When is the right time to add coral?

[_Conway]

Tank has been cycling for three weeks, parameters are stable. I am in the diatom stage, starting to get a nice bloom. Added my CUC yesterday.

Yesterday your nitrates were off the scale. Today at 5ppm. That's awesome but hardly what I would call stable.
Be specific when asked for parameters.
If your looking to add corals you need kh. Cal. And mag. Tests
There is no specific timeframe to a successful reef tank.

 

[_Conway]

Oh alright, so you have experience. Well my next question, am I okay to add fish with these parameters? Would like to add two clowns today.

Be patient on livestock addition. Watch the cuc for a week. Check parameters often.

 

[_Conway]

What are the rest of your parameters.

Very important question here.

 

[_Conway]

I find this whole conversation interesting. I understand it have done it in freshwater ( cycled a tank or more than once) now I have done a small tank of ten gallons. Going to make it my QT tank. Put live rock in it back in Dec it took until middle of March to cycle the nitrogen cycle. That is with Bio Spira and stability and then finally live rock. I never had algae in it. And I don't believe diatoms. I now have a 45 gallon JBJ nano with live (10 Lbs) and (30 lbs)dry rock ( I cycled the dry in with live rock in 5 gallons buckets for a month and also used Dr Tims ammonia and stuff ( in a seaparate bucket not with the live rock) I put in the 45 60 Lbs of Fiji live sand and all of the live rock. I bought Red Sea reef mature Pro Kit and told myself I was going to follow the instruction to the letter. I have no monkeying around ( which I did on the QT tank) follow the direction. It is day 6 of the instruction and yesterday's instructions say that you will see hair algae diatoms and so on in the tank and they will stay to almost the end of the cycle ( 21 days total) guess what no algae no nothing. Now the kit does say to put in live rock, live sand and a skimmer. Which I have and its producing watery light brown ski mate)

So my question is why no algae and diatoms ( parameters are good ammonia:0, nitrite: 0, nitrates: 02, alkalinity : 3.9, Ph:8.2 and salinity:1.025)
Today's instructions are a 5% water change and adding bacto start, Nitro Bac and NO3[emoji14]O4-X
Am I ahead of everything? The QT tank has lost 3 snails, 4 crabs in two months. But we have had one crab survive and have had two clowns for three weeks and they are doing fine. No I'm not ready to add them to the DT
I'm just curious why I haven't had the algae and am I doing something wrong

Maybe start a thread asking for help.

 

[Jakepen]

As far as my alk, calcium, and magnesium, I haven't tested for. I don't see the point in checking them without corals. (Other than maybe once to see where they're at) Once corals are added, than I'll monitor them. Nitrates were high, but couple water changes they are down. One more change tonight they should be at zero, hopefully.

 

[Jakepen]

Yesterday your nitrates were off the scale. Today at 5ppm. That's awesome but hardly what I would call stable.
Be specific when asked for parameters.
If your looking to add corals you need kh. Cal. And mag. Tests
There is no specific timeframe to a successful reef tank.

Isn't it common for NO3 to be high after a cycle? Then brought down after water changes. How does it get more stable, will denitrification happen and the NO3 eventually keep itself low?

 

[_Conway]

As far as my alk, calcium, and magnesium, I haven't tested for. I don't see the point in checking them without corals. (Other than maybe once to see where they're at) Once corals are added, than I'll monitor them. Nitrates were high, but couple water changes they are down. One more change tonight they should be at zero, hopefully.

The point is providing the correct environment before adding.

 

[Jakepen]

The point is providing the correct environment before adding.

I feel like that is a pretty general statement. Those parameters can differ, and coral still thrive. As long as they are near the target number (with good salt and regular water changes they should be) and consistent, I think that is a correct environment.

 

[_Conway]

I feel like that is a pretty general statement. Those parameters can differ, and coral still thrive. As long as they are near the target number (with good salt and regular water changes they should be) and consistent, I think that is a correct environment.

What are parameters of new water????

 

[_Conway]

I feel like that is a pretty general statement. Those parameters can differ, and coral still thrive. As long as they are near the target number (with good salt and regular water changes they should be) and consistent, I think that is a correct environment.

Specifically kh. Cal. Mag.

 

[Jakepen]

What are parameters of new water????

Are you quizzing me???

 

[_Conway]

Are you quizzing me???

It's good practice to check new water parameters before adding. Salt mixes vary.

 

[Lonny]

Yes they do

 

[Jakepen]

It's good practice to check new water parameters before adding. Salt mixes vary.

I'll test my water when I get home than. Isn't stability more important than getting the numbers spot on?[/QUOTE]

 

[Lonny]

I wouldn't chase numbers. But,,,,,hitting those numbers consistently is a big part of stability. 1.026, 8 or 9 DKH, 420 calcium, 1350 magnesium. Are just the numbers you want to try to consistently stay close to. Not being dead on to these numbers doesn't mean you won't have success. Keeping your numbers consistently the same is most important. If you tweak them do it slowly so you don't shock your animals.

 

[_Conway]

I'll test my water when I get home than. Isn't stability more important than getting the numbers spot on?

[/QUOTE]
Yes stability is important and there is a range for those parameters you would aim for.
Personally I usually have to add some calcium to my new water to match the tank.
During the week the tank consumes so I have to dose a little kh and cal.

When I do w.c. I check new water to maintain stability.

 

[Jakepen]

Yes stability is important and there is a range for those parameters you would aim for.
Personally I usually have to add some calcium to my new water to match the tank.
During the week the tank consumes so I have to dose a little kh and cal.

When I do w.c. I check new water to maintain stability.[/QUOTE]
Really, what kind of coral do you have?

 

[Jakepen]

And I am being impatient. I know I need to hold off, on fish, especially coral. It's just to tough to wait. Once you get the tank going, just want to start filling it. Like they say, only things that happen fast in this hobby, are bad things.

 

[Lonny]

Ha ha, very true. Maybe this would be a good time to start putting money into a coral purchase fund, none of the killer corals come cheap!

 

[Gpettit721]

If you don't know what your parameters are to begin with then how will you ever be able to know what stable is... Not to mention when you add corals to a tank it's good to know the parameters of both systems in order to acclimate properly... And it may have been mentioned earlier but a QT wouldn't be a bad idea either