Is my tank ready to add fishes?

[niladride]

Hi all,

Yesterday I checked my NH3, NO2, NO3 levels. NH3 and NO2 levels are zero, NO3 is between 10-20 ppm. Does it mean my tank is cycled and ready to add fishes?

Its 6 weeks gone now till I added LR and marine pure plate 8 * 4 * 4.

Thanks,

Niladri.

[Reeferfourlife]

Looks like your good to go. But I would add cleaning crew first. Then wait for a week or two depending on how much cuc you add. Test water again. Remember to start slow on adding live stock.

[niladride]

^ Got you but cuc - I am not sure if any LFS know that term. What fauna to be added as cuc?

[homer1475]

Did your ammonia levels ever spike? Did you add an ammonia source initially to kick off the cycle?

If no ammonia source was added, then of course all your levels are 0. I'm going to assume(hate doing this), but since your nitrates are 10-20ppm, then you had an initial cycle. If that's the case, then by all means start with your CUC. Go get a fish or 2 and start TTM and QT procedures. By time they are out of QT, your tank will be good to go.

[homer1475]

CUC = Clean Up Crew

[niladride]

^

Ok got it.



I did have an ammo spike after 2 weeks of setting up tank, I do not remember the exact reading though.

But if I tell to LFS I need CUC, they won't understand anything. Please mention what fauna to be added and by how much quantity.

What I can do is I can manually add NH3 again and wait to see if it gets vanished in a day.

[pyithar]

it's up to you what kind of CUC you want and how many you want to add. and your LFS might not have all kinds of snails or crabs that you like. so it's best to go to the LFS first and see what they have, read a little about them and then decide. trochus snails, turbo snails, longspine urchins, tuxedo urchins, black cucumbers and blue legged hermits are commonly seen in my country and thailand. so it'll probably be the same for you.

[niladride]

^

Aha That's the list I wanted desperately. Urchins and snails I will look for. However, I have gone through multiple threads saying hermit crabs are bullies. They kill other fauna. Any other crab that should be safe?

[pyithar]

i'm not really a fan of crabs so i don't keep any crab except a couple of acro crabs that came with the acro colony. there're many kind of crabs like porcelain, emerald, arrow, sally lightfoot, decorator, and pom pom, etc. some of them might not be reef safe though.

[niladride]

^

Ok, me not too eager to add crabs.

I will search for cuc this weekend.

I did not get the lights though till now. I don't know what's the issue with FedEx guys or SB reef light guys, today was delivery date of the light and just now I inquired of FedEx customer care representative and to my surprise heard that the package is not yet picked up from Hong Kong. Now, that's ridiculous and frustrating.

[Sk8r]

Crabs are my favorites. Best-behaved tend to be scarlets.

[Sk8r]

Before your chemistry is ready for crabs, snails, fish, btw, you need some more tests, starting with alkalinity. That should be 8.3. See if you can get a Salifert test kit for it. Steer clear of API.

[niladride]

^

Thanks for replying Sk8r, I have a Red Sea test kit for alkalinity. Hope it will do the job? Rest I have only API now, sorry.

[Sk8r]

See if you can get Salifert brand. Red Sea should also be good. If you're eventually going to add stony coral or clam, you'll need test for magnesium, calcium, alkalinity. If fish and soft corals, alkalinity is enough. It measures how comfortable the water is for fish. Keep alkalinity between 7.9 and 9. The 8.3 is a good middle point in that range.

[niladride]

Ok I have got the following list from lfs
6th MAY UPCOMING STOCK:- Rock beauty angle(bicolor)
Six banded angel
Vermiculated angel
Majestic angel(m/s)
Blue ring angel (juv)
Royal dotty back
Blue lined dotty
Banded long fin
Golden dotty
Lined dotty
Lipropoma dotty
Black original dotty
Spotted grunt
Yellow banded sweet lips
Drawf lion (zebra)
Drawf lion (short fin)
Radiata lion
Red/black peacock lion
Valentine puffer
Assorted valentini
Whiptail threadfin bream
Yellow tailed fusilier
Unicorn fish
Brown surgeon
Clown surgeon
Orange surgeon (l/m/s)
Cuviers surgeon (juv)
Blue tang
Yellow face trigger
Humu Humu trigger (l/m/s)
Bursa trigger
Yellow box
Long finned bat fish
Orbiculate bat fish
Round face bat fish
Scarlet fin wrasse
Blustreak cleaner wrasse
Dianas hog fish
Green parrot
Green wrasse
Yellow coris
Bicolor parrot(l/m)
Blue fairy wrasse
Pacific exquisite wrasse
Yellow tailed cleaner wrasse
Soldier fish
Banner cardinal
Polka dot cardinal
Quichenot's hawkfish
Dubble barred spine foot
Yellow Foxface
Saddle back butterfly (s/m)
Copperband
Moorish idol(l/m)
Maroon clown (l/m)
True percula
Percula
African clown
Tomato clown
Assorted chromis
Bleekers damsel
Speckled damsel
Talbots damsel
Yellow tail damsel
Village belly
2stripe damsel
Green chromis
Neon damsel
Blackbar chromis
4stripe damsel
Yellow clown goby
Coloured blenny (l/m)
Yellow prawn goby
Pink bar goby
Green mandarin (l/m)
Spotted mandarin (l/m)
Scooter blenny(l/m)
Corn anemone (m)
Red corn anemone
White carpet gigantia
Bottom anemone
Milk anemone
Feather star color (4-5cm)
Cushion star
Sea urchin
Tuxedo urchin
Sea urchins
Sea apple slug
Decorator crab
Shrimp banded
Electric blue hermit crab
Flying slug
Flame scallop.

Please suggest what to get amongst these. I am totally confused.

Thanks,
Niladri.

[dweber618]

I think I saw in another post you have roughly a 100 gallon tank. I wouldn't trust an LFS with suggestions, do your research first on which fish to purchase. Are you going to have coral? It will be a deciding factor in which fish you purchase (ie angels are not typically reef safe, it can be hit or miss). Liveaquaria is a great resource for tank size limitations I see several NO's for your list based on your tank size off the bat. Given your tank size, I would say NO to any triggers, tangs (except for small ones, kole, etc), no to mandarins (your tank is too new), large angels...there is a large list of no's. You will need to just look around and see what you think you want.

Add fish SLOWLY, one, or two, at a time. Your biofilter will need time to adjust after each addition (a month or two). You should really consider setting up a Quarantine procedure for your new fish. Read around and figure out what you are comfortable with, it can be done several different ways. Also pay attention to the order you add fish, docile less aggressive fish need to be added first, and more aggressive fish added last.


Rock beauty angle(bicolor)
Six banded angelNO
Vermiculated angelNO
Majestic angel(m/s)NO
Blue ring angel (juv)NO
Royal dotty back
Blue lined dotty
Banded long fin
Golden dotty
Lined dotty
Lipropoma dotty
Black original dotty
Spotted grunt
Yellow banded sweet lips
Drawf lion (zebra) NO no unless you want an aggressive tank
Drawf lion (short fin)NO no unless you want an aggressive tank
Radiata lionNO no unless you want an aggressive tank
Red/black peacock lionNO no unless you want an aggressive tank
Valentine puffer
Assorted valentini
Whiptail threadfin bream
Yellow tailed fusilier
Unicorn fishNO
Brown surgeonNO
Clown surgeonNO
Orange surgeon (l/m/s)NO
Cuviers surgeon (juv)NO
Blue tang NO
Yellow face triggerNO
Humu Humu trigger (l/m/s)NO
Bursa triggerNO
Yellow box
Long finned bat fishNO
Orbiculate bat fishNO
Round face bat fishNO
Scarlet fin wrasse
Blustreak cleaner wrasse
Dianas hog fish
Green parrot(l/m)NO
Green wrasse
Yellow coris
Bicolor parrot(l/m)NO
Blue fairy wrasse
Pacific exquisite wrasse
Yellow tailed cleaner wrasse
Soldier fish
Banner cardinal
Polka dot cardinal
Quichenot's hawkfish
Dubble barred spine foot
Yellow FoxfaceNO
Saddle back butterfly (s/m)
Copperband
Moorish idol(l/m) NO
Maroon clown (l/m)NO - really mean and should be added last if you want one
True percula
Percula
African clown
Tomato clownNO - really mean, should be added last if at all
Assorted chromis
Bleekers damsel
Speckled damsel
Talbots damsel
Yellow tail damsel
Village belly
2stripe damsel
Green chromis
Neon damsel
Blackbar chromis
4stripe damsel - can be really mean
Yellow clown goby
Coloured blenny (l/m)
Yellow prawn goby
Pink bar goby
Green mandarin (l/m)NO need set up system with lots of pods
Spotted mandarin (l/m)NO need set up system with lots of pods
Scooter blenny(l/m)NO need set up system with lots of pods

[niladride]

^

Thanks a lot, that's a really to the point prompt response.



I really wanted to add a foxface, my tank is 4.5 feet long and 2 feet width, will it be very stressful for 1 foxface?

Also, should I add 2-3 fishes for the first time or only 1 fish? Can you please suggest what to add first, clown fish or damsel? I have read that both are hardy beginner fishes?

I won't add any wrasse as I plan to keep mandarin in future, hence, do not want any pod competition.

Can I add urchins and crabs? What crab should be peaceful/do not kill fishes?

[dweber618]

I would go with a one spot foxface, they still get big, but are smaller than the other foxfaces. I wouldn't add the damsel first, I did that and he ended up being a terror and was pretty aggressive to new smaller fish. Clowns are technically damsels as well, if you have an established pair they can become aggressive - but I think you'd be okay to start with them since they wouldn't be established yet (I'm not 100% on that though). You should by them small to ensure you don't end up with two same sex fish. Buying them small means one will establish dominance and eventually transition to female. I wouldn't add more than 2 fish at a time. From personal experience it's tough on the bioload, and I'd you QT it can be pretty stressful on the fish. Also - I wouldn't get an anemone yet either (you didn't mention it) but, they need established tanks to do well, and clowns don't need them. I have a tuxedo urchin which I love - but they graze on coraline and other algae build up, so you should probably wait a bit.

As far as crabs go - I've seen mixed reviews. I have one hermit in my 100 gallon, and he has been known to eat snails. It's a gamble, Im only comfortable with one hermit in my rank as some other crabs can be much more destructive. Don't buy a crab cuz it looks cool, that almost never ends well. Look around the inverts section in live aquaria and do some googling on crabs that interest you.

[dweber618]

Also - adding the clowns first depends on the type, ocellaris and true percs would be OK... Maroon clowns and tomato clowns would be a no-go as first fish. Again that depends on what you want for your tank.

Personal recommendation - I've got a longnose hawkfish I love. Midas Benny's are really cool. Dartfish look cool, but are very timid..

[niladride]

^

Thanks a lot again for your to the point responses. I would add a pair of true percula first and see what happens. Ok, I will wait to add urchins. What cuc should I add for my tank? Sump + tank volume is 150 gallons.

Tank dimensions 4.5 * 2 * 1.5 (L * W * H)

Thanks,

Niladri.

[dweber618]

I don't think there is a really set guideline for CUC - my LFS told me 1 snail per gallon, but that seems like a lot especially for a new tank. For a new-ish tank I would start with something smaller.

I got my CUC from reef cleaners . org. They have packages for different tank sizes, and the snails in the packages are all considered to be pretty standard, ceriths, nerites, and nassarius snails. I personally love nassarius snails and think they are a must have - very cool to watch them crawl up out of the sand when you feed. I've never had luck keeping turbo's alive for some reason (even with a lot of hair algae) - so I gave up on those. I would say you could had 50-70 snails and be good. CUC are typically something you replenish every so often...my tank has become more established (it's about 9 months old now) and has a lot more growth - so I'm looking at buying more here soon. I would stay start with a smaller amount, and if they all seem to be surviving and doing well, add more a few months down the line.

[bat21]

I see Pacific Exquisite Wrasse on there. That is much less common than the African version, and also much cooler looking. It would be perfect for that size tank. But I'm very partial. I've just always loved that fish. Beautiful green and red coloring.

[niladride]

^

Thanks to both of you for replying. I would ask LFS specifically for snails and if possible crabs.



I do not want to add a wrasse as down the line I will add a pair of mandarin gobies. Hence, I want to minimize pod eating competition.

[niladride]

Hi,

I will get my first fishes most probably on Thursday, 1 true percula and 1 African clown. Is the choice OK?

I have kept freshwater cichlids from Malawi for 2+ years, south american cichlids for 2+ years. I think I should try to provide lots of hiding places to reduce aggression.

[chefbill]

The usual recommendation is to stay to just one species of clown.