55 g Beginning the cycle and questions

[benb716]

After starting my tank 3 days ago, ive already seen a spike in my ammonias, after putting in about 20 lbs of live rock(one had a dying toad stool on it) and about another 50 lbs of dry rock. I went with no sand at all in my system, after seeing many problems with my tank and ditrites build up, i decided to turn to a bio brick instead in my sump. This will be my 3rd tank ive run and hopefully my most successful, now i always like some reassurance on my projects so id figured id ask a couple questions and maybe if any of you have some ideas that would be great

here is my system, 2 hydro koralia one rated for 1950 gph and the other at 1150 pointed at each other and to the glass to transfer flow between the tank, i have a 20 gallon esshopps sump with a nac 6 skimmer and i have ordered a HOG1 upflow algae scrubber to help take care of some nuisance algaes as i will not be putting any chaeto in my fuge. Now my cycle started fairly quickly which is probably because of the dead shrimp i left in overflow box and i also have a dying toad stool on one of my big pieces of live rock,

I really have a good feeling about this system and have a good outlook for the masterpiece, now since this is my first ever thread id thought id just give a full overview and ask a couple questions like should i plan on removing that dead stool or should i give it a chance to maybe make it? Should i run the light or not during the cycle, ive heard that diatoms help with reducing ammonias but id like to stay as far away from nuisance algae as possible and i plan on doing very minimal water changes since that seems to be the best way to hold a truly stable aquarium, any tips now that will help me keep from having to do by weekly water changes. Thanks so much guys the reefing community seems to always come through with amazing discussions, always helpful!!

 

[Ashish Patel]

Looks good - I think your on the right track.. I would leave toadstool unless its visibly dead -then remove it. Your LR should get your tank to cycle nicely since you already have ammonia. Best thing I could suggest is let the tank get dirty for 2 months. Leave the skimmer off or use it sparingly or skim very dry. Too often we try to hard to get the tank to stay clean but the dirtier a tank is now the faster it will mature and create an environment for all those bacteria, sponges, and microfauna. As the tank becomes dirty you will get algae so control this by using your lighting only for few hours a day or viewing.

After my cycle I added 2 clownfish then 2 batches of fish from Liveaquaria (since I did not QT). I ve had only good luck with adding fish from LA since they do QT, Any fish from LFS should be QT IMO and I've made this mistake before but adding the right fish at the right time will ensure you'll never have to be worried about your fish. I am fortune all my fish after 9 months are still in the tank (except a few missing chromis).

Best of luck

 

[Ashish Patel]

Seeing your tank got me thinking about my first 55g past reef tank... This shot was from 2007.

 

[dbl]

Welcome to R2R and your new reefing community.

 

[Cbones1979]

After starting my tank 3 days ago, ive already seen a spike in my ammonias, after putting in about 20 lbs of live rock(one had a dying toad stool on it) and about another 50 lbs of dry rock. I went with no sand at all in my system, after seeing many problems with my tank and ditrites build up, i decided to turn to a bio brick instead in my sump. This will be my 3rd tank ive run and hopefully my most successful, now i always like some reassurance on my projects so id figured id ask a couple questions and maybe if any of you have some ideas that would be great

here is my system, 2 hydro koralia one rated for 1950 gph and the other at 1150 pointed at each other and to the glass to transfer flow between the tank, i have a 20 gallon esshopps sump with a nac 6 skimmer and i have ordered a HOG1 upflow algae scrubber to help take care of some nuisance algaes as i will not be putting any chaeto in my fuge. Now my cycle started fairly quickly which is probably because of the dead shrimp i left in overflow box and i also have a dying toad stool on one of my big pieces of live rock,

I really have a good feeling about this system and have a good outlook for the masterpiece, now since this is my first ever thread id thought id just give a full overview and ask a couple questions like should i plan on removing that dead stool or should i give it a chance to maybe make it? Should i run the light or not during the cycle, ive heard that diatoms help with reducing ammonias but id like to stay as far away from nuisance algae as possible and i plan on doing very minimal water changes since that seems to be the best way to hold a truly stable aquarium, any tips now that will help me keep from having to do by weekly water changes. Thanks so much guys the reefing community seems to always come through with amazing discussions, always helpful!!

How did the turd scrubber work?