Fish or corals first?

[Titleist1964]

I added my build in the AIO thread. Now looking to know what comes first, fish or corals? I did a search, nothing really jumped out.
Tank set up with LR/LS, parameters are spot on and currently have 3 Trochus snails going to town cleaning up the rock. Like to get a few more and others added to the CUC. But like to add a couple fish and some corals. Thoughts?

 

[blaxsun]

Inverts, fish, corals. I would get some spiny astrea snails and ring cowries for your rocks and a small orange lip conch for the substrate.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Fish. Inverts. Corals....

 

[blaxsun]

Fish. Inverts. Corals....

Rock. Paper. Scissors.

You need a cleanup crew to start (even a small one), and this can be added before fish, during fish or after fish.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Nothing for them to clean if you don't have fish.
Lol. Its like the chicken before the egg...? Imo
D

 

[vetteguy53081]

I start with fish. They are the base for establishing and supporting bacteria and its their poop that will help feed the coral, and its the food you feed them that will establish their needed nutrients

 

[damsels are not mean]

It's up to you. Lots of people start fish first but I think that is a holdover from live rock days. I think a tank could "establish" a lot faster if it's packed with corals before fish even show up. I mean, lots of planted freshwater guys put plants in first to give them a head start vs algae. I think the addition of the microbiome that comes on each coral is a faster path to microbial stability than slowly adding corals once at a time after having fish poop accumulate and create an algae foothold. The problem there is of course it feels risky and if you're new you're afraid (rightfully so) because coral is expensive.

 

[reeftankdude]

I put the least expensive first, second and then third. Inverts, fish then corals.

 

[reeftankdude]

I put the least expensive first, second and then third. Inverts, fish then corals. My tank has been going for close to four months with no corals. Now that calcareous algae is growing I am ready for some corals. I have a little over 20 snails in my 20 gallon high. I feed them one algae wafer two some times a week chopped into tidbits.

 

[wwcgroupie]

Fish, test and tune Filtration.. get through the ugly stage.. then add coral. Invent play such a small part it really doesn’t matter. I add them after fish but honestly it’s not mission critical. You don’t wanna add coral too soon cause you won’t be able keep the lights off if you get into trouble during the ugly stag.

 

[Titleist1964]

Fish, test and tune Filtration.. get through the ugly stage.. then add coral. Invent play such a small part it really doesn’t matter. I add them after fish but honestly it’s not mission critical. You don’t wanna add coral too soon cause you won’t be able keep the lights off if you get into trouble during the ugly stag.

No ugly stages with live rock and live sand, at least if so it's minimal.
I think I may add a couple lol furry clowns, saw a couple cute ones at the lfs, think I'll roll the dice on these 2 lil guys.

 

[Titleist1964]

Nothing for them to clean if you don't have fish.
Lol. Its like the chicken before the egg...? Imo
D

I have live rock and live sand so I believe there's plenty for them to eat. When I dropped in the 3 snails they went to town cleaning up the rock.
As far as the chicken or the egg, I ordered both from Amazon, I'll let you know what comes first

 

[Bolen2]

Many may disagree with this but after around 2 months (with fish in the setup for one month) I have had success introducing White Pom Pom Xenia and Kenya trees. They thrived through the ugly stage and are very well established into their home. Xenia and Kenya trees are hardy and grow pretty fast but they spread like wildfire if you’re not careful. Some people consider them a pest but I like them myself. If you’re looking for something that can be added in soon after your startup those are good options but you should keep in mind their ability to quickly grow and reproduce.

 

[damsels are not mean]

Many may disagree with this but after around 2 months (with fish in the setup for one month) I have had success introducing White Pom Pom Xenia and Kenya trees. They thrived through the ugly stage and are very well established into their home. Xenia and Kenya trees are hardy and grow pretty fast but they spread like wildfire if you’re not careful. Some people consider them a pest but I like them myself. If you’re looking for something that can be added in soon after your startup those are good options but you should keep in mind their ability to quickly grow and reproduce.

My tank cycled with mushrooms and they are everywhere now. Soft corals are definitely fine during the cycle. I think hard corals could be too but so few are bold enough to test that it's hard to get much data.

 

[Titleist1964]

Inverts, fish, corals. I would get some spiny astrea snails and ring cowries for your rocks and a small orange lip conch for the substrate.

does it have to be an orange lip?

 

[iMi]

I have a bit of an unorthodox view here, I guess. Logic dictates that fish obtain nutrients from food, they then produce waste, nitrogen cycle converts it into nutrients for inverts and corals, and excess nutrients are then exported by whatever method you use.

It sounds good, but in reality it’s a balanced ecosystem. Excesses in any of the stages will cause problems, so I personally prefer to start with quality live rock, live sand and supplement it with nitrifying bacteria. Then add whatever I like first since the baseline ecosystem is largely “transferred” in already. Fish, corals, inverts… all go in at the same time. It works for me.

 

[I wasted money]

Try borrowing someones elses water from an established tank

 

[blaxsun]

does it have to be an orange lip?

Not necessarily. I've tried a good half dozen conches and that particular type does the best job (they're always half buried).

 

[araziza]

Depends on the method you want to use. Traditional wisdom was to start with live rock, cycle, then fish towards the end of the cycle when nitrates start rising and ammonia is mostly gone. After the fish are there for awhile, add inverts to clean and corals. Many now start without anything and using dry rock, and simulate fish by adding ammonia until the entire cycle is complete, at which point you can really add anything, as long as it’s gradual enough for the system to keep up. Recently Reefbuilders wrote an article about starting day one with corals to add biodiversity, as theoretically all frags come with a varied population of bacteria and microbes, as the tanks and water are at their cleanest, equipment at its best, and nutrients and dissolved minerals are at their highest levels. The biodiversity can then spread and establish while you wait for fish. You just need to read, decide on a strategy and stick to it.