Waterbox 20 nem/clown cube

[Matt Miller]

What is driving that timeline for fish? If you do the 2ppm test (add 2+ ppm) of ammonia and it is fully metabolized within 24 hours, that is usually a good test that you are good for a minimal livestock addition.

That is because I added snails and shrimp straight into the DT. So I'm waiting the 76 days to make sure it's all clear.

The tanks cycled and ready for fish. I'm just extra paranoid due to the cost of these fish and don't want to take any chances.

 

[Lilmatty5dimes]

Tank looks great. Like the aquascape. I agree with trigger if you add a small amount of ammonia and see it disappear within 24hours you should be ready for fish. You said something about snails and shrimp but I don’t think they count for bioload in a tank or at least I’ve never heard clean up crew.

 

[TriggersAmuck]

I suspect what Matt is saying is that with the inverts in the tank one wouldn't want to risk raising that ammonia even for a brief spell. That ship has sailed.

 

[Matt Miller]

Tank looks great. Like the aquascape. I agree with trigger if you add a small amount of ammonia and see it disappear within 24hours you should be ready for fish. You said something about snails and shrimp but I don’t think they count for bioload in a tank or at least I’ve never heard clean up crew.

Thanks! I am happy with how the scape turned out.
I'm just being overly cautious, just in case the snails or shrimp had anything bad on them. They weren't quarantined or treated for anything. I want to do everything I can to avoid any diseases or nasties as it's a small system.
The tank is definitely cycled, my writing skills are just atrocious, my wife reminds me constantly lol.
I added ammonia and it goes away within 24hrs so then I added the snails and shrimp.
I'm in touch with a few different places about quarantined fish so hopefully within the next month I'll have some fish.
TSM raised their free shipping to $500 so I won't be making that now

 

[Matt Miller]

My brother got me hooked up with a local reefer who is willing to donate some corals to help me get started so that's great news!

He's got mushrooms, zoas, green long polyp leather, and a rbta he is willing to share! I was waiting to ship my purple anemone once my tank was established. Instead I'm going to get the purple one in the spring/early summer for safe shipment and give to him in hopes of a split by the time I know I can keep the rose alive.

 

[Lilmatty5dimes]

Oh dang that sucks about the shipping. And good news on some beginner coral. Where are you located?

 

[Matt Miller]

Oh dang that sucks about the shipping. And good news on some beginner coral. Where are you located?

Yeah, with shipping that puts each clown @ $160ish...

I'm in Findlay Ohio, it's about an hour south of Toledo.

I'm pretty excited about the corals, if the zoas I get do well then I'll probably start looking for some fairy fart zoas next.

 

[Matt Miller]

Cultivatedreef.com might just be the final choice for my fish. I can get both clowns shipped to me for less than half of what a quarantined pair would cost.

I got my meds and garlic today so I will get some bottle bac and whip out a rock structure for the 10g. I will get that cycled, put clowns in and treat for possible internal parasites.

I'm considering turning my lights on earlier now also. I wonder if I get the form bricks out of my 2nd chamber and put in some macro algae if it'll help keep the inevitable algae bloom down. Then I can also get those corals in shortly after the clowns.

 

[Trey]

Looking good!

 

[Matt Miller]

Looking good!

Thanks! It's been slow moving but I feel like it's progressing.

 

[KingPiscean]

What is driving that timeline for fish? If you do the 2ppm test (add 2+ ppm) of ammonia and it is fully metabolized within 24 hours, that is usually a good test that you are good for a minimal livestock addition.

I agree. I have never done a fishless cycle and I have setup 7 tanks over a period of 6 years with no casualties during cycling. I have always followed Dr. Tim’s advice to the T and cycling has never been a concern. I stock from day 1 with a couple (1-2) fish and my ammonia and nitrites never spiked and remained EXTREMELY low or undetectable. Check out Dr. Tim’s website and his One and Only bacteria for cycling. He has papers, interviews on YouTube and really knows his stuff. Check him out.

 

[TriggersAmuck]

I agree. I have never done a fishless cycle and I have setup 7 tanks over a period of 6 years with no casualties during cycling. I have always followed Dr. Tim’s advice to the T and cycling has never been a concern. I stock from day 1 with a couple (1-2) fish and my ammonia and nitrites never spiked and remained EXTREMELY low or undetectable. Check out Dr. Tim’s website and his One and Only bacteria for cycling. He has papers, interviews on YouTube and really knows his stuff. Check him out.

I'm here (as are many other posters) to warn that Dr. Tim's (and any other bottled bacteria) method does not always proceed as planned and that one should not count on having the low levels you spoke of necessarily. In theory it should work great, and yes there are plenty of experiences where it does work as intended. But I have many times seen it not work, including my most recent one (see my build thread if you have the patience). If you are already using live rock that has been allowed even a brief moment of stabilization, then great, but if you are talking a sterile media/rock/sand start, you are definitely risking putting your livestock through a cycle if you add them immediately. If you have liquid ammonia and can test, why flip the coin and find out that oops, your ammonia levels are not where you expected?

This goes for quarantine tanks as well. One can experience spectacular failure if the main fallback is bottled bacteria. (Ask me how I know).

 

[Matt Miller]

I'm not taking any chances with fish.

I am turning lights on this weekend, read too many times that the bloom is going to happen so why put it off. In theory I can get those corals in soon also, get a little color in the tank would make me happy.

Anything in particular I should check before adding a couple zoas, long polyp leather and mushrooms? Or probably just test everything I have a kit for to be safe right?

 

[Matt Miller]

Lights on, I turned all the colors down halfway, I couldn't find any settings that were 0-100%

Next is to address the sand blowing around up front.

 

[TriggersAmuck]

I'm not taking any chances with fish.

I am turning lights on this weekend, read too many times that the bloom is going to happen so why put it off. In theory I can get those corals in soon also, get a little color in the tank would make me happy.

Anything in particular I should check before adding a couple zoas, long polyp leather and mushrooms? Or probably just test everything I have a kit for to be safe right?

My comment was more directed at the previous poster's conversation.

Regards testing, just the basics: salinity obviously, alkalinity, calcium, magnesium if you are being an overachiever. I wouldn't think your nitrate would be particularly high given the age and method of cycling, but that couldn't hurt.

 

[Matt Miller]

They have a baby firefish at my lfs and I really want to get it.....I'm just not sure if it'll work with my plans yet.

I will be ordering this weekend, hopefully they can get all my snails and crabs at my lfs.

Also ordering my clowns finally, they will be going in my evo 13.5 I am about to get cycled.

 

[Matt Miller]

I'm sure it's not the right way, but I'm going to keep adding stuff from my lfs and let it sit a couple months to monitor. I'm pretty sure they have aiptasia and I hope my peppermint shrimp is the kind that will eat it, if I get any.

The clowns will go in my Evo till I'm sure my 20 is clear and pest free.

Today I'll stop and get the firefish.

 

[Matt Miller]

Here's Red, hopefully he/she will come out of it's hidey-hole before long.

 

[TriggersAmuck]

Often when there is only one fish in the tank (unless it is a Triggerfish LOLZ) they can be shy until other "lookouts" join them.

 

[Matt Miller]

Often when there is only one fish in the tank (unless it is a Triggerfish LOLZ) they can be shy until other "lookouts" join them.

Tomorrow I'll find out if my lfs can get my snails, pom pom crabs and sexys. Maybe some of them will help with shyness.

He did come out to eat before hiding again