Need help with initial stocking of 75 gallon after cycling

[Roman'sReef]

From what i've seen online its a decent idea to add fish as soon as water is in tank but its quite difficult for me to get fish and when I do it has to be a few at once or else the cost for me is just ridiculous.
I know for sure I wanna add these fish to my tank in the long run (Red Sea reefer 350):
-1-2 Chromis
-1-2 Bangai Cardinals
-1 Royal Gramma
-1 Possum Wrasse
-1 Carpenter wrasse
-Yellow eye kole tang
Maybe:
-Another wrasse
-Dwarf angel

So for my first stocking I was thinking of adding the chromis, bangai cardinals and maybe one of the wrasses.
Just scared will be too much bioload in beginning.
Let me know what you guys think

 

[brandon429]

They'll die from disease. A new order of tank prep (fallow and quarantine) is required for your setup due to the types of fish planned. If you just add them they'll die, see any post or sticky from the disease forum. Do it this way:

Has anyone done coral/inverts only and no fish at first?

Fish seem to be the main cause of disruption in a display tank, given the current circumstances in the hobby with pests (ich, velvet, parasites, etc.). I have been in this hobby for 18 years, and the amount of pests that are showing up lately is much more (could also be the fact that we have...

www.reef2reef.com

Fish go in last, after the tank is stocked fully and fallow prepped after that. Months and months delay

Most skip it, go for the instant grat then they post in the disease forum in a few months about replacing fish

The cycle isn't a big deal in the planning, when you add bottled bacteria for cycling that part is done. It's all in the disease planning

 

[nereefpat]

Those few small fishes will be fine to add to a newly cycled 350 liter.

You will need to make a plan for cycling. It's not a good plan to add fish right away without planning for ammonia.

 

[Roman'sReef]

Thank you,
So from what your saying would it be possible to add the chromis, cardinals and one wrasse in the first stocking? also for the planning I am going to be using dr tims and I also have api quick start

 

[Roman'sReef]

They'll die from disease. A new order of tank prep (fallow and quarantine) is required for your setup due to the types of fish planned. If you just add them they'll die, see any post or sticky from the disease forum. Do it this way:

Has anyone done coral/inverts only and no fish at first?

Fish seem to be the main cause of disruption in a display tank, given the current circumstances in the hobby with pests (ich, velvet, parasites, etc.). I have been in this hobby for 18 years, and the amount of pests that are showing up lately is much more (could also be the fact that we have...

www.reef2reef.com

Fish go in last, after the tank is stocked fully and fallow prepped after that. Months and months delay

Most skip it, go for the instant grat then they post in the disease forum in a few months about replacing fish

The cycle isn't a big deal in the planning, when you add bottled bacteria for cycling that part is done. It's all in the disease planning

Alright so what do you recommend I do?

 

[BeanAnimal]

They'll die from disease. A new order of tank prep (fallow and quarantine) is required for your setup due to the types of fish planned. If you just add them they'll die, see any post or sticky from the disease forum. Do it this way:

I am a proponent of moving slow…but wow your myopic need to overly complicate things appears to be worsening…. Months and months? Ich is obligate, it needs a host Uronema needs no host and therefore fallow is pointless.... flukes obligate, etc. etc.

I know you think you are pouring needed science and knowledge onto new reefers, but in reality you are scaring them at the door before they even get started.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Alright so what do you recommend I do?

To start, take what Brandon preaches with a grain of salt. He means well, but can be a bit extreme. His advice usually will not hurt, but is often a bit fanatical or apocalyptic.

Start the tank and give it a week or two to cycle. Add a single fish and see how things go. I prefer to wait a month or more without lights, but that is not a must. Just remember that in this hobby slow is always better. There are different methods but the end result is pretty much the same. You are building an ecosystem that will take months to actually stabilize through many stages and a year or more to mature. Even then slow wins the game.

I would, one way or the other, opt for quarantined fish if available or set up a quarantine system and follow establish protocols.

 

[Pickle_soup]

I agree with @brandon429. Add your CUC first, if the water they were in had any parasites, you don't want to add fish too early and deal with outbreaks of ich. I don't even buy brine from LFS because I am so paranoid about adding something awful to my tank. As a Cubs fan, I waited 40 years for that WS, and trust me it was so worth it. Same with this hobby, having healthy fish and corals is worth so much more than instant gratification. Besides, CUC can be just as rewarding to watch. Crabs are pretty funny.

 

[Roman'sReef]

Alright so from what you guys saying I will wait a week and then add my CUC and 2 chromis and possibly cardinals as I really want them but because of how I have to get my fish makes it very hard to order small amounts.

 

[Pickle_soup]

Alright so from what you guys saying I will wait a week and then add my CUC and 2 chromis and possibly cardinals as I really want them but because of how I have to get my fish makes it very hard to order small amounts.

I would not add fish until the CUC was in there for 76 days. There is a chance that the CUC transported something into your tank. The idea that "most tanks have ich, and you just need to learn to live with it" is ridicules.

 

[Roman'sReef]

This is very confusing some people tell me wait a week others 76 days and many videos from people like Reef Dork say straight away.

 

[Pickle_soup]

This is very confusing some people tell me wait a week others 76 days and many videos from people like Reef Dork say straight away.

Sounds about right. I can tell you why I waited 75 days. There is a possibility that CUC or corals are carrying something undesirable. I had to put my fish in first because I had two tangs from the previous tank. I added them first, but as a result, my CUC is sitting in my invert quarantine tank for 76 days. I read a couple of days ago here that you can do 42 days as long as temp is steady 81 degrees. People have their own approaches that worked for them in the past. What I have learned, is that whenever I added fish without QT, I ended up with complete wipe outs. Something I will not do again.

 

[Roman'sReef]

I understand the threat of parasites but isnt this always an issue when adding new animals to the reef I don't understand why this makes such a difference after cycling is finished? Then why do products like Dr.Tims and API quickstart even exist if you still cant implement fish after using them this would mean these products are useless?
Also, your talking about having corals before fish but from what I understood I should be adding corals much after adding the first fish.

 

[BeanAnimal]

I agree with @brandon429. Add your CUC first,

That is not what he said - he said fallow for many month and months...

 

[Roman'sReef]

That is not what he said - he said fallow for many month and months...

Alright what is fallow?

 

[BeanAnimal]

I understand the threat of parasites but isnt this always an issue when adding new animals to the reef I don't understand why this makes such a difference after cycling is finished?

It is always a concern - quarantine is a pain, but worth the trouble in most cases. Buying quarantined fish helps. Many people don't QT coral and some don't QT inverts, so there is a risk. This is not an all or nothing thing, as there is no guarantee either way, but anything that you can do to reduce your risk helps.

Then why do products like Dr.Tims and API quickstart even exist if you still cant implement fish after using them this would mean these products are useless?
Also, your talking about having corals before fish but from what I understood I should be adding corals much after adding the first fish.

There are numerous ways to start a tank, some of the a bit faster than others but they all lead pretty much to the same place in the same relative time. Bottled bacteria certainly works, but unless your business is turnover in QT tanks, it saves you days, not weeks/months.

It is always safer to add fish later than on day one, even if in some cases it can be done on day one. This is a long term hobby measures in years, shaving off 6-10 days or even a month at startup means nothing and is a rather silly new endeavor that teaches people impatience and allows them to skip some of the underpinned concepts and experience regarding this hobby.

In general adding anything quickly, especially if you are new is a recipe for problems.

Coral (in most cases) requires a fairly mature environment to thrive. A new reef tank owner with a new reef tank is not usually going to be successful with coral.

Your new tank will go through many stages of development as macro and micro fauna appear, do their thing and pave way to the next stage. It takes quite some time for the tank to mature and become a stable environment for corals.

 

[Roman'sReef]

BeanAnimal, your response is really thoughtful but I want to know a definitive answer when should I add my first fish with having in mind I will be using DrTims and API Quick Start.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Alright what is fallow?

A system with no fish (and technically no inverts if possible).

 

[JayM]

BeanAnimal, your response is really thoughtful but I want to know a definitive answer when should I add my first fish with having in mind I will be using DrTims and API Quick Start.

There is no definitive answer.

Some people add livestock immediately and are successful.

Some waits weeks or months and are also successful.

There are strong arguments to quarantine as well as not to. Both methods can be successful.

Best thing is to do your research and decide what you think will work for your level of comfort.

 

[Supa]

From what i've seen online its a decent idea to add fish as soon as water is in tank but its quite difficult for me to get fish and when I do it has to be a few at once or else the cost for me is just ridiculous.
I know for sure I wanna add these fish to my tank in the long run (Red Sea reefer 350):
-1-2 Chromis
-1-2 Bangai Cardinals
-1 Royal Gramma
-1 Possum Wrasse
-1 Carpenter wrasse
-Yellow eye kole tang
Maybe:
-Another wrasse
-Dwarf angel

So for my first stocking I was thinking of adding the chromis, bangai cardinals and maybe one of the wrasses.
Just scared will be too much bioload in beginning.
Let me know what you guys think

From what i've seen online its a decent idea to add fish as soon as water is in tank but its quite difficult for me to get fish and when I do it has to be a few at once or else the cost for me is just ridiculous.
I know for sure I wanna add these fish to my tank in the long run (Red Sea reefer 350):
-1-2 Chromis
-1-2 Bangai Cardinals
-1 Royal Gramma
-1 Possum Wrasse
-1 Carpenter wrasse
-Yellow eye kole tang
Maybe:
-Another wrasse
-Dwarf angel

So for my first stocking I was thinking of adding the chromis, bangai cardinals and maybe one of the wrasses.
Just scared will be too much bioload in beginning.
Let me know what you guys think

I’d add fish after you see the ammonia spike and go back down… I do like the choice of fish… it’s best to add the peaceful fish first and let them find and home before adding something semi aggressive at least that’s what most people have told me…..