Welcome, good luck, Scott V.>

Quicker cycle? FW and SW nitrifying bacteria are different strains       5/21/07
<Hi Breanna, Mich here.>
I have a well-established cichlid tank, which I want to turn into SW.
<OK.>
This is a healthy tank no diseases or issues.
<OK.>
I'm wondering if I make the N cycle quicker, if not skip it, if I save the water from this tank?
<Mmm, nope, different strains of bacteria at work here.  More here:  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/estbiofiltmar.htm >
I could get rid of the fish, decor, fw plants, gravel, leave the under gravel filter alone as much as possible mix in salt to right level put in play/live sand, and a few pieces of live rock....
<I personally would remove the undergravel filter when setting up a marine tank.  More here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/u_gfiltmarfaqs.htm >
Guess the real question: is the bacteria that changes ammonium to nitrate in a fw tank the same as in a sw tank?
<That is the question and the answer is no.>
Would I be better off "gutting" and cleaning and starting the standard way?
<Yep!  Your live rock will be the most helpful in cycling your system.  Start fresh!  Mich>
thanks
Breanna

Another half-baked idea? SW, FW tog.  – 4/9/07
Someone on another forum discovered this. I have no idea if it's a wind-up or not. But it's certainly insane!
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6016770.html
Now you *can* keep marine fishes in your freshwater aquarium!
Cheers, Neale
<I see future queries with titles such as "Clown Trigger not Getting alone with Koi fish..." Thanks for sharing...Adam J.>
<<The real issue... compatibility... Brings back memories of the "Magic Ocean", "Wonder Water", other sucrose products that would allow this temporary association... Raising specific gravity, osmotic pressure sans ionic content. Bob Fenner>

Converting Freshwater Tank to Marine risk questions  2/19/07
Hey crew,
<Joe>
Kind of an easy question (or two) but one that I cannot easily find an answer to.  I have had a 240g Freshwater tank up and running since new for 3yrs with all the necessary equip for a marine set-up (Wet/Dry, dual overflows, titanium submersible heaters, dual powerheads, retro CF lights 10k and Blue.
<Some planning ahead!>
I have just removed all water, substrate, cleaned the tank, cleaned the wet/dry and bio-balls.  The only places I cannot easily get to is the overflow boxes (inside) and the hoses for the drain and return to the wet/dry.
They have brown and green algae in both that I cannot get to clean.  I know these will not live in Saltwater, but will they cause me any issues?
<Mmm, no... will likely die, be killed... but of no practical consequence... will be supplanted in time by other species>
I need to know this before I refill the tank with RO/DI water, Salt Mix, and Aragonite sand.
<Not a worry>
Lastly, the water that was used in the Freshwater tank was my well water.  Due to the older pipes in my house I think there was some trace amounts of copper in the water.  I have never used any medications or copper on the tank, but should I be concerned about the trace amounts of copper that was in the tank before?
<Mmm, how much copper? If there is measurable (parts of ppm), likely this will "fall out" of solution in being mixed with your synthetic salt mix... allowing a few weeks to go by before livestock introduction... If not, or if you are further concerned, use of Polyfilter, Activated Carbon, other specialty filter media can/will remove... But/and the "real" question to/for me, is if there is "too much" free cupric ion, am concerned re what all else there might be... and want to encourage you to investigate the use of simple RO technology for your system as well as potable uses... See WWM re... and/or let's chat...>
Better to know these risks before I spend several thousand dollars on
300lbs of Live Rock and inhabitants.
<Yes... though, I assure you, this is not really likely a concern>
Thanks guys and keep up the great work,
Joe
<Thank you Joe. Bob Fenner>

FW to SW Setup 11/30/06
Hi Bob and Company,
<Hi>
Your website is great very informative. I was searching the website but had some questions about the transformation from freshwater to salt. My current tank is 125 Gallons, and houses African Cichlids. I was planning switching over to SW with fish and some live rock, and maybe some invertebrates.
Substrate: I currently have African Cichlid sand and Florida Crushed Coral, 3-4 inches in some places. Do I need to reduce the level of substrate?
<I would either go with less than 1/2 inch or more than 3 inches of sugar fine calcium based sand.>
Filtering. I currently run two Eheim Pro II canisters 2028. Should I remove the mechanical filtration and replace with biological substrate only? I also have an emperor 400 BioWheel filter and Hagen 501 powerhead. Do I need anymore filtration?
<A skimmer is necessary in my opinion, along with live rock which should give you all the biological filtration you need.  You can use the other filters for water movement but I would not run any filter pads or the BioWheel.>
Final question, a few months ago I treated the tank with CopperSafe, I know this doesn't come out of the water for awhile, if I plan on adding invertebrates, Do I need to do anything about the CopperSafe?
<Definitely remove the substrate, this will hold and slowly release the copper over time.  It can also bind with the silicon, so run poly-filters to try to remove any that is release from there.>
I was planning on adding: clown fish -
blue tang -1 -2 <1>
puffer - if possible  <Be careful, some of these get quite large.>
some other small fish
<ok>
Many thanks, and I'm going out today to buy your book.
James
<Good luck with your new endeavor.  See the articles on WetWeb for more on setting up a salt water tank.>
<Chris>

27 gal. Eclipse planted tank conversion to SW    4/25/06
Hello,
<Hi there>
            I have a 37 gallon eclipse 3 that is currently a planted tank, but I am thinking of converting to a FOWLR or a low-light reef
tank.  I retrofitted it with a 65 watt 6700k pc bulb and a 20 watt NO fluorescent.  I plan on using about 45 pounds of LR and a remora skimmer
as filtration.  I have several questions, and was hoping for your expertise to answer them.
1. Here is my proposed fish list:  a flame angel,
<This system is really too small for this species>
pajama cardinal, percula clown, and a couple of neon gobies.  Is this too many fish?  Can I add a royal Gramma?
<In place of the Flame, yes>
2. Is my lighting good enough for low-light corals and possibly an Entacmaea quadricolor?
<Some of the former, not the last>
3. I will have a couple of power heads for circulation, but should I continue to use the filter with some floss for added mechanical filtration?
<Mmm, not adequate... use the Google search tool on WWM with the two words "Eclipse Conversion" or "Eclipse Modification" and read the cached versions. Bob Fenner>
Thank you so much for your time!  

Nitrifying Bacteria, FW not SW not FW  2/23/06
Hello Friends at WWM!
<Hi Scott! My name is Tim – I will be answering your question today.>
I have an emergency, so I don't have time to browse through the archives.  I'm just going to hope it's not somewhere really obvious!  I
am setting up a marine quarantine system <Excellent!>, that I at this very second have fish bagged/boxed waiting to go into.  The quarantine system that I
bought came from a local freshwater breeder who is moving and came with established sponge filters.  I need to know if the bacteria that is in
those sponges will live in saltwater and provide me with filtration - or
if they're going to die off and wipe out my new system <The bacteria are unfortunately not the same - your quarantine tank will cycle when converted to saltwater. My suggestion is to clean the filters thoroughly with water as you suggest below, although new filters would undoubtedly be the preferred option if possible! Afterwards keep a close eye on the ammonia and nitrite levels in your QT and be prepared to make frequent water changes to keep these as low as possible. Note that you can help the cycling process by using water from your display tank in the QT as this will contain beneficial bacteria. Otherwise the addition of a biological starter such as Stress Zyme will encourage the cycle>.  I was hoping I
could just rinse them out with RODI water and be ready to roll.  Could I
be that lucky? <Sorry.>
Preemptive thanks!
Scott

Marine Set Up, reading...  1/18/06
I have a 29 gallon fish tank that I want to convert to a salt water tank.  I want to put a dwarf lionfish in it?  What kind of set up would you suggest
that I use? <Read here for starters my friend.  http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marineSetUp.htm  Most questions can be easily found on the Wet Web Media.  Please search here before sending a query.  Thank you.  James (Salty Dog)>
Thanks for the help, <You're welcome>
Mike

Making The Transition (FW to Marine) 10/28/05
Hello.
<Hey! Scott F. here today!>
My name is Landon, and I was just wondering if you could help me out a little bit.
<That's what the site is all about!>
I currently have a 20 gallon tank with tropical fish in it, and I am going to upgrade to a saltwater tank.
<How exciting for you!>
I was wondering if you could give me some general information and stuff that you suggest I buy for a new tank. Also, I would like to know what size tank you think I should start with, and some types of coral, rock, and fish I should get. Please e-mail me back with some advise as of what to buy and general information.
Thanks, Landon
<Well, Landon- that's a tall order to fill in the confines of the Daily FAQ's! You could literally fill a book (in fact, many have) on how to set up your first marine system. You're in the right place by coming to WWM. We have a ton of information here on virtually every topic of marine aquarium set up and care, right here on the WWM site. You can read for days and days on just about anything that you need! 
Also, do consider investing in a good book, such as Michael Paletta's "The New Marine Aquarium", or Bob Fenner's "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist". Both provide a tremendous amount of concise information on the design, set up, and care of marine systems! I'm thrilled for you as you start your new journey into saltwater! Enjoy the adventure, and feel free to consult us if you have any questions along the way! Best of luck on your new adventure! Regards, Scott F.> 

Freshwater to Marine Conversion: Substrate 10/27/05
Hi, I'm pretty new to the hobby. 
<Hello Andy and welcome to the addiction, I mean Marine hobby.> 
I have kept some cichlid for a while and want to try my hand on coral and anemone. 
<Okay be sure to thoroughly research these animals beforehand, reef tanks are not a casual endeavor. The anemone especially is quite challenging and has specific needs….best left in the ocean or to veteran aquarists.> 
I need to know if I can use my current crush coral as a substrate for my saltwater tank?
<Short answer is yes. However depending on the grain size you may want to reconsider, if it is a large grain size I would not use it as it will trap detritus and cause nutrient problems. Also look into adding more sand or crushed coral to enjoy the benefits of a Deep Sand Bed. At the least I would remove the crushed coral and thoroughly rinse and dry it before use in the marine tank.>
Thank you very much for the advise.
Andy
<You are welcome, Adam J.>

Marine aquariums, not for the passive 10/2/05
Dear Mr. Fenner <James today>
I am an experienced person in the area of freshwater aquariums since I own
several discus of an expensive nature and have been many years caring for them.
I have decided that I want to start up a Marine aquarium and I need all this
new information about how to do so. I also want to know if it is worth it to
leave behind fresh water and begin saltwater. <Up to you Dylan, whatever floats your boat.  Generally marine aquariums are more interesting displays than freshwater and if you stick to easy to care for animals such as clownfish, it is really no more difficult than freshwater.  Discus are much harder to keep than clownfish.>
I have been looking around in the net but I have been overwhelmed with all
this information about all these products and types of aquariums.
Having come across your website I am understanding just a little bit more. I
was wondering if you could assist me by informing me what exactly I would
need to set up a simple marine aquarium to keep clown fish, starfish,
anemones, corals and all the regular stock.
Can you please help me and send an email with all the products I need for a
300l (80us gallons) aquarium. <Dylan, lets start by reading this article.  
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marineSetUp.htm  Using the same WWM site you can search for info on other subjects that interest you.  Your choice of filters, skimmers, etc is really going to depend on the budget you are allowing for this project.  If you decide to make the change, stay away from anemones and sps/LPS corals for a while as these will require more care.  Most people give up on this hobby because they purchase animals that are difficult to keep and thereby watching their money go down the drain so to speak.  James (Salty Dog)>
Yours
Dylan

FW to Marine Transition, much more research to be had…  9/25/05
<Adam J here.>
I've had freshwater for years and recently decided that freshwater wasn't challenging enough and decided to take on saltwater.
<You never tried a planted discus tank did you?>
  My parents had a saltwater tank until it started to leak and I liked watching the fish
in there.  I recently obtained a 20 gallon aquarium (since my apartment agency is really testy about large
aquariums, this was probably the maximum size I could get away with.  I want to try a 30 gallon later on).
<I understand your dilemma and you are right to want to begin with a larger system, tanks 40 gallons and under are usually a bit to unstable for beginners. However with the right amount of discipline and the correct equipment you can make it work.>
I haven't set it up yet and I've been trying to do my research on how to keep one up with the goal of having
a small reef aquarium in the future.  I haven't researched lighting for reef aquariums yet but,
<The lighting for a reef tank will depend on the targeted photosynthetic specimens, the lighting amount and intensity is highly varied amongst corals.>
if I were to start off without the correct lighting for the intention (for now) of a fish-only setup, would a live
rock help/hinder the tank startup?
<I have never run a marine tank without liverock, whether it be a Fish Only with N.O. fluorescents or a Reef tank with Metal Halides, live rock is the ultimate source of efficient biological filtration.>
  Would it help with the Nitrobacter populations?
<Tremendously.>
  What can I expect to grow (plants?  Coral?) off it?
<Depends on the region form which the rock was collected and the curing process that followed.>
  Is it possible to grow coral without the blue light at night?
<….By blue light do you mean the actinics that are used to supplement the lower temperature (white/yellow) bulbs or moonlights? Generally speaking both are for aesthetics.>
  I know Damsels are the best starter fish due to their hardiness
<Yes but DO NOT cycle your tank with these fish, live rock is the most efficient way to cycle your marine tank, furthermore these fish are very territorial and can be highly aggressive to tank mates.>
But what about the converts such as black mollies (I know you have instructions somewhere on how to acclimate
black mollies.  Can you link me?)?
I was also wondering if other brackish fish could be converted,
such as dwarf puffers and dojo loaches.
<You can acclimate the mollies and allow them to live in your marine tank but I get the feeling you meant cycling with them too, just to reiterate do not cycle with fish. The dojos I believe will not thrive in a full marine environment, in fact I have only seen them in full FW set-ups.  As for the puffer it depends on the exact species, some will thrive in a full marine environment and some will not. You can skim through the brackish link as to how to convert appropriate fish FW to Brackish; Brackish to Marine, the general recommendation is .002 per week http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BrackishSubWebIndex/bracfishes.htm >
One final question, how do I  figure out just how much fish I can put in XX gallons?  
<There are tons of rules of thumbs for this particular subject, and in my opinion, and they are all horrible. A given fish of one size may have very different needs from another species of the exact same size (24” snowflake eel compared to a 24” Naso lituratus Tang). You really have to start developing an individual stocking list and select specimens that are suitable to your set-up. The stocking levels will generally be a lot less than the FW set-ups you are used to.>
I know freshwater has the rule of one (tropical) inch per every gallon but I don't
know if the same generally applies for saltwater without considering aggression.
<Not in the least bit, in fact I don’t think this rule of thumb should apply to any aquatic life whether it be FW or Marine.>
Thank you for your time,
Sarah
<You are wise for researching before taking “the dive” however in conjunction with your research here at WWM and the Net I would purchase some books as well: The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by our own Robert Fenner is a good choice and for first timers I like Mike Paletta's New Marine Aquarium too. Many more books are out there and you can get reviews from Amazon and the large number of Aquarium chat boards.>
<Anytime, Adam J.>

Brackish To Marine.. The Switch Is On!
Hi,
<Hey there! Scott F. with you today!>
I have been searching for this info and cannot find answers. Brackish tank 16 months old, all stock are fat and sassy!
<Cool! Brackish tanks are neat!>
Tank ½ round cylinder, 70 gallon Eheim, power head, need skimmer.. and better lights
Stock, 3 Monos, 3 Scats, 2 Mollies, 1 Puffer (Figure 8), 3 Rams, 1 Krib, 2 Knight Gobies and 5 Weather Loaches.
<Nice.>
I have been moving the salinity up gradually, the fish such as the Rams, Weather Loaches and Krib will not go full marine so I will trade them.
<Sounds logical!>
Here is the question.
As I move this to a full marine system I would like to have a reef/marine setup.. At what salinity will live rock grow?
<Well, the rock will not "grow", but the fauna on the rock will. You'd need to get the specific gravity in the range of 1.019-1.026>
Can these fish share space within a reef?
<The Scats and Monos do get pretty large; you may have to trim down the population as they grow.>
If so what do I need to watch out for/ avoid?
<In a tank of this size, you need to monitor water chemistry parameters carefully, especially with messy, aggressive feeders like Scats and Monos. Also, do observe the behaviors of the fish carefully to make sure that everyone gets along okay.>
I would like to add, inverts, corals and a few more marine fish later and really can not find much written on this subject.
<Well, I have not seen all that much written about converting brackish systems to marine/reef tanks. However, once your tank is "marine", all of the standard husbandry and stocking rules apply...nothing new there. The WWM site is, of course, chock full of information on maintaining a marine system.>
Can you folks help or direct me to a reference? Thank you in advance. Ellen O'Meara
<You'd do well to start right here, Ellen! Also, refer to good basic primers on the marine hobby, like Mike Paletta's "The New Marine Aquarium", and Bob's "Conscientious Marine Aquarist". These texts will serve as a basic introduction to the marine aquarium. Enjoy the journey! Regards, Scott F.> 

Converting from Fresh to Marine
>Hey,
>>What?
>I've been keeping fish for about 3 years now (first brackish-water tank w/puffers, Oscars, etc), and I'm looking for a bit of change now. Ever since I've laid my eyes on the clownfish at the LFS. I'm wondering about what's needed in order to make the transition from one of my 30.US-G Freshwater tanks to a FOWLR marine tank scenario.
>>You know what's funny? We already have many, many articles and FAQs that cover this extensively. Have you tried searching the site? One recommendation I want to note first is to ONLY use A. ocellaris or A. percula in a system this size, and NO MORE than two, as they'll limit what other animals you can keep (unless you decide you want to try adding inverts).
>It's equipped with a 100watt Heater, AquaClear 150, and a Powerhead w/filtration add-on. I've also purchased plenty fine-grain Arag-sand, and wondering if I should add some coral substrate.
>>Heater wattage is determined by tank size, same-same for fresh vs. salt. I like to double/treble filtration (as indicated by manufacturer's specifications) as a minimum starting point. Consider also investigating refugia technology for filtration.
Beyond that, FIRST decide what you want to keep - this size tank is to be considered and treated as a nano. Choose animals, filter accordingly. No need to worry about adding another calcareous material, aragonite sand is fine, unless you happen to like the crushed coral.
>In addition, I also plan to order 10-15lbs of live rock and get some live sand from a friend's reef tank.
>>Plan on AT LEAST 1lb./gallon of live rock for best utility/filtration, get more, cure, quarantine. Also, this is NOT the place to scrimp, get the best rock you can. If you're already paying for live rock, paying for live sand is a huge waste of money in my opinion, and I'd want to be absolutely CERTAIN there have been no diseases, parasites, or other unwanteds before adding sand from your friend's tank. I feel that just seeding with the live rock is plenty sufficient. Use our Google search to answer all these questions, as well as the ones you don't have yet (such as curing the live rock).
>Am I set with just the add of sea-salt and cycling to successfully keep actual fish? Or is it yet another classic death trap for my fish due to an amateur marine hobbyists like myself? Please, I need help. Thank you. Abdul.
>>You'll be fine, but know that there is a LOT of information contained within our site. I think you should start here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/index.htm 
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fw2mar.htm 
There will be, I promise, MANY more links of interest in just those two to start. Pay particular attention to the "small marine" FAQs and articles. As for myself, my favorite tanks over the years have been nanoreefs. Marina 

Fresh to marine substrate
Mr. Fenner,
<Ron>
I have a 75 gal aquarium that has been used for African Cichlids.  It
has an aragonite substrate.  If I change this tank to marine, Can I keep
the same substrate in there?
<Mmm, yes... I would take it out, wash it (likely in a "pickle bucket" and garden hose, until it ran clear), and add more (like a good half again) as the older material has likely lost a good deal of its "easy solubility">
What will the effects be if I do?  Will it
cause an ammonia spike resulting in a cycle?
<Will have to be recycled again... the microbes present will be almost completely wiped out with the cleaning, change to saltwater... Read about this, and be prepared to wait a few to several weeks for cycling to become established... with or w/o the use of prep.s. Bob Fenner>
Thanks!
Ron And Christina Allison

Plans for the Future - Freshwater Now - Saltwater Later
>I am going to be purchasing a 180 to 200 gallon aquarium to set up as a
native fish freshwater aquarium.  In 3 -5 years I plan to convert it to a saltwater fish only tank.  
>>Alright.
>I do not want to start off with a saltwater tank because we occasionally lose our power during storms, sometimes for a day or two,  and I do not yet have a generator.
>>Understood.
>My question is how I can setup my freshwater tank to avoid the least amount
of equipment conversion when I later switch to a saltwater fish only tank?  
>>Quite easily, especially since you already know what direction you want to go in when converted to marine.
>I imagine that I can purchase a light that may be overkill for freshwater, but
will not need to be replaced at a later date.  
>>Nay, if your intention is to be fish-only marine, then lighting is not at all a factor.  Use what pleases you.  
>My budget right now is not a factor, I just want to set the tank up for now so that I can make the switch easier at a later time,  while switching the minimum amount of equipment.  Can I set all the filters, lights and everything now so that for the most part all I need to do is switch substrate and water later?  
>>Essentially, yes.  Actually, if you went with certain fish (those that do well in hard, alkaline water) you can even use the same substrate - e.g. African rift lake cichlids, using crushed coral or even an aragonite sand.  You can, for freshwater, set up what would normally be sold as a marine-type filtration system, say, a sump with biological filtration (skimming is difficult in freshwater, but not impossible), power or canister filtration, really, any/everything except a refugium.  The only caveat is that we must increase filtration by at *least* one third (turnover + capacity) for marine relative to fresh.
>A LFS told me that most of the equipment would need to be changed, but some things I have read on the net tells me differently.  
>>Of course they'd tell you that.  They can get you to buy twice if you go that route, can't they?  Or, it may simply be ignorance of the basic principles of filtration that may have generated this assertion.
>Any advice would be greatly appreciated.  Kevin  
>>Kevin, do some research on filtration for fish-only marine systems, plan for the dirtiest fish possible, then boost/increase the filtration and apply that to the system you're creating now.  There are those who would say you should never go with canister filtration, I disagree, but will caution that there is a "pain in the arse" factor when it comes to servicing and maintaining these filters.  There are also those who will tell you that something like a biological (bio-balls in tower) filtration is a "nitrate factory", but this belies a misunderstanding of biological filtration in general.  In concert with good quality live rock and foam fractionation this sort of filtration will work just fine.  Decide what you can and cannot do realistically (in terms of maintenance, especially) and go from there is my best advice.  Our site has much information on filtration for saltwater, and this can all easily be applied to fresh, with the exception of the protein skimming (foam fractionation).  Marina

Changing to saltwater
Hi guys at WWM, this site is always a big help. <SOOOO very nice of you to say!!!>
I currently have a 55 gallon tank with a South American cichlid setup. I just purchased a Eheim pro II 2026 which is running on the FW without the biological media (which I'm saving for SW). With in the last week I bought 3 bags (60 lbs total) of water packed Arago-alive Bahamas oolite for a substrate (I hope this is enough). <Depends on the depth of sand you want to have.> I plan on adding LR over a time period as I get money for it (I'm only 16 but work at a fish store). I was reading on your site that aqua c remora, Tunze, and CPR bakpak2 are good skimmers. <So is Euroreef and multiple others.> which is the best one for a 55 FOWLR in your opinion for a manageable price. <Really depends on what you are wanting.> What steps should I follow when setting up this tank. Should I fill the tank with SW then add the substrate since its alive or add it first? <I would add the sand and its water that's in the bag and then add additional saltwater.> Anything else to continue the setup would help also! <You don't have to add your live rock all at once Joe, you can add it a piece at a time if necessary!  Sounds like you are well on the way and hope its amazing for you. MacL>
thanks,
Joe