When to start adding corals

[Sonatine]

My tank has been running for around a month now. Cycle was completed with bottled bacteria, and the tank (a 32.5gal fluval flex AIO) houses a couple clownfish, a bicolor blenny, and a few snails.
Parameters:
Ammonia = 0 (safe on the seachem badge, which I got when I became tired of the API test lying to me)
Nitrites = 0
nitrates = 0-5 (API strikes again, but I can at least tell they're low)
Phos = 0.05-0.1
SG = 1.025
Temp = 78-79 F
Haven't tested calcium, Mg, or alkalinity yet, but I can pick up more tests if/when necessary. I've read conflicting info on which is necessary for soft corals.

Lighting is just the one that came with the tank. It's an LED and I can adjust the timing as well as the intensity of different colors of light. I'd rather stick to the one bulb if I can; I suspect adding a second will make the tank's temperature difficult to manage and I'm not sure I'm handy enough to install anything to fix that.

The tank was started with live sand and dry rock, with the exception of one decent sized live rock chunk that I bought. Water comes from my LFS; since I live in an apartment, I'm not sure that making my own RODI and salt water is really practical, and transporting 5-10 gallons of water every week or two is annoying but doable.

I've read that it's best to wait until after the algae bloom(s) hit, but I haven't really had any blooms (maybe they're still on their way). The live rock is coated with some reddish algae (looks like it's coralline) along with a little green algae that has been fairly slow growing over the last few weeks, and the dry rocks have some red and green algae growing on them. I keep the lights on a timer (was just keeping them off, but the fish seem to behave more normally when I gave them a day/night cycle).

Can anyone offer any idea as to when I might start adding a hardy softie or two?

 

[Lavey29]

I waited almost 4 months before turning my lights on and adding coral. This allowed my tank to develop biodiversity and microfauna which made my subsequent ugly phases very manageable.

 

[Mark Bradley]

I didn’t add a coral for about 13 weeks. I established the fish, and CUC, I wanted. I also spent the time watching numerous videos on the different corals and their needs. I initially had a light that offered so many adjustments that it was confusing - I sought advice on the forums and got told numerous regimes. In the end I bought a Redsea LED that’s incredibly simple and works great imo.
My LFS, who propagates corals, was a fantastic help in picking corals that suited the maturity of my tank as I went along.
My advice is don’t rush, do your research and seek advice of the quality of the kit you have - it’s not a particularly cheap hobby and you don’t want to spend good money on corals only to learn your lighting and/or flow, for example, isn’t suitable.

 

[Sonatine]

I didn’t add a coral for about 13 weeks. I established the fish, and CUC, I wanted. I also spent the time watching numerous videos on the different corals and their needs. I initially had a light that offered so many adjustments that it was confusing - I sought advice on the forums and got told numerous regimes. In the end I bought a Redsea LED that’s incredibly simple and works great imo.
My LFS, who propagates corals, was a fantastic help in picking corals that suited the maturity of my tank as I went along.
My advice is don’t rush, do your research and seek advice of the quality of the kit you have - it’s not a particularly cheap hobby and you don’t want to spend good money on corals only to learn your lighting and/or flow, for example, isn’t suitable.

Luckily I've got a good LFS, and I'm sure they'll help me pick some appropriate corals when the time is right (I'll do my own research, of course, but reading alone isn't always enough for me).

As for when that time is... I know "now" isn't the right answer, and that's fine. I'm still gradually adding fish, CUC. Watching a tank grow and mature is fascinating; one day I have a bunch of bare rocks, then a few weeks later they're all pink, green, brown, purple. Little flecks moving in the water column and on the glass (one of the snails brought in some pods).

For now I think I'll keep observing it, rather than trying to set a date for corals. I'll probably need to up my bioload anyway first. Nitrates are almost always undetectable still (and I haven't even turned on the skimmer yet), and even the toughest soft corals need to eat.

 

[Lavey29]

Luckily I've got a good LFS, and I'm sure they'll help me pick some appropriate corals when the time is right (I'll do my own research, of course, but reading alone isn't always enough for me).

As for when that time is... I know "now" isn't the right answer, and that's fine. I'm still gradually adding fish, CUC. Watching a tank grow and mature is fascinating; one day I have a bunch of bare rocks, then a few weeks later they're all pink, green, brown, purple. Little flecks moving in the water column and on the glass (one of the snails brought in some pods).

For now I think I'll keep observing it, rather than trying to set a date for corals. I'll probably need to up my bioload anyway first. Nitrates are almost always undetectable still (and I haven't even turned on the skimmer yet), and even the toughest soft corals need to eat.

Smart move, if you continue to build your biodiversity and microfauna you will be much better off when the ugly phases start. You won't sit back and watch corals smothered and die. I highly recommend PNS probio as a natural bacteria supplement to help expand your biome. Adding more fish and feeding more will bring your nitrates where they should be.

 

[trainbob]

Waiting for coraline algae may be a good idea

 

[Sonatine]

Waiting for coraline algae may be a good idea

I might or might not already have some. There's a lot of pink growth on my rocks that won't scrub off, but I've showed the picture here in another thread and at my LFS and gotten guesses of coralline, cyano, and diatoms (I think it's probably a mix of all three, as the rocks have a good bit of pink, green, and brown).

Whatever it is, the margarita snails like it. One of them has its shell completely encrusted with coralline (I had assumed that most margarita snails had purple shells until I bought a few more and they were "cleaner"), so even if what I have now isn't it, it's in the tank and will take over the rocks eventually, I think.

 

[Lavey29]

I might or might not already have some. There's a lot of pink growth on my rocks that won't scrub off, but I've showed the picture here in another thread and at my LFS and gotten guesses of coralline, cyano, and diatoms (I think it's probably a mix of all three, as the rocks have a good bit of pink, green, and brown).

Whatever it is, the margarita snails like it. One of them has its shell completely encrusted with coralline (I had assumed that most margarita snails had purple shells until I bought a few more and they were "cleaner"), so even if what I have now isn't it, it's in the tank and will take over the rocks eventually, I think.

Coraline typically shows up on plastic parts like powerheads first around 4 to 6 months if you seeded it. Rocks around 10 months for coraline typically. My rocks changed all sorts of colors like you described when the tank was new but certain coraline started on the powerheads at 6 months then later my rocks. Live ocean rocks will expedite the process greatly though.

 

[Idech]

Waiting for coraline algae may be a good idea

Why ? It just depletes magnesium.

 

[Lavey29]

Why ? It just depletes magnesium.

Uh, magnesium goes down at a fraction compared to alk and calcium only 1/10th compared to them. Coraline does use calcium though.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I add corals on any new tank when numbers are stable and fish (who will help feed these coral) are doing well. Im generally at 2-3 months when this occurs.

 

[Idech]

Uh, magnesium goes down at a fraction compared to alk and calcium only 1/10th compared to them. Coraline does use calcium though.

Not in my tank. Alk is high and magnesium depleted because of coralline.

 

[Lavey29]

Not in my tank. Alk is high and magnesium depleted because of coralline.

You probably need to get a second opinion test. Mag doesn't drop like alk.

 

[ClownSchool]

I waited almost 4 months before turning my lights on and adding coral. This allowed my tank to develop biodiversity and microfauna which made my subsequent ugly phases very manageable.

Not in my tank. Alk is high and magnesium depleted because of coralline.

That’s weird. Coralline growth in my tank drove down alkalinity the most, but my salt mix is high in mag @ 1440, so maybe I just didn’t realize that my water changes have been correcting it.

 

[Lavey29]

That’s weird. Coralline growth in my tank drove down alkalinity the most, but my salt mix is high in mag @ 1440, so maybe I just didn’t realize that my water changes have been correcting it.

Alk and calcium deplete proportionally together however some salt mixes are high in calcium so you may not notice the calcium depletion in your tank compared to alk. The other thing that slows alk depletion is high nitrates.

 

[ClownSchool]

Alk and calcium deplete proportionally together however some salt mixes are high in calcium so you may not notice the calcium depletion in your tank compared to alk. The other thing that slows alk depletion is high nitrates.

My salt mix’s calcium is only 440, so I would’ve seen it drop proportionally, but it didn’t. And, I dose nitrates.

 

[Lavey29]

My salt mix’s calcium is only 440, so I would’ve seen it drop proportionally, but it didn’t. And, I dose nitrates.

Well if you read some of Randy's articles you will see the relationship between alk and calcium and how they are proportionally related. They deplete proportionally and should be dosed in a 1:1 ratio however some variables such as a nitrate spike may unbalance the proportional relationship. For every 2.8DKH used 18 to 20ppm of calcium is used.

 

[Jake4727]

I added corals at one month. Not saying this is a good idea but in my experience mushrooms are great starter.

 

[ClownSchool]

Well if you read some of Randy's articles you will see the relationship between alk and calcium and how they are proportionally related. They deplete proportionally and should be dosed in a 1:1 ratio however some variables such as a nitrate spike may unbalance the proportional relationship. For every 2.8DKH used 18 to 20ppm of calcium is used.

The article also says mag plays a part as well, and can even affect the accuracy of a calcium test. You even admitted nitrate levels can impact that ratio. No two tanks are the same; pH can even affect the consumption ratio.

 

[ClownSchool]

Why ? It just depletes magnesium.

It wasn’t a suggestion to encourage coralline. Just a suggestion to use as an indicator along the road to maturity.