trevorhiller
Reefing Nurse
I'm new to reefing too, so I'd like to weigh in on this issue as I just went through/am going through it, but take my advice for what it is-advice from a fellow newbie who's a couple months ahead of you experience-wise.
My system is now about 8 months old and I still don't consider it "stable." I've got my alkalinity stable 8.2-8.3 every day, but my Nitrates and Phosphates are still swinging more wildly than I'd like them to, bottoming out to undetectable at times.
When you first setup a tank, you're worried about the Nitrogen cycle. That needs to happen in order to support fish. This is complete when you have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and some nitrates-it has to be exactly this combo. Once that happens you can safely add 1 fish. Additional fish can be added every few weeks/month once the bacteria in your tank have a chance to catch up. Corals are a different story though. Ammonia doesn't bother them from what I understand, so theoretically you can add them on day one as far as the nitrogen cycle is concerned. Does that mean you should? No. Mainly because there is so much to learn in reefing that it's just impossible to be setup for coral success on Day 1.
The general recommendation is to start off with soft corals then Large Polyp Stony (LPS) corals the Small Polyp Stony (SPS) corals. Most on here will say just avoid SPS for year one, I tend to agree. But you can definitely add some soft corals around day 60, IMO. Keep in mind, your tank won't be "stable" and you're going to go through all sorts of algae blooms along the way, but that's ok. IMO it's important to add a few beginner corals otherwise its hard to see value in performing tank maintenance, new people can easily lose interest thinking "why am I doing all this work for an empty tank?" Been there.
My first coral was a Ricordea Florida added around the 45 day mark. Some others that would be good to start with are mushrooms, zoanthids, leather corals, pulsing xenia, kenya tree, candy cane coral (although this is LPS, so save for when you've kept the soft corals going for a month or two).
My best recommendation is to test like a mad man (or woman). It's really helped me get "in tune" with my tank. I've literally tested the water for alkalinity daily, phosphates & nitrates 3-5 times a week. It will help you get to understand the reef tank chemistry and learn what's going on in your tank and how it reacts to the changes you are seeing with your eyes. Many test alkalinity daily or even multiple times a day (SPS dominate systems), nitrates and phosphates at least weekly but more frequently doesn't hurt. This is a good place to start.
Definitely do some more reading, learn how reef tank chemistry works and the relationship between alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, nitrates and pH have with corals. It sounds daunting at first, but if you immerse yourself in data by reading, watching videos and testing frequently you'll pick it up.
There are a ton of helpful people on these forums and I pester them all with questions frequently, so don't be afraid to ask. But sometimes it's better to pick one source of information and follow that because there are so many varying ways to accomplish a reef tank that various forum opinions can be overwhelming. I like the Bulk Reef Supply 52 weeks of Reefing Series and also My First Fish Tank on You Tube. They helped me answer a lot of newbie questions when I was just getting started.
My system is now about 8 months old and I still don't consider it "stable." I've got my alkalinity stable 8.2-8.3 every day, but my Nitrates and Phosphates are still swinging more wildly than I'd like them to, bottoming out to undetectable at times.
When you first setup a tank, you're worried about the Nitrogen cycle. That needs to happen in order to support fish. This is complete when you have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and some nitrates-it has to be exactly this combo. Once that happens you can safely add 1 fish. Additional fish can be added every few weeks/month once the bacteria in your tank have a chance to catch up. Corals are a different story though. Ammonia doesn't bother them from what I understand, so theoretically you can add them on day one as far as the nitrogen cycle is concerned. Does that mean you should? No. Mainly because there is so much to learn in reefing that it's just impossible to be setup for coral success on Day 1.
The general recommendation is to start off with soft corals then Large Polyp Stony (LPS) corals the Small Polyp Stony (SPS) corals. Most on here will say just avoid SPS for year one, I tend to agree. But you can definitely add some soft corals around day 60, IMO. Keep in mind, your tank won't be "stable" and you're going to go through all sorts of algae blooms along the way, but that's ok. IMO it's important to add a few beginner corals otherwise its hard to see value in performing tank maintenance, new people can easily lose interest thinking "why am I doing all this work for an empty tank?" Been there.
My first coral was a Ricordea Florida added around the 45 day mark. Some others that would be good to start with are mushrooms, zoanthids, leather corals, pulsing xenia, kenya tree, candy cane coral (although this is LPS, so save for when you've kept the soft corals going for a month or two).
My best recommendation is to test like a mad man (or woman). It's really helped me get "in tune" with my tank. I've literally tested the water for alkalinity daily, phosphates & nitrates 3-5 times a week. It will help you get to understand the reef tank chemistry and learn what's going on in your tank and how it reacts to the changes you are seeing with your eyes. Many test alkalinity daily or even multiple times a day (SPS dominate systems), nitrates and phosphates at least weekly but more frequently doesn't hurt. This is a good place to start.
Definitely do some more reading, learn how reef tank chemistry works and the relationship between alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, phosphate, nitrates and pH have with corals. It sounds daunting at first, but if you immerse yourself in data by reading, watching videos and testing frequently you'll pick it up.
There are a ton of helpful people on these forums and I pester them all with questions frequently, so don't be afraid to ask. But sometimes it's better to pick one source of information and follow that because there are so many varying ways to accomplish a reef tank that various forum opinions can be overwhelming. I like the Bulk Reef Supply 52 weeks of Reefing Series and also My First Fish Tank on You Tube. They helped me answer a lot of newbie questions when I was just getting started.
Thank you.
