Too early for fish?

[PorterK]

Hi everyone! I'm wondering if its too early to put fish in my tank, and how many I can put in.

I want to get 2 clowns and a Goby tomorrow. I just don't want to increase the bioload too much.

A little background on the tank:

I started my tank at the end of April earlier this year (the wait to get things in this tank has been agonizing but I am very happy I made it through). I made the mistake of filling it with tap water instead of RO/DI. After I got my RO/DI system I did a 90% water change and filled it with RO/DI water. That was the first week of May. I'm 99% sure my cycle is done now though.

In the last 2 weeks of May I added a frozen shrimp to the system (its a 55gal tank with a canister filter) and to my surprise the ammonia levels have stayed very stable. After that I went on vacation and returned to a lot of green hair algae.

I went to Uncle Bills (not my LFS) and got some inverts to take care of the algae. They've been in for about a week and are getting along very nicely. As a small side note, I went through with a tooth brush and got rid of as much of the algae as I could before getting the CuC.

This is the current CuC:

1 Turbo (this guy smashes the algae, he did a whole section of the back glass this morning)
1 Astrea
2 Ceriths
1 Nassarius (guy threw it in because it was the last one left)
4 Blue hermits
4 Red hermits

I also threw in a ton of shells of varying size so the hermits don't kill my snails.

These guys have been doing a great job so far and the rock is extremely clean now.

I'm really not worried about weather my tank is ready for fish, I'm worried about increasing the bioload too quickly.

Also-- another question-- I want to get some really good & hardy coral in too sometime soon, but don't know weather I should do it before/after/with the fish. Unfortunately getting a sump hasn't been an option for me with this particular tank (not drilled & already full of water). Is there something I can get to hang on the tank for the plumbing for the sump? I have a 30gal sump already and a really good protein skimmer... I just need to get it connected to this tank, or start another tank.

As always, thanks for all the help and reading my book of a post

Edit: Because the fish are so expensive, I am getting them from my LFS which quarantines fish for a minimum of 14 days and makes sure they are on frozen food before I get them.

 

[hdsoftail1065]

What are you parameters? It sounds like your somewhat unsure, amonia stable at what reading?

 

[lapin]

Hi everyone! I'm wondering if its too early to put fish in my tank, and how many I can put in?
I want to get 2 clowns and a Goby tomorrow. I just don't want to increase the bioload too much.
2 clowns and a goby will be fine as long as you have no ammonia in the tank already

Also-- another question-- I want to get some really good & hardy coral in too sometime soon, but don't know weather I should do it before/after/with the fish.
It does not matter before or after.

Is there something I can get to hang on the tank for the plumbing for the sump? I have a 30gal sump already and a really good protein skimmer... I just need to get it connected to this tank, or start another tank.

There are options that use a siphon but are not that reliable enough in my mind to use with a sump and return pump

 

[PorterK]

What are you parameters? It sounds like your somewhat unsure, amonia stable at what reading?

Using the API test kit I have tests ammonia at 0.5ppm, nitrite at 0 ppm, and nitrate at 0 ppm as well.

I think that these readings are inaccurate because there should be at least some nitrate right? Maybe something in my system is filtering it, but I was under the impression that nitrate is removed mostly through water changes.

Also salinity is 1.023 specific gravity

There are options that use a siphon but are not that reliable enough in my mind to use with a sump and return pump

Ok thanks, should I just stick with my canister filter then?

 

[WVNed]

Go to BRS and look at external overflows. Don't buy one with a single drain. I am running an Eshoppes PF-1000 and it works fine.

 

[BigJim]

I have the same question as HDSoftail1065. Is your ammonia stable at 0? You should see zero ammonia and nitrite. You can have a higher reading for nitrate, but I would want it to be below 10 for a new tank. The fish can take a much higher level than 10, but I think you set yourself up for future issues if you keep it too high. I would add just the goby first and then the clowns in a few weeks if everything is still going well.

I would recommend you do some research on HOB (hang on back) overflows. There are some negatives with them, but you can use them successfully. Bulk Reef Supply had a lot of them to look through.

 

[PorterK]

I have the same question as HDSoftail1065. Is your ammonia stable at 0? You should see zero ammonia and nitrite. You can have a higher reading for nitrate, but I would want it to be below 10 for a new tank. The fish can take a much higher level than 10, but I think you set yourself up for future issues if you keep it too high. I would add just the goby first and then the clowns in a few weeks if everything is still going well.

I would recommend you do some research on HOB (hang on back) overflows. There are some negatives with them, but you can use them successfully. Bulk Reef Supply had a lot of them to look through.

My API test kit says ammonia is 0.5, nitrite is 0, nitrate is 0. But I feel like these readings aren't really accurate... ammonia is the only parameter in my test kit that seems to move (when I dropped in the shrimp it went up slightly but then back down to 0.5, where it seems to be consistently (even when I had nothing in the tank and never dosed)

 

[PorterK]

I have the same question as HDSoftail1065. Is your ammonia stable at 0? You should see zero ammonia and nitrite. You can have a higher reading for nitrate, but I would want it to be below 10 for a new tank. The fish can take a much higher level than 10, but I think you set yourself up for future issues if you keep it too high. I would add just the goby first and then the clowns in a few weeks if everything is still going well.

I would recommend you do some research on HOB (hang on back) overflows. There are some negatives with them, but you can use them successfully. Bulk Reef Supply had a lot of them to look through.

My API test kit says ammonia is 0.5, nitrite is 0, nitrate is 0. But I feel like these readings aren't really accurate... ammonia is the only parameter in my test kit that seems to move (when I dropped in the shrimp it went up slightly but then back down to 0.5, where it seems to be consistently (even when I had nothing in the tank and never dosed)

 

[PorterK]

I have the same question as HDSoftail1065. Is your ammonia stable at 0? You should see zero ammonia and nitrite. You can have a higher reading for nitrate, but I would want it to be below 10 for a new tank. The fish can take a much higher level than 10, but I think you set yourself up for future issues if you keep it too high. I would add just the goby first and then the clowns in a few weeks if everything is still going well.

I would recommend you do some research on HOB (hang on back) overflows. There are some negatives with them, but you can use them successfully. Bulk Reef Supply had a lot of them to look through.

My API test kit says ammonia is 0.5, nitrite is 0, nitrate is 0. But I feel like these readings aren't really accurate... ammonia is the only parameter in my test kit that seems to move (when I dropped in the shrimp it went up slightly but then back down to 0.5, where it seems to be consistently (even when I had nothing in the tank and never dosed)

 

[PorterK]

Sorry-- it posted 3 times somehow 0.O

 

[Dennis McGrath]

You might want to raise the SG up a bit.

 

[PorterK]

You might want to raise the SG up a bit.

Planning on getting it up closer to 1.025 in the next water change

 

[dylana407]

I have the exact same tank. I run carbon in the cannister filter with no pads. If you use pads, you need to clean it weekly. Your ammonia should be 0 before adding anything. My nitrate was never 0. So I question your test result and test kit. You can take a sample to your LFS and ask them to test it. If you plan to keep corals, up the salinity to 1.026. Check the pH as well; 8.1, 8.2 is where you want to be. I have never heard of a LFS that QT their fish for 14 days before selling. No seller wants to keep an inventory, especially ones that are perishable. Quick turn over is always the goal.

 

[PorterK]

I have the exact same tank. I run carbon in the cannister filter with no pads. If you use pads, you need to clean it weekly. Your ammonia should be 0 before adding anything. My nitrate was never 0. So I question your test result and test kit. You can take a sample to your LFS and ask them to test it. If you plan to keep corals, up the salinity to 1.026. Check the pH as well; 8.1, 8.2 is where you want to be. I have never heard of a LFS that QT their fish for 14 days before selling. No seller wants to keep an inventory, especially ones that are perishable. Quick turn over is always the goal.

Definitely could have been mistaken but I swear I saw a sign that said they are QTd for 14 days. PH is at 8.2 according to the API test kit as well.

 

[cracker]

try to use the sump if Ya can. An Over the back overflow ( HOB) will work fine for you.
Also gotta be sure the AM is at zero before adding any live stock however the snails are doing ok,any deaths?

 

[PorterK]

try to use the sump if Ya can. An Over the back overflow ( HOB) will work fine for you.
Also gotta be sure the AM is at zero before adding any live stock however the snails are doing ok,any deaths?

No deaths. All the snails and hermits are very active and seem happy. I don't actually know where my nassarius is at but it could be just in the sand. It's all white with a white shell, pretty hard to spot in sand since it already has pieces of white shell in it anyways.

A couple of my hermits actually have moved to bigger shells already, never witnessed it before earlier this week. Really cool process.

 

[cracker]

Good sign I'd think if Am was too high your snails would be croaking.

 

[PorterK]

Oddly enough I cleaned out all of the test tubes with RO/DI water (and retested the RODI water for accuracy) and it looks much better now.

Ammonia is 0, PH 8.2, nitrite 0, nitrate 10ppm or between 10 and 20, hard to tell and depends on what surface you put it against.

Still begs the question-- should I get the 2 clowns or the Goby, or all 3?

 

[mta_morrow]

Perhaps I missed it, but how many gallons is your tank, and about how many pounds of live rock are in it now?

Reason being, if you have a 10 gallon and 3 lbs of rock, that may be to much at once to add. But if you have a 40 gallon and 20 lb of rock, that may be ok.

 

[PorterK]

Perhaps I missed it, but how many gallons is your tank, and about how many pounds of live rock are in it now?

Reason being, if you have a 10 gallon and 3 lbs of rock, that may be to much at once to add. But if you have a 40 gallon and 20 lb of rock, that may be ok.

I have a 55 gal with 30 lbs of rock, might be 35 lbs, I forget