Ready for fish and coral?

[Big_Mclargehuge]

Hey. So my tank finished cycling a week ago or so. I did a series of water changes to lower my nitrates. I've finally got them to around 5.0-10 ppm. Ammonia is 0 ppm. Ph is fine etc... Everything in the tank is stock. I have filter floss in the media basket. I plan on getting an intake basket soon. Anything else I need to do before I add my first fish and coral. Thanks!

 

[kyleinpdx]

What kind of rock do you have? What size is the tank? Do you have a sump? The biggest issue a lot of new folks face is lack of biodiversity which often leads to nuisance algae and more demanding corals struggling with nutrients. If you started with dry rock, I'd see about getting some pods, maybe some macro algae for the sump, see about getting a rock or two from an established tank and let that seed for a few days. Then pick up some easy corals such as zoas, xenia, GSP, kenya tree, maybe a monti cap and see how those go for a few weeks.

 

[Big_Mclargehuge]

What kind of rock do you have? What size is the tank? Do you have a sump? The biggest issue a lot of new folks face is lack of biodiversity which often leads to nuisance algae and more demanding corals struggling with nutrients. If you started with dry rock, I'd see about getting some pods, maybe some macro algae for the sump, see about getting a rock or two from an established tank and let that seed for a few days. Then pick up some easy corals such as zoas, xenia, GSP, kenya tree, maybe a monti cap and see how those go for a few weeks.

I have live rock in the tank my bacteria seems decent it's able to eliminate ammonia by 2 parts per million in 24 hours. It's a 32 gallon. I don't have a sump but eventually will

 

[kyleinpdx]

I have live rock in the tank my bacteria seems decent it's able to eliminate ammonia by 2 parts per million in 24 hours. It's a 32 gallon. I don't have a sump but eventually will

"Live" rock doesn't necessarily mean much, where did it come from and how long has it been wet? You can walk into Petco and pickup a bag of "live sand" off the shelf, it may have been sitting there for 6 months, and there sure wont be much "alive" in there other than some nitrifying bacteria, and thats only because they dump some in before the seal up the bag.

Theres a lot more needed than just the nitrifying bacteria in a bottle. Yes, the bottled bac will help you cycle the tank, but that only gets the tank to the "it wont automatically kill everything" stage, but with such a new tank you are absolutely in the "but it might still kill everything" stage.

What you want is a crusty piece of old live rock thats been sitting in someones tank for a year +, you want to see tunicates, bivalves, feather dusters, coralines, sponges, different algaes, throw that in your display, even temporarily and you'll start off in a MUCH better spot. Dont listen to the folks who tell you to start with "dead" everything (rock, sand, all that) and to never let anything unknown into your tank. Absolutely do your due diligence, make sure to QT fish, dont introduce aptasia or bryopsis, but your tank needs to become a fully functional ecosystem, which means it needs all kinds of stuff. "The world needs ditch diggers just as much as it needs doctors."

Take a stroll through the tank emergency and nuisance algae forums and see how many tanks were started with "dry rock" that have never ending issues with dinos, algaes, corals withering away, etc. We as a community used to have ready access to real (think out of the ocean) live rock, then (and probably rightfully) that became unsustainable and for the past 10years or so we've been putting dead rock in our tanks, we've been trying to figure out why so many people run into these walls and we're starting to realize its the missing components of the reef biome. A real coral reef is an incredibly complex system and even the best of us only get part of the way there.

I'm being honest with you, not to be discouraging, but to set you up for success.

 

[Big_Mclargehuge]

"Live" rock doesn't necessarily mean much, where did it come from and how long has it been wet? You can walk into Petco and pickup a bag of "live sand" off the shelf, it may have been sitting there for 6 months, and there sure wont be much "alive" in there other than some nitrifying bacteria, and thats only because they dump some in before the seal up the bag.

Theres a lot more needed than just the nitrifying bacteria in a bottle. Yes, the bottled bac will help you cycle the tank, but that only gets the tank to the "it wont automatically kill everything" stage, but with such a new tank you are absolutely in the "but it might still kill everything" stage.

What you want is a crusty piece of old live rock thats been sitting in someones tank for a year +, you want to see tunicates, bivalves, feather dusters, coralines, sponges, different algaes, throw that in your display, even temporarily and you'll start off in a MUCH better spot. Dont listen to the folks who tell you to start with "dead" everything (rock, sand, all that) and to never let anything unknown into your tank. Absolutely do your due diligence, make sure to QT fish, dont introduce aptasia or bryopsis, but your tank needs to become a fully functional ecosystem, which means it needs all kinds of stuff. "The world needs ditch diggers just as much as it needs doctors."

Take a stroll through the tank emergency and nuisance algae forums and see how many tanks were started with "dry rock" that have never ending issues with dinos, algaes, corals withering away, etc. We as a community used to have ready access to real (think out of the ocean) live rock, then (and probably rightfully) that became unsustainable and for the past 10years or so we've been putting dead rock in our tanks, we've been trying to figure out why so many people run into these walls and we're starting to realize its the missing components of the reef biome. A real coral reef is an incredibly complex system and even the best of us only get part of the way there.

I'm being honest with you, not to be discouraging, but to set you up for success.

I appreciate it. As far as I know the rock I got from my lfs is actually live the guy that runs the place said he was messing with all the rocks the day before and had copepods etc all over his hand afterwards. I don't really know where I would get rock that has a bunch of stuff all over it right now.

 

[kyleinpdx]

I appreciate it. As far as I know the rock I got from my lfs is actually live the guy that runs the place said he was messing with all the rocks the day before and had copepods etc all over his hand afterwards. I don't really know where I would get rock that has a bunch of stuff all over it right now.

Sweet, if it came out of a tank at the LFS, you are in a much better spot than had it come out of a box from amazon. People dont realize the role different 'pods play in the food chain, they are a very important part of keeping algae under control, sure they're not going to mow down the 1" long green hair algae but they'll sure help stop the microscopic algae filament from popping up.

What fish are you hoping to add? What type of corals interest you?

 

[Fishbird]

There are lots of opinions on the "best" or "only real" way to start a tank, as you're already seeing

The reality is that people start tanks with dry rock and they start tanks with all the variations of live rock available.

I think where you're at now is the perfect time to read up on fish quarantine and especially ich eradication vs ich management. Keep in mind that quarantine can be observational or can involve prophylactic medication.

Once you've decided on your approach to keeping fish, and once your tank is processing ammonia (it sounds like it is) then I think you can try a fish. Get one. Quarantine it. Add it to your tank. Keep monitoring ammonia. If everything seems good after a couple of weeks, time to add a second fish.

What kind of tank do you have? It sounds like an AIO? What light do you have on it?

 

[Fishbird]

Here are some threads from the fish disease forum.

Quarantine using medication prophylactically

My Current QT Process

UPDATE, 10/9/22: For those looking for quarantine information, our current process is kept updated on the first page of this thread (post any questions at the end of the thread). https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/current-quarantine-protocol.825055/ Thanks, Jay Hemdal I am frequently...

www.reef2reef.com

Here's what you have to do if you do get a disease in your tank and you want to get rid of it or it kills your fish

Fallow periods: Going Fishless

Please see this updated information on fallow periods: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/45-day-fallow-periods.805213/ Jay Hemdal 7/13/2023 The reason to go fallow (fishless) is to eliminate a fish disease from your DT (display tank). Going fallow works because you are denying the disease a...

www.reef2reef.com

Here's a thread on ich eradication vs ich management. Keep in mind that ich isn't the only common disease so even if you decide you want to go down the ich management path I would still consider how you'll react to velvet and brook if you encounter them.

Ich eradication vs. Ich management

Ich eradication vs. Ich management The purpose of this article is to discuss the pros & cons of ich eradication and ich management, and present the best methods for implementing each. Ich eradication - Simply put, this method means doing everything possible to keep ich out of your tank. That...

www.reef2reef.com

You can use a 10 gallon tank for a hospital or QT tank. I also read over the pictorial disease ID thread before I got my first fish, because I wanted to be prepared and able to act fast if I saw any problems.

 

[Big_Mclargehuge]

Sweet, if it came out of a tank at the LFS, you are in a much better spot than had it come out of a box from amazon. People dont realize the role different 'pods play in the food chain, they are a very important part of keeping algae under control, sure they're not going to mow down the 1" long green hair algae but they'll sure help stop the microscopic algae filament from popping up.

What fish are you hoping to add? What type of corals interest you?

I want a lawnmower goby and a pearly jawfish for sure. Probably a couple clowns and a CUC. For corals I'm going to start with zoas and some softies.

 

[kyleinpdx]

I want a lawnmower goby and a pearly jawfish for sure. Probably a couple clowns and a CUC. For corals I'm going to start with zoas and some softies.

Sounds pretty solid. I would start off with the clowns, they are pretty hardy fish and will readily take prepared foods. The lawnmower blenny really does need ample algae to be successful long term. Some will eat prepared foods (nori, wafers) some wont, depends on the individual fish. I might suggest waiting on that guy for a little while. The pearly jawfish, one of my favorites. They are beautiful fish but can be difficult. They really do need a deep sand bed, I wouldn't trust anything less than 3-4inches (liveaquaria recommends 5-7" ). I know because I've failed with this fish, twice. However I'll defer to the squad as I'm only one data point.

#reefsqaud

experiences with pearly jawfish/yellow headed jawfish and sand depth?

 

[RiversideReefer]

definitely start with the 2 clowns since they're hardy fish. i'd slowly start introducing other fishes/inverts and monitor basic water parameters to ensure your tank has enough beneficial bacteria to support the waste of all your inhabitants.

 

[Big_Mclargehuge]

Sounds pretty solid. I would start off with the clowns, they are pretty hardy fish and will readily take prepared foods. The lawnmower blenny really does need ample algae to be successful long term. Some will eat prepared foods (nori, wafers) some wont, depends on the individual fish. I might suggest waiting on that guy for a little while. The pearly jawfish, one of my favorites. They are beautiful fish but can be difficult. They really do need a deep sand bed, I wouldn't trust anything less than 3-4inches (liveaquaria recommends 5-7" ). I know because I've failed with this fish, twice. However I'll defer to the squad as I'm only one data point.

#reefsqaud

experiences with pearly jawfish/yellow headed jawfish and sand depth?

Thanks. Yeah I figured I would start with the clowns. The blenny and jawfish are just so cool but I'd rather wait and give them a good home.