Advice on what to get First please?

MarkS · Nov 30, 2018

Hi, I have a Reefer 350L that has been cycling for the past 6 months + but I haven,t put anything in yet as I was sick for quite a while and just kept it going etc.

It has gone through stages, currently a light algae bloom on the coral.

Specs are all good, what would be the best Fish to get first and corals to get going?

There are so many choices???

TY Mark

James M · Nov 30, 2018

Glad your feeling better! I would add clean up crew , fish, then coral. Any Pics of your tank

MarkS · Nov 30, 2018

Hi James, what are the best type of clean upppers etc? Will get pics up tomorrow. TY

SuncrestReef · Nov 30, 2018

I agree about adding a cleanup crew first, then some fish, then coral. I have a Reefer XL 425, so it's similar in size to your tank. I have about 30 various snails, 5 tiger sand conchs, and 10 hermit crabs. The first fish I got were a pair of clowns, then added a tailspot blennie and some blue chromis. About a month later I started adding corals: hammer, duncan, candy cane, and green slimer. Six months later I now have about 50 frags and a total of 9 fish. Still have that same cleanup crew I started with.

Here's a time lapse video showing the cleanup crew hard at work:

I documented everything I added to my tank in my build thread if you want more details or ideas: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/suncrestreefs-red-sea-reefer-xl-425-build.358990/

samnaz · Nov 30, 2018

I order all of my clean up crew members from reefcleaners.org and I recommend starting with one of their CUC made for a smaller size tank - for my 20 gallon I started with their 10 gal CUC and it was plenty. It’s better to start on the smaller side and add more if you see fit, but starting with too many members means they’re gunna starve to death or even feast on each other... and you don’t want that.

For the first coral I’d recommend one of the easiest, either a discosoma mushroom, a cheap frag of zoanthids or palythoas, or some green star polyps.

I’m not a fish person so I’ll leave that bit to everyone else!

SuncrestReef · Nov 30, 2018

samnaz said:
For the first coral I’d recommend one of the easiest, either a discosoma mushroom, a cheap frag of zoanthids or palythoas, or some green star polyps.

Before adding GSP, do a little research. It can spread like crazy and take over your tank. There are plenty of threads here and on other forums with people asking how to get rid of it.

Coralreefer1 · Nov 30, 2018

Check your water parameters to ensure your done with the cycle and don’t have any further, undetected issues, that could prove fatal to your livestock you plant to add.
Read and explore the possibilities available to you. What kind of tank do you want to do...ie. Reef, or FOWLR?

James M · Nov 30, 2018

Coralreefer1 said:
Check your water parameters to ensure your done with the cycle and don’t have any further, undetected issues, that could prove fatal to your livestock you plant to add.
Read and explore the possibilities available to you. What kind of tank do you want to do...ie. Reef, or FOWLR?

His tank has been set up for 6+ months. He is well pass the cycle stage

James M · Nov 30, 2018

MarkS said:
Hi James, what are the best type of clean upppers etc? Will get pics up tomorrow. TY

Suncrest tank clean up crew is perfect for yours. I would get the same thing he has.

SuncrestReef said:
I agree about adding a cleanup crew first, then some fish, then coral. I have a Reefer XL 425, so it's similar in size to your tank. I have about 30 various snails, 5 tiger sand conchs, and 10 hermit crabs. The first fish I got were a pair of clowns, then added a tailspot blennie and some blue chromis. About a month later I started adding corals: hammer, duncan, candy cane, and green slimer. Six months later I now have about 50 frags and a total of 9 fish. Still have that same cleanup crew I started with.

Here's a time lapse video showing the cleanup crew hard at work:

I documented everything I added to my tank in my build thread if you want more details or ideas: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/suncrestreefs-red-sea-reefer-xl-425-build.358990/

Beautiful tank !

samnaz · Nov 30, 2018

SuncrestReef said:
Before adding GSP, do a little research. It can spread like crazy and take over your tank. There are plenty of threads here and on other forums with people asking how to get rid of it.

True. But as a beginner seeing a coral grow so fast before your eyes can be exciting, it was for me. Then I just got rid of it once I’d had enough.

Coralreefer1 · Nov 30, 2018

James M said:
His tank has been set up for 6+ months. He is well pass the cycle stage

What’s in the tank that guarantees that his tank is cycled? He has no fish or coral in it for 6 months.

samnaz · Nov 30, 2018

Coralreefer1 said:
What’s in the tank that guarantees that his tank is cycled? He has no fish or coral in it for 6 months.

He said it’s been cycling for six months. I assume there’s rocks and bacteria in there..

James M · Nov 30, 2018

Coralreefer1 said:
What’s in the tank that guarantees that his tank is cycled? He has no fish or coral in it for 6 months.

So your telling his tank isn’t cycled because he has nothing in there. Like how your suppose to cycle a tank

Coralreefer1 · Nov 30, 2018

You cycle a tank by adding a piece of frozen shrimp, or a damsel fish or ammonia source so that the nitrosomanas bacteria can break down the ammonia. Then nitrobacter bacteria then breaks down the nitrites into nitrates, the least toxic part in the cycling process. These two types of bacteria make up the process of nitrification.
There was no mention of uncured rock or sand in his tank so I was just curious and trying to make sure his tank was infact cycled through properly so that he would not any issue when it came to adding livestock.
Normally, after the cycling process is complete, which takes roughly a month, aquarists begin adding livestock. So after 6 months, I just want for him to be sure is still is if it was months ago.

ReeferReefer · Nov 30, 2018

James M said:
So your telling his tank isn’t cycled because he has nothing in there. Like how your suppose to cycle a tank

If there was no food source in the tank for 6 months, wouldn't any bacteria die?

James M · Nov 30, 2018

ReeferReefer said:
If there was no food source in the tank for 6 months, wouldn't any bacteria die?

But we don’t know if there was a Food source or not . He’s probably been ghost feeding

Coralreefer1 · Nov 30, 2018

ReeferReefer said:
If there was no food source in the tank for 6 months, wouldn't any bacteria die?

Exactly...that’s what I’m trying to find out so he doesn’t kill anything when he goes to add livestock thinking his tank is cycled afte 6 months!

ReeferReefer · Nov 30, 2018

James M said:
But we don’t know if there was a Food source or not . He’s probably been ghost feeding

We are on the same page. Given the lack of information I just wanted to make it as clear as possible for the OP.

James M · Nov 30, 2018

Coralreefer1 said:
You cycle a tank by adding a piece of frozen shrimp, or a damsel fish or ammonia source so that the nitrosomanas bacteria can break down the ammonia. Then nitrobacter bacteria then breaks down the nitrites into nitrates, the least toxic part in the cycling process. These two types of bacteria make up the process of nitrification.
There was no mention of uncured rock or sand in his tank so I was just curious and trying to make sure his tank was infact cycled through properly so that he would not any issue when it came to adding livestock.
Normally, after the cycling process is complete, which takes roughly a month, aquarists begin adding livestock. So after 6 months, I just want for him to be sure is still is if it was months ago.

Thanks. Didn’t know how to cycle a tank