Am I going to crash?

[rja]

Hey all,
I am so stressed over this tank. I think I took things too fast. The tank has been cycled for a week and I’ve gotten my first fish— a pair of clowns and gotten a couple beginner corals. Some zoas, my LFS gave me a sheet of GSP, and I got weak and bought a frogspawn because that (Euphyllia in general) was my dream coral… I have good equipment and use good water, I have good experience in fishkeeping as well. Just never kept a reef.

Everything is going great so far, corals look amazing, opening all the way up, reading good params. Just super nervous that it’s all gonna fall apart… any tips that don’t often get said, please throw them my way.

Think of me as like, already a planted tank, cichlid, and fw shrimp expert essentially. So I understand the basics but when it comes to intense lighting, flow, and ESPECIALLY the reef foundation elements, I’m a little confused. So like black bucket red sea salt changed 10% weekly should be enough to kinda “dose” all my elements right? Like keep Ca, alk, and mg good? I got all the coral this week so starting the Saturday after next I am going to do a >5g (29 gallon biocube) water change every Saturday. If that sounds good?

Also, lighting. I do about 8 hours, 1 hour ramp up to 55% and one hour ramp down. I keep it mainly blue out of preference.

As far as coral feeding, I shouldnt right? In a small system like this with heavy photosynthetic corals, I should be okay? I do spot feed my clowns to ensure that there’s not much waste food. Learned that from freshwater but i can break habits if it’s a good idea?

Also, I was given half a bottle of tropic marin all for reef with the tank along with a ton of other chemicals but apparently I shouldn’t dose anything right? The previous owner said they did a 25% wc weekly and 5ml all for reef daily but they did have SPS.

Sometime this week I will get the rest of my salifert tests, mg, ca, and mg. That way I have better insight into the way corals are taking in nutrients and kinda work accordingly.

As always thank you R2R for being my #1 source of knowledge in reefing.

 

[Uncle99]

Seems to me that your doing the right things.
Keep her stable, sometimes a bit hard in the early days.

 

[rja]

Seems to me that your doing the right things.
Keep her stable, sometimes a bit hard in the early days.

As of now things have been relatively easy and I think I can contribute that to not cutting any corners like I would normally do. But it’s honestly not been up long enough to really say where it’s all heading!

 

[Uncle99]

As of now things have been relatively easy and I think I can contribute that to not cutting any corners like I would normally do. But it’s honestly not been up long enough to really say where it’s all heading!

Things will change.
Stay focused as you are now.
The good guy bacteria and micro fauna populate faster, the stabler the waters are.
This we want strong, it keep the bads out

 

[Reffetsevla]

Don't dose anything yet, when you say "cycled for a week" what are referencing? The NO2 is 0 and NO3/PO4 are stable now or where are your parameters at? Also how long has the tank been up entirely? If it's still super new and you need to get your bacteria and pods up, might be worth feeding live phytoplankton a few times. It'll help those take off.

Sounds like you're on the right track. Patience and just letting it establish is the hardest part lol

 

[rja]

Don't dose anything yet, when you say "cycled for a week" what are referencing? The NO2 is 0 and NO3/PO4 are stable now or where are your parameters at? Also how long has the tank been up entirely? If it's still super new and you need to get your bacteria and pods up, might be worth feeding live phytoplankton a few times. It'll help those take off.

Sounds like you're on the right track. Patience and just letting it establish is the hardest part lol

It’s been up for 4 weeks and “completely” cycled for one week— i have phyto and pods coming in the mail tomorrow. No3 is stable since my first wc after the cycle at 5ppm (i also have a baseball sized ball of chaeto in a middle chamber fuge-mod, could be helping) Im also contemplating getting a couple scoops of sand from the bottom of my LFS’s coral pond… been in there for 30 years, owner said the bacteria could get rid of a body in a day… lol

 

[entranced]

It’s been up for 4 weeks and “completely” cycled for one week— i have phyto and pods coming in the mail tomorrow. No3 is stable since my first wc after the cycle at 5ppm (i also have a baseball sized ball of chaeto in a middle chamber fuge-mod, could be helping) Im also contemplating getting a couple scoops of sand from the bottom of my LFS’s coral pond… been in there for 30 years, owner said the bacteria could get rid of a body in a day… lol

It never "completely cycles" as soon as you add livestock the bacteria have to catch up, so basically a new "cycle" starts. I would say, dont stress it and let it be.

 

[rja]

It never "completely cycles" as soon as you add livestock the bacteria have to catch up, so basically a new "cycle" starts. I would say, dont stress it and let it be.

That’s my plan honestly, its just my $$$$ haha, I only plan on keeping the two clowns then getting every little creepy invert I can lay my paws on. Low stock should keep the no3 more manageable in my fw experience.

 

[Waters]

Just keep going as you are.........keep testing your water.....that will tell you what you need to do, or not do in regards to water changes, dosing, feeding, etc.

 

[andy28115]

That’s my plan honestly, its just my $$$$ haha, I only plan on keeping the two clowns then getting every little creepy invert I can lay my paws on. Low stock should keep the no3 more manageable in my fw experience.

Be careful with the inverts, some will eat coral, some will kill others (shrimp). I personally had a crab eat a foot off of my hippocampus clam, and cleaner shrimps destroy a maxima clam overnight. They don’t always read the same books we do about how they are suppose to act.