Should I add any corals or wait?

newlyreefd · May 7, 2014

Well my tank is fully cycled and I would like to start adding some life. But my magnesium is low. Should I add or wait until I get that up. I'm almost positive low mag won't affect fish, but I also would like to add some coral. SPS, LPS and some softies. Mixed reef is what I'm going for. Here are my parameters from my last test which was yesterday.

Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 10
ALK- 8.5(Hanna checker)
CAL- 502(Hanna checker)
PH- 8.2
Salt- 1.025(Refractometer)
Phosphates- 0(Hanna checker)
Magnesium- 1100
All the other tests were taken with Red Sea test kits. About my Cal, I've tested it twice that day and first it came up 544 and the second time with 502. I don't think I'm making an error, but that seems strange to me.
With that said and the info given, any and all advice is welcome. Thanks guys.

HiddenUser · May 7, 2014

newlyreefd said:
Well my tank is fully cycled and I would like to start adding some life. But my magnesium is low. Should I add or wait until I get that up. I'm almost positive low mag won't affect fish, but I also would like to add some coral. SPS, LPS and some softies. Mixed reef is what I'm going for. Here are my parameters from my last test which was yesterday.

Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 10
ALK- 8.5(Hanna checker)
CAL- 502(Hanna checker)
PH- 8.2
Salt- 1.025(Refractometer)
Phosphates- 0(Hanna checker)
Magnesium- 1100
All the other tests were taken with Red Sea test kits. About my Cal, I've tested it twice that day and first it came up 544 and the second time with 502. I don't think I'm making an error, but that seems strange to me.
With that said and the info given, any and all advice is welcome. Thanks guys.

Is this your first reef tank?

What kind of lights do you have?

I think it was about 2-3 months after my tank cycled before I started adding LPS and softies.

newjack0000 · May 7, 2014

ok
i would wait on adding all that. Start with some zoas from the 2 for $10 bins and see how they do. month later if all is growing and doing well u can go to other hardy softies. as for hard coral and the more temperament ones. Its advised to wait atleast 6months or a year to add them. You also need to make sure your lighting is right for the coral. Patience is key with reef tanks. The longer you wait the better things will survive and grow. without patience your tank has a tank death sentence. patience will also go easy on your wallet.

newjack0000 · May 7, 2014

also i should add dont add to much at one time. one thing a week is min. one item a month is best.

ReefPiracy · May 7, 2014

The hanna calcium checkers suck without lab grade hanna water.

HiddenUser · May 7, 2014

One more thing...dip frags before adding them to your display!!! Even better, dip > QT > dip again > add to display.

I use Revive, but Coral RX should work as well.

newlyreefd · May 8, 2014

Not my first reef tank, but will be my first time trying SPS. I have the Lumentek Pro 180 and the tank is a 40B w/20L sump. I think the light will suffice

ChukeeR said:
Is this your first reef tank?

What kind of lights do you have?

I think it was about 2-3 months after my tank cycled before I started adding LPS and softies.

Gotcha. Patience and start slow.

newjack0000 said:
ok
i would wait on adding all that. Start with some zoas from the 2 for $10 bins and see how they do. month later if all is growing and doing well u can go to other hardy softies. as for hard coral and the more temperament ones. Its advised to wait atleast 6months or a year to add them. You also need to make sure your lighting is right for the coral. Patience is key with reef tanks. The longer you wait the better things will survive and grow. without patience your tank has a tank death sentence. patience will also go easy on your wallet.

Any suggestions on a good calcium test kit?

SloppyWhenWet said:
The hanna calcium checkers suck without lab grade hanna water.

Already have some Coral RX. Bought that before I filled the tank up with water

ChukeeR said:
One more thing...dip frags before adding them to your display!!! Even better, dip > QT > dip again > add to display.

I use Revive, but Coral RX should work as well.

newlyreefd · May 8, 2014

But it's getting more and more difficult to stay away. Especially since there is going to be a second live sale. One last week. I done good. Kept my money in my pocket. Now another this weekend as well. I'm itching to buy a frag or 3...lol.
Patience!!

TheSaint216 · May 8, 2014

Get your mag up and add LPS, Softies and Fish. Wait on the SPS.

Just make sure you maintain. Keep up with water changes, dont add snake oils

newlyreefd · May 8, 2014

Thanks for the insight. Much appreciated. I'll take heed to your advice.

TheSaint216 said:
Get your mag up and add LPS, Softies and Fish. Wait on the SPS.

Just make sure you maintain. Keep up with water changes, dont add snake oils

Barky · May 8, 2014

Elos or Salifert are good Ca test kit

Fishtankery · May 8, 2014

Save up for a dosing pump or calc reactor if you're going to do SPS. Some would argue that manual dosing is enough, but with my experience stability is best maintained with controlled automated dosing. Alk spikes can be merciless to your LPS and SPS, and the chances of an accidental Alk spike attributed to manual dosing go up over time. You're also going to want to have an auto-top off to make sure you don't get wicked salinity fluctuations. If you're going to keep SPS, you'd be best to invest in equipment that creates stability.

Cheap SPS plugs are the way to go when you're getting the hang of a new tank. I've had tremendous success picking up cheap $10-$15 SPS plugs that were green/brown at the tank-shop, only to turn beautiful shades of purple and blue once they acclimated to my tank over a few months.

Be overly cautious with your fish selection, and research anything you put into your tank.

Small bi-monthly water changes are a good way to prepare yourself for having SPS.

bond300 · May 10, 2014

I would start with mushrooms Zoa's first....easy to maintain just saying....cheap!

newlyreefd · May 10, 2014

Thanks for all the replies. Much appreciated. I don't think I was clear in my introduction. This is not my first reef tank. I had a 55g a little over a year ago. Mad a lot of mistakes with that one. Impatience and all. Definitely don't want to do the same with this one. I had a lps and softies in that one. I want this one to be more of a mixed reef with SPS being the dominate coral. And I'm all new to SPS care. Which is why I'm asking so many questions. I really envy you SPS tank guys. Tanks are beautiful. It seems like a lot of work. A lot of extra equipment. Compared to before. What I would like to keep in this tank are: A Duncan, some acans, zoas, hammer, and maybe a scoly. The rest would be SPS and a clam or three later on down the line. Thanks again for all the input.