New Tank

[noo2usa]

I have a 120 reef tank I have been setting up since October. I filled it with new salt water about 3 weeks ago. I have added approx. 9 gal. of seasoned salt water from my smaller established tank over the same 3 weeks. The sand was washed and the rock was cleaned prior to set up. I also added two small live rocks from my small tank. Diatoms are starting to cover the sand and rock. When should I add a Damsel and clean up crew?

 

[Reef Breeders Verified Sponsor]

Did you test for ammonia, nitrites, or nitates at all? IME, add some shrimp instead of the damsel to get the cycle going, you will regret the damsel later on. Do not add a CUC until the cycle is over.

 

[noo2usa]

Nitrates are 20ppm, Nitrites are at .5, and ammonia is at .5 according to test strips.

 

[Salty Dog]

wait, ammonia 0, trates are ok, thru a peice of shrimp in there to speed up your bacteria

 

[noo2usa]

I'll do that right now.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Yes just use a piece of shrimp to cycle your tank. Sounds like you are on your way though already. How is your test readings?

 

[noo2usa]

I'm going to have to break out the reef test kit. The strips are to close to tell. I'll post my results later this evening.

 

[noo2usa]

My alkalinity is perfect, pH is perfect, Nitrates are 0, Nitrites are .5, and Ammonia is 0.

 

[jcJokr]

Don't throw something dead in your tank to cycle it. You want to make it a living bio system not start out with a dead animal in it. I never understood that one, get a half dozen green chromis and put them in the tank (they are cheap and will allow for other fish to be added later). Unless you are going to have an aggressive tank I would stay away from the damsels. You can get some snails and some blue legged hermits to help keep the algae down but it will go away almost as fast as it appears. This is normal as it goes through it's stages, the key is to take your time and not rush things. This is very important in the first year, when your system is so new. To many fish or corals to fast will crash your system. Think of it as a baby, roll, crawl, walk, then run, it takes time and if you go slow and steady you will save a lot of money.

 

[Steven R]

Don't throw something dead in your tank to cycle it. You want to make it a living bio system not start out with a dead animal in it. I never understood that one, get a half dozen green chromis and put them in the tank (they are cheap and will allow for other fish to be added later). Unless you are going to have an aggressive tank I would stay away from the damsels. You can get some snails and some blue legged hermits to help keep the algae down but it will go away almost as fast as it appears. This is normal as it goes through it's stages, the key is to take your time and not rush things. This is very important in the first year, when your system is so new. To many fish or corals to fast will crash your system. Think of it as a baby, roll, crawl, walk, then run, it takes time and if you go slow and steady you will save a lot of money.

The dead shrimp in there cause the ammonia to rise then the bacteria that processes ammonia start to develop and processes the ammonia to nitrite then once that bacteria is established it then gets processed out as nitrate. And in my opinion using any fish to cycle is cruel imagine taking a bath in acid thats what ammonia does to a fish especially since the PH is not stable this will make ammonia and nitrite even more toxic and harmful more than anything. I would stick to throwing a piece of shrimp in and not killing more fish than you have to.

 

[jcJokr]

You are correct, the ammonia will raise with a dead shrimp in your tank as will with live fish in your tank. But you are going to get a drastic ammonia spike in your tank with anything dead in it and CRASH your system. This will crash it before it even gets a chance to start. The fish will gradually raise the levels and give each level an opportunity to gradually change to the next. It's healthier for your tank and lets your bio mature gradually. Small spikes are not going to hurt your fish. I will agree it is most likely stressful for the fish, but this is why you buy hardy fish like green chromis who can handle the stress. But this is my opinion and may not be worth much, but when you have a tank you have to gather information and decide what works for you. Good luck!

 

[pearlscale]

I've used "Biozyme" several times and achieved zero nitrares nitrites and ammonia at 45 days. temp 84 Salinity at 1.024

 

[Steven R]

You are correct, the ammonia will raise with a dead shrimp in your tank as will with live fish in your tank. But you are going to get a drastic ammonia spike in your tank with anything dead in it and CRASH your system. This will crash it before it even gets a chance to start. The fish will gradually raise the levels and give each level an opportunity to gradually change to the next. It's healthier for your tank and lets your bio mature gradually. Small spikes are not going to hurt your fish. I will agree it is most likely stressful for the fish, but this is why you buy hardy fish like green chromis who can handle the stress. But this is my opinion and may not be worth much, but when you have a tank you have to gather information and decide what works for you. Good luck!

very true each to there own happy reefing and good luck

 

[noo2usa]

I am up and running. All is good. I used some bottled bacteria and threw a damsel I already had in there. I tested the water myself and then had the local reef shop test it also. Everything was perfect, all perameters were in ideal ranges. Everyone has been moved and seems happy. I'm gonna continue with daily water tests and have my other tank still running. I'm getting ready to set up a dual GFO/ Carbon reactor. Any thoughts on if thats a good idea or not? I don't have other filtration except the filter sock and protein skimmer.

 

[fjpod]

I also recommend cycling the tank with chromis. Six or so of them will have a grand time in a 120, and not suffer a minute. Any time I have used the dead shrimp method and then add fish, I get a new cycle anyway.

 

[jcJokr]

Check out this link below, I think I will start using this myself. Seems well tested and becoming widely used. They even address the shrimp method in this video, I think we as hobbyist get stuck in our old ways (mostly because we know what works). But we need to evolve and be aware of the new technology offered by extensive studies and proof. This video is a great example of that. Enjoy!

Bacteria in a Bottle: Snake Oil or Worth Trusting?

I would definitely ad a GFO and carbon reactor, they do wonders but just be sure to change the carbon on a regular basis. Check out the dual reactor they have on Bulkreefsupply.com (it's the one the looks like and RO unit). It's a good price and works great.