New and interested, please help with a few questions

[StartinginUtah]

Thank you for replying and for your help. I actually put my rock in and sand in (I had heard to put them in in that order). Then I put in the premixed saltwater but did not siphon it in as I was told to just make sure it has something to spread it like a plate or something. My water is a little cloudy but not horrible. It is all live sand and about 60 lbs of dry rock and about 10 lbs of live rock. Do you think I still need the bacterial additive? I also was told to put in a couple pieces if shrimp from the grocery store or something to get the ammonia level a kick start. What do you think about that? Also, should the light be on during the cycling of the tank? How often should I check the quality of the water? Lastly, any advice on placing the powerheads?

We also found a peanut worm in our tank yesterday. Are they good for the tank or should I get rid of it?

So my next question is looking forward to later in the cycling process and then placing live animals. I know I need to take it slow and steady but I am also a planner, so I like to think ahead and plan for the next steps. So when the ammonia level and nitrate level are both back at zero how much water do I change out of the aquarium and when do I put the cleaning crew in? Along with this, what exactly should I put in as a cleaning crew and how many of each thing? My tank is a 75 gallon tank.

Then after the cleaning crew is introduced how long before I start to introduce fish? I was told to start with some Green Chromis as they are inexpensive and not aggressive and are also a very bright and nice color. I actually like them too so that is a good thing. I was thinking maybe three of them? Then after that I have no idea. I don't know how many fish or what order to introduce them. The fish that interest us are (in no particular order) the Coral Beauty Angelfish, the Flame Angelfish (can they coexist?), the Raccoon Butterflyfish, the Auriga Butterflyfish, the Copperband Butterflyfish, the Pearlscale Butterflyfish (probably only one butterflyfish but those are our favorites), the Bangaii Cardinalfish, the Ocellarus or Percula Clownfish, the Four Stripe Damselfish, the Blue Velvet Damselfish, the One Spot Foxface, the Green Mandarin (I know this will not be a good idea until the distant future), the Desjardini Sailfin Tang (I don't know if this would fit in our tank or not but it is one of our favorites), if not the Sailfin maybe some other type of tang, some different types of Wrasse (not sure what ones exactly) and some Starfish. I am also open to any ideas of good fish to put in with some of those. Again, I have no idea which ones are options for us, how many, or what order to introduce them. Any help on this would be great. Thank you to everyone for your help.

 

[cpt]

so it really depends on your preference, but remember some fish grow quite large tough they start small, their adult size maybe an issue later on in you tanks life-span, some wrasses, tangs, and butterflies can get pretty big, so I you want the appeal of the larger inhabitance those are the way to go but you might no be able to keep very many together in that size of set up. if you stick with dwarf and smaller species you will be able to stock larger numbers of fish though they may not exceed 4-6" at maturity. research into aggressiveness, size, and fish to fish compatibility, as well as reef compatibility if you plan on doing corals at a later point. good luck

 

[StartinginUtah]

Thank you again for the reply. I have been researching a lot and have found what we would really like. Tell me if you think this is too much for a 75 gallon aquarium and if you think they would go well together and fit in my tank. We do not want a coral tank for now but probably will in the future so that is definitely something we would have to keep in mind. We are cycling the tank and it looks like it is going pretty well I am guessing. It looks ugly and filled with algae. Isn't that what it is supposed to look like while cycling? In a couple to a few weeks (whenever the water parameters are right) I will do a 20% water change and add a few snails and crabs. Any advice on how many and what kinds would be greatly appreciated. Also if you have any other advice on what to do while cycling I would appreciate that as well. I will then let it cycle again to account for the new inhabitants and then I can start to add fish. We would start with about 3 green chromis because we are told that they are fun to watch, add good color to the tank, need to be in a group, are not aggressive, and are cheap (which is always good to start a tank with just in case something bad happens). After the tank cycles again I have no idea what order I want to put the fish in but these are the ones that we want for sure. I would also be up for ideas on smaller fish that would add some color and make it look more exciting but that would go well with these fish if I would have room. We would like a couple starfish. My wife really wants a desjardini sailfin tang. We would like a copperband butterflyfish. We would like both the coral beauty and the flame angelfish. We would like an ocellaris clownfish. We would like a four stripe damselfish. We would like a one spot foxface. We would like a green mandarin (down the road). We would like a wrasse but are looking at some of the smaller ones like the six line wrasse. So the only fish that get to be over 6" of what we are looking at are the sailfin (I am not sure how big they get because I read so many conflicting things on them), the copperband butterflyfish (at about 8") and the foxface (at about 7"). Do you think this will overload my tank and will they get along okay? What order should I add them in? Also, if these will all be okay what other fish would be recommended not to be the focal point but to add some life to the tank?

 

[cpt]

cycling is a patient process, depending on the level of algae you may keep the lighting to a minimum that will keep the growth rate lower and enable quicker clean up. I cant say on the numbers of crab and snails really depends per situation. I think when you add you inverts and snails you will probably be able to add the chromis (3-7) wouldn't be a bad number
not that your fish selection cant be done, there are plenty of mid/large tanks out there that support large species together, but i think all the larger fish will far exceed the needed space. butterflies and angles may be hazardous for reef environment. add all fish at one time if possible, especially the aggressive species. it could lead to territorial disputes and stressed/shy fish. the mandarin must be kept in a highly established foraging area, If their food supply runs short and they don't adjust to prepared foods that would be unfortunate. the dwarf angels are a good way to go along with fairy wrasse and flasher wrasse, all very bright, active, and entertaining. blenniess, gobiess, anthias, damsels, basslets are mostly on the small to mid range and all full of color and character. Use caution with any fish labeled semi-aggressive.

lets see some pics of the rock-scape and your algae situation, it will help to better ***** what your setup is best suited for

 

[cpt]

It will better access what your setup is best suited for

 

[reefchaser]

I went into it way to fast. I am still learning. I would go with a overflow with a sump. I would measure the stand and put the biggest sump I could fit underneath because you will need the room later.