Can I start cycling my reef tank??

[emeraldeyes_bc]

Yeah, I had wondered about a bumblebee snail as well but he's white and black striped, not yellow...not sure if that matters?? I can't seem to find a matching photo on google anywhere (other than the one I posted; that's not mine as I couldn't get a photo)

This is my cycle journal as of now, all numbers are now down except ammonia is still hanging at .25. Should I go ahead and do a water change? And how much??

 

[glb]

I'd leave it if there's nothing in the tank. Just let the beneficial bacteria keep building up. The ammonia is almost gone.


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12g Nanoreef. Zooanthids, Ricordia, Star Polyps, Acans and two clownfish. CF Lighting, 75% actinic blue, 25% 10,000k white.

 

[emeraldeyes_bc]

All levels are great, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate have been 0.0 for 3 days .... I thought I'd be really excited to start adding livestock... Is it weird I'm nervous to lol. Even cleaner snails hahaha

 

[glb]

How did you get the nitrate to 0? Water changes?


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12g Nanoreef. Zooanthids, Ricordia, Star Polyps, Acans and two clownfish. CF Lighting, 75% actinic blue, 25% 10,000k white.

 

[emeraldeyes_bc]

No, it went on its own? I'm using the API kit so its hard to tell exactly what the number is, but its definitely been closest to the 0.0.
I did a water change yesterday and added chemipure. My test results since the water change have definitely been brighter, so I guess there was probably trace??

It looks like I'm starting to get a diatom bloom on my rocks (my guess what it is) should I just let it run its course??

Thanks for your responses glb, I really appreciate the help

 

[glb]

No problem! We were all beginners once! As far as adding anything, I'd still wait a while for corals. Add a few fish first, not too many or the bio filter won't be strong enough and you'll cycle again. I've read that corals don't like new tanks and my tank was well established when I added mine. I'd ask other people's opinions on how long to wait in a new tank because I just don't know.


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12g Nanoreef. Zooanthids, Ricordia, Star Polyps, Acans and two clownfish. CF Lighting, 75% actinic blue, 25% 10,000k white.

 

[emeraldeyes_bc]

Haha no worries there, I'm still nervous to get a snail!! Nowhere near confident enough to think about coral

 

[ReEfErAdDiCt]

Sounds like the cycle is going well. You should be ready to put a fish or two in.
Clowns are super hardy if u wanna throw a pair in. And pretty cheap. The nemos(ocellaris clowns) are usually between $10 and $20 each.

The diatom bloom is normal for any new tank. It'll go away in time as the tank matures. From this point you can pretty much follow a normal maintenance schedule.

As far as calcium levels go, I wouldn't worry about it. No need to dose since there aren't any corals yet. And even then you don't really need to worry about it until the tank is pretty packed. Water changes will replenish everything for now.

And for a skimmer I'd recommend something like a bubble magus or reef octopus HOB(hang on back) for now. If you do a sump down the road you can re-sell these no prob. I've used several skimmers and I'm most impressed with bubble magus. They're affordable and efficient as well as quiet.


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[glb]

I agree about the clowns. I've heard that if you want a pair, you need to buy them at the same time. If you try to add one later, they might not get along. I've had one clownfish in a tank and a pair, and my pair seems so much happier to have each other.


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12g Nanoreef. Zooanthids, Ricordia, Star Polyps, Acans and two clownfish. CF Lighting, 75% actinic blue, 25% 10,000k white.

 

[ReEfErAdDiCt]

I've always bought them as a pair so I'm not sure how it would go if you added them separately. I can share tho, that at one point I had 2 pairs of nemos in separate tanks, and when one got sucked up in a pump I moved her mate to my tank with my other pair and all 3 live happily together. They're always next to each other and they all sleep in the same corner of the tank.


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[ReEfErAdDiCt]

Here they are

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[glb]

Adorable!


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12g Nanoreef. Zooanthids, Ricordia, Star Polyps, Acans and two clownfish. CF Lighting, 75% actinic blue, 25% 10,000k white.