Newbie Question

[NewReefAdventure]

Afternoon, I'm fairly new - tank only up a month. Water has been tested twice at local store and they say all is good (we started with their water at set-up and live sand. I didn't want to mess it up).

We have a few fish (7 or 8 - I say or because either one is always guarding their nest under the rocks or he's gone as I only see 2 of the 3 firefish at a time). Got a partial CUC when the brown hair like algae was over most sand and partial rock. We've been cleaning it off the glass. With the last water test they said corals next, no more fish... which I am fine with but I also don't want to get too excited and have anything die.

That said, my CUC seems to be on over drive as most algae is now gone minus some on the rocks and a few of the crabs have eaten 3 snails.

So I'm hoping for some advice - 1) should I be adding something extra to the tank for the CUC to eat? I'd rather them not eat each other. 2) realistically, how do you know when you're safely ready for corals? I don't want to kill anything if I can help it (feel bad enough about the snails honestly).

 

[MaxTremors]

Afternoon, I'm fairly new - tank only up a month. Water has been tested twice at local store and they say all is good (we started with their water at set-up and live sand. I didn't want to mess it up).

We have a few fish (7 or 8 - I say or because either one is always guarding their nest under the rocks or he's gone as I only see 2 of the 3 firefish at a time). Got a partial CUC when the brown hair like algae was over most sand and partial rock. We've been cleaning it off the glass. With the last water test they said corals next, no more fish... which I am fine with but I also don't want to get too excited and have anything die.

That said, my CUC seems to be on over drive as most algae is now gone minus some on the rocks and a few of the crabs have eaten 3 snails.

So I'm hoping for some advice - 1) should I be adding something extra to the tank for the CUC to eat? I'd rather them not eat each other. 2) realistically, how do you know when you're safely ready for corals? I don't want to kill anything if I can help it (feel bad enough about the snails honestly).

My advice to you, if you want to keep corals, is to start testing your own water. If you want to be successful in keeping corals you need to have a good understanding of reef chemistry and have an intimate knowledge of your tank’s chemistry. An LFS telling you your water is ‘fine’ is meaningless. I would buy the standard battery of tests (buy quality, do not buy API brand), and start testing your water weekly or even bi-weekly for a while, log all the results, and it your parameters are all in range and more importantly stable, then start with a few soft corals. Once you’ve kept those alive and your tank stable for several months, then try some LPS, once you’ve kept those alive and thriving (and gotten a handle on keeping alkalinity stable) for several months, then try some SPS and/or an anemone. The test kits you need are: Alkalinity, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphate, Nitrate, and PH. I would recommend Hanna for the phosphate (ULR) and nitrate (HR), and Salifert or RedSea for the rest.

I would also recommend that you get your own RODI unit and start making your own saltwater. This ties into the testing, but it’s much more difficult to have a successful reef when you outsource all of the building blocks of a successful reef. Personally, I just don’t trust LFSes to handle these things, what test kits are they using, are they doing the tests properly, are they changing their filters/membranes regularly, what salt mix are they using and is the salinity reliable from one batch to the next, what happens when you have an emergency outside of business hours? There are just so many unknowns when you depend on an LFS (there are some good ones out there, but unfortunately many of them are just not trustworthy).

Adding 7-8 fish in the first month is moving way too fast (especially if you used dry rock), and especially if you don’t have the ability to test your water yourself.

i realize that this is a lot to learn and can be overwhelming, but I promise you that it’s easier than it initially seems and that you will have far greater success if you take the time to learn reef chemistry and invest in your own test kits and RODI unit. The sense of accomplishment and fulfillment will be far greater once you have a thriving reef. You’ll also be more confident and competent in trying new species and in being able to troubleshoot when the inevitable problem arises.

 

[NewReefAdventure]

You indicated your LFS said water is good.
Did they give you actual numbers?
Do you know what kits or method they were using to test your water?

As others indicated- wait on coral. I agree- no more fish as you may be subject yet to ammonia and/or nitrate spikes. Stability is where the numbers are stable and remain stable.

The hardest part of this hobby is Impulse. We want coral and fish at the soonest but the word soon and quickly in this hobby = Disaster.
ITS WORTH THE WAIT.
What you can do right now is manage fish, manage water quality and get yourself Hanna or salifert test kits and get acquainted with water testing

They shared numbers once but not the second time. I know there was a disc and a machine reading but I'm not sure what method was used. As they're salt water specific I honestly hadn't thought to ask. Appreciate the guidance!

 

[vetteguy53081]

They shared numbers once but not the second time. I know there was a disc and a machine reading but I'm not sure what method was used. As they're salt water specific I honestly hadn't thought to ask. Appreciate the guidance!

It’s a spin-test by API

 

[NewReefAdventure]

My advice to you, if you want to keep corals, is to start testing your own water. If you want to be successful in keeping corals you need to have a good understanding of reef chemistry and have an intimate knowledge of your tank’s chemistry. An LFS telling you your water is ‘fine’ is meaningless. I would buy the standard battery of tests (buy quality, do not buy API brand), and start testing your water weekly or even bi-weekly for a while, log all the results, and it your parameters are all in range and more importantly stable, then start with a few soft corals. Once you’ve kept those alive and your tank stable for several months, then try some LPS, once you’ve kept those alive and thriving (and gotten a handle on keeping alkalinity stable) for several months, then try some SPS and/or an anemone. The test kits you need are: Alkalinity, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphate, Nitrate, and PH. I would recommend Hanna for the phosphate (ULR) and nitrate (HR), and Salifert or RedSea for the rest.

I would also recommend that you get your own RODI unit and start making your own saltwater. This ties into the testing, but it’s much more difficult to have a successful reef when you outsource all of the building blocks of a successful reef. Personally, I just don’t trust LFSes to handle these things, what test kits are they using, are they doing the tests properly, are they changing their filters/membranes regularly, what salt mix are they using and is the salinity reliable from one batch to the next, what happens when you have an emergency outside of business hours? There are just so many unknowns when you depend on an LFS (there are some good ones out there, but unfortunately many of them are just not trustworthy).

Adding 7-8 fish in the first month is moving way too fast (especially if you used dry rock), and especially if you don’t have the ability to test your water yourself.

i realize that this is a lot to learn and can be overwhelming, but I promise you that it’s easier than it initially seems and that you will have far greater success if you take the time to learn reef chemistry and invest in your own test kits and RODI unit. The sense of accomplishment and fulfillment will be far greater once you have a thriving reef. You’ll also be more confident and competent in trying new species and in being able to troubleshoot when the inevitable problem arises.

Thank you. We got our RODI working two weeks ago. I've only used it for clean water so far, not for making salt yet. I admit, our water tested 0 but when I tested the purchased fresh water it read 2. I understand there's a range, but 0 has always been emphasized so it was unexpected. Appreciate the guidance on types and brands for testing. I'll look at getting those and setting a log.

 

[Noobreefer1]

a good beginner coral for me was a torch coral but they do sting other corals so watch out for that

 

[MaxTremors]

a good beginner coral for me was a torch coral but they do sting other corals so watch out for that

IMO, torches are not good beginner corals. They are finicky, do not respond well to parameter swings, and are expensive. Much better off starting with some soft corals if you’ve never kept corals before.

 

[i cant think]

i realize that this is a lot to learn and can be overwhelming, but I promise you that it’s easier than it initially seems and that you will have far greater success if you take the time to learn reef chemistry and invest in your own test kits and RODI unit. The sense of accomplishment and fulfillment will be far greater once you have a thriving reef. You’ll also be more confident and competent in trying new species and in being able to troubleshoot when the inevitable problem arises.

I’ll also add to this, it’s worth it if you take your time and have patience! If I never took my time I don’t think I would still have my nano up and would’ve given up fighting cyano when I had it for 2 years straight.

IMO, torches are not good beginner corals. They are finicky, do not respond well to parameter swings, and are expensive. Much better off starting with some soft corals if you’ve never kept corals before.

One of my first corals was a sweet 15-25 headed torch colony but it was later wiped down to 1 head by flatworms. Definitely agree but also think when the OP gets coral, get some dip! I regret not dipping my first coral (My Duncan I got with that torch is still with me today and has been through a lot - Eztremely tough coral).
If I had to get a “Euphyllia” as a starter I’d grab a hammer (Although, it’s been discovered only one of the corals in that genus was a true euphyllia - The torch coral - and all the rest were put into Fymbriaphyllia), frogspawn or octospawn. Over here torches are rather cheap so many people use them as beginner coral and many actually have success with them.

 

[NewReefAdventure]

a good beginner coral for me was a torch coral but they do sting other corals so watch out for that

I did ask about those when first starting to talk reef tank (they resemble anemones more and thought the clowns may like it), I was told those come later and that a hammer is most similar and better first. Not sure if it's who I've asked or simply because I've only had fresh water before. So likely a bit more down the road for me to be safe (plus they're pricey here).

That said, if they all sting, are they typically lower and by themselves?

 

[i cant think]

I did ask about those when first starting to talk reef tank (they resemble anemones more and thought the clowns may like it), I was told those come later and that a hammer is most similar and better first. Not sure if it's who I've asked or simply because I've only had fresh water before. So likely a bit more down the road for me to be safe (plus they're pricey here).

That said, if they all sting, are they typically lower and by themselves?

Torch corals have a sting that is supposedly worse than an anemone sting (I’m not 100% sure on that) so it’s often advised to keep them away from coral.