started tank 10/19 with SW and LS, added base rock 11/11

infoe · 11/15/2010, 05:37 PM

the parameters in my tank were at where they needed to be by the first week of November, I added the base rock on 11/11/2010 with not much of a change in parameters. I have one trochus snail in there just moving right along...don't know what he's surviving off of cause theres not much in the tank cept the one pellet of fish food i've been putting in there daily.

Have a few questions,

when should i start my water changes?

being that I only have base rock in my 55g and LS (not planning on seeding with LR), I was planning on having astrea, trochus and cerith snails and possibly a hermit or two in the future. How many should i be at or get in the near future in terms of CUC?

with all my parameters being in place after the fish has been QT'ed when can i put one in there?

(I don't know what i want in terms of fish) but I do know I want a goby a regal tang (a small one and give away or sell when gets 1"-2") and a clown other than that dont know what i want, but dont know when it's safe to start...

I'm patient so I won't mind wait a little long answers.

muttley000 · 11/15/2010, 06:01 PM

If you had good live sand a pellet a day may not be enough for you to measure an ammonia spike. Try putting a uncooked shrimp in the tank. If after a week you don't have any ammonia or nitrite I would say you are good to go. I personally wouldn't get a clean up crew in the tank until you get some algae growing.

muttley000 · 11/15/2010, 06:03 PM

I put my first fish in QT after my levels got to zero in my dispay And the qt tank This gave the display another 6 weeks to mature.

bertoni · 11/15/2010, 08:07 PM

You can add snails as they're needed. Otherwise, they'll just go hungry. I'd try feeding the tank a bit of fish food every day for a week, and see whether any ammonia spike happens. If not, the tank is ready for a small fish. I wouldn't put a tang in there, no matter what the size, but the smaller clownfish, like percula and ocellaris, should be fine.

infoe · 11/16/2010, 12:30 PM

I guess my question would be, how will I know when their needed? I've searched for a good thread but havent found.

jpc763 · 11/16/2010, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infoe

I guess my question would be, how will I know when their needed? I've searched for a good thread but havent found.

They will be needed as soon as you start populating the tank with fish. They clean up waste in the form of fish poop and leftover food (as well as stuff growing).

How did you cycle your tank in October?

Muttley000's idea is sound as far as putting an uncooked shrimp in there to see if you get an ammonia spike.

Floowid · 11/16/2010, 03:26 PM

If all you have is sand, water, and one dead rock, I don't think you have much denitrifying bacteria in your tank. In my opinion you really didn't cycle much of anything, with just one pellet of food a day and not much surface area for bacteria. Add fish with caution, and only one at a time.

My real recommendation is to add some real live rock, a dead shrimp, and let that thing sit for another month like that, but I know that wont go over well.

bertoni · 11/16/2010, 03:51 PM

If you see algal films on the tank walls or rock, you can get some snails to clean it up. If the tank looks okay as is, they're not needed.

I wouldn't put a whole shrimp in the tank, but it'll work. It's overkill, and the smell can be nasty.

infoe · 11/16/2010, 05:57 PM

it's not one dead rock, it's 9 large pieces of base rock...i understand that doesnt make much of a difference...I had the live sand and the water in there for a while...while I may not have had much of a cycle I'm not opposed to doing the piece of shrimp...but i'd rather not if i dont have to. I've been following bertoni's advice on small piece of food a day.

infoe · 11/16/2010, 06:33 PM

seems i had a little ammonia spike...my paramaters are all normal except for ammonia that has gone from 0 to .25...what should i expect at this point? how should i proceed?

am I on a mini-cycle?

rdmcgraw · 11/16/2010, 10:16 PM

Dont add fish until the ammonia is 0 and the nitrites are 0. Then spike it with double what youve been feeding for three days and see if it causes a new spike... If not, then id say you could get one fish, but make sure its a hardy fish

11/15/2010, 05:37 PM	#1
infoe Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 41	started tank 10/19 with SW and LS, added base rock 11/11 the parameters in my tank were at where they needed to be by the first week of November, I added the base rock on 11/11/2010 with not much of a change in parameters. I have one trochus snail in there just moving right along...don't know what he's surviving off of cause theres not much in the tank cept the one pellet of fish food i've been putting in there daily. Have a few questions, when should i start my water changes? being that I only have base rock in my 55g and LS (not planning on seeding with LR), I was planning on having astrea, trochus and cerith snails and possibly a hermit or two in the future. How many should i be at or get in the near future in terms of CUC? with all my parameters being in place after the fish has been QT'ed when can i put one in there? (I don't know what i want in terms of fish) but I do know I want a goby a regal tang (a small one and give away or sell when gets 1"-2") and a clown other than that dont know what i want, but dont know when it's safe to start... I'm patient so I won't mind wait a little long answers.

11/15/2010, 06:01 PM	#2
muttley000 MTS Sufferer! Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: NW Ohio Posts: 1,926	If you had good live sand a pellet a day may not be enough for you to measure an ammonia spike. Try putting a uncooked shrimp in the tank. If after a week you don't have any ammonia or nitrite I would say you are good to go. I personally wouldn't get a clean up crew in the tank until you get some algae growing. __________________ Next step on the system is adding A 90 gallon! Current Tank Info: 475 multitank system is now running! Several hundred gallons of additions planned!

11/15/2010, 06:03 PM	#3
muttley000 MTS Sufferer! Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: NW Ohio Posts: 1,926	I put my first fish in QT after my levels got to zero in my dispay And the qt tank This gave the display another 6 weeks to mature. __________________ Next step on the system is adding A 90 gallon! Current Tank Info: 475 multitank system is now running! Several hundred gallons of additions planned!

11/15/2010, 08:07 PM	#4
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	You can add snails as they're needed. Otherwise, they'll just go hungry. I'd try feeding the tank a bit of fish food every day for a week, and see whether any ammonia spike happens. If not, the tank is ready for a small fish. I wouldn't put a tang in there, no matter what the size, but the smaller clownfish, like percula and ocellaris, should be fine. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

11/16/2010, 03:26 PM	#7
Floowid Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Centerville, UT Posts: 712	If all you have is sand, water, and one dead rock, I don't think you have much denitrifying bacteria in your tank. In my opinion you really didn't cycle much of anything, with just one pellet of food a day and not much surface area for bacteria. Add fish with caution, and only one at a time. My real recommendation is to add some real live rock, a dead shrimp, and let that thing sit for another month like that, but I know that wont go over well. __________________ 75 gallon mixed reef

11/16/2010, 12:30 PM	#5
infoe Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 41	I guess my question would be, how will I know when their needed? I've searched for a good thread but havent found.

11/16/2010, 03:51 PM	#8
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	If you see algal films on the tank walls or rock, you can get some snails to clean it up. If the tank looks okay as is, they're not needed. I wouldn't put a whole shrimp in the tank, but it'll work. It's overkill, and the smell can be nasty. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

11/16/2010, 05:57 PM	#9
infoe Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 41	it's not one dead rock, it's 9 large pieces of base rock...i understand that doesnt make much of a difference...I had the live sand and the water in there for a while...while I may not have had much of a cycle I'm not opposed to doing the piece of shrimp...but i'd rather not if i dont have to. I've been following bertoni's advice on small piece of food a day.

11/16/2010, 06:33 PM	#10
infoe Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 41	seems i had a little ammonia spike...my paramaters are all normal except for ammonia that has gone from 0 to .25...what should i expect at this point? how should i proceed? am I on a mini-cycle?

11/16/2010, 10:16 PM	#11
rdmcgraw Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 51	Dont add fish until the ammonia is 0 and the nitrites are 0. Then spike it with double what youve been feeding for three days and see if it causes a new spike... If not, then id say you could get one fish, but make sure its a hardy fish __________________ Proud Member of the Florida Panhandle Reefkeepers Society

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