When can I Add Corals??

layer3switchguy · 08/08/2006, 11:53 AM

Hi folks,

At what point in the life of a reef tank is it safe to consider adding corals? Strictly beginners corals...

Thanks,
L3

spoiledcats · 08/08/2006, 12:12 PM

After your tank has cycled, you might want to start with some mushrooms. Those were my first, and they have been through everything and survived.

reefnetworth · 08/08/2006, 12:13 PM

the time frame is crutial. wanting to place corals, and the time to place corals depends on the lenght of parameters being carefully watched and stable for at least 3-6 months. LPS may be OK after 3 months if all the criteria are intact. if you have parameter swings due to overfeeding, overcrowding, or neglect. then you wait untill stablity is completely uniform. if you have been doing everything to the best of your knowledge and experience to meet the demands of the tank and your parameters are maintained you are OK to add. but, it must be done in a timely manner. one coral a month, let the tank stabilize everytime you add something it changes the parameters. not so much that its noticed through testing. but its noticed to the bacteria. hope this helps, and best of luck. patience is your best friend in the reef. REEF-ON!

AktionJaxsun · 08/08/2006, 12:16 PM

To answer this question we would have to know more about the history of your current tank i.e. how long has your tank been cycling, what have been your water parameters, what spikes in ammonia, nitrates, nitrites have you seen; did you use cured/uncured live rock????

From what I have learned and heard through word of mouth is that your tank still remains in a cycle process for 6 months or more. The initial cycling of your tank may only take a month or so, but you may continue to have problems with various algae for months after that. These may not always cause problems for your corals, but they can be a pain to get rid especially if you have corals in there.

IMO I would wait to make sure over a few months that I can maintain the appropriate water parameters needed for a SW tank. Then I would start adding stuff slowly. I rushed too quickly to start adding corals and fish to my first tank and ended up killing a lot of stuff because I didn't know what I was doing and ran into a lot problems that I didn't expect. It was a waste of money and not only that a waste of life.

Hope that helps.

layer3switchguy · 08/08/2006, 12:25 PM

Thanks guys. The tank is 2 weeks old with 100 pounds of cured live rock. I think it makes sense for me to wait a few more months...

sir_dudeguy · 08/08/2006, 12:56 PM

imo, you dont have to wait a few months to add small begginer stuff like mushrooms and polyps. You've got cured rock, so by now, your tank is prolly cycled, if you even saw any cycle at all. but i'd wait just another 2 weeks after its been cycled to add stuff, just to be sure. But for all those harder corals, i would wait at least 3-6 months like said above.

Twisted · 08/08/2006, 01:12 PM

I put polyps, shrooms, leather trees, xenias, kenya tree, a shrimp, horse shoe crab, jawfish, clown, and boxer crab in my tank between 2 week and one month into my tank, the only casualty so far has been the clown, who just never adapted to my tank, he didn't eat.

The coral were a mix of given to me and gathered at a small frag swap, so no to little money into them.
worried wether they would survive, a friend sold me some pink pulse xenias and told me they are the canary in the mine shaft, If they close up start looking for a problem, they are very tempermental.

I am into the tank 7 weeks now I think with the clown being the only failure.
I started with 2 bags of live sand, 15 pounds of live rock, and about 10 gallons of water from a friends established tank.

I am sure some people here will say I have just been lucky, and I am sure to a point that I have been, but I have watched my tank daily, and been adding b-ionics 2 part system since the second week, and also been adding nutrients.

sir_dudeguy · 08/08/2006, 01:34 PM

you did kinda what i did. I didnt go so fast tho, only cuz i didnt have lights yet. But if all your water params are good, i dont see why not to add some easy corals to start. I've never heard about the xenia being like that, but i'm sure they prolly are. But i do know that lots of people (and myself) use green star polyps as a kind of indicater coral...they're always the first to show any signs of bad water quality or whatever, but they're so hardy they always pull thru anyways.

but anyways, i got my lights at about the same time my tank was done cycling and when i went to get my lights the guy thru in a bunch of freebie corals at the same time...mostly just polyps and a mushroom or 2. I also had no clue how to glue them and i'm sure i did a couple other things that wasnt so good for them before i actually got them in the tank lol. But they opened up immediately nonetheless, and have never closed up (besides when the lights go out

)

but i'd suggest xenia, gsp, pretty much any polyp mushroom, and all that stuff to start off

MJAnderson · 08/08/2006, 02:15 PM

After 4 weeks I put in a toadstool frag and green star polyps someone gave me. 2 weeks later dropped in a 3 polyp zoa. All did fine. I'm still figuring out a dosing schedule and have some algae so I'm waiting for a while on anything else.

kass03 · 08/08/2006, 03:03 PM

Just remember to go slow and only add a little at once. If it does well then add some more.

Whenever you add anything to a tank no matter how long it's been set up the good bacteria have to catch up to the load.
Corals arent as bad as fish because fish need to be fed and pee poop but still attribute to the load.

If you add too much at once and the bacteria can't keep up the ammonia will go up.

You did'nt say if the ammonia went up and the tank cycled at all?
Sometimes they still do with cured rock especially if it's shipped to you and has some die off.
You want to wait until the ammonia and nitrite are at 0
Then maybe add a small cheap coral and see how it does and go from there.

kass

Teremei · 08/08/2006, 03:11 PM

My tank is only just over a month old. But it's god a DSB and lots of prime live rock and a sump and refugium with a big skimmer and lots of plants.

I have mushrooms, zoos, feather dusters, a big speghetti leather, and some hemeileda plant. All doing fine.

08/08/2006, 11:53 AM	#1
layer3switchguy Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Southern NJ Posts: 843	When can I Add Corals?? Hi folks, At what point in the life of a reef tank is it safe to consider adding corals? Strictly beginners corals... Thanks, L3 __________________ 120g Oceanic Tech (48x24x24) 90lbs of Live Rock ATB Small Cone ATI 8 Bulb Powermodule (T5) 2 Vortech MP40W Prodibio Profilux P3ex Controlled Current Tank Info: 120g Oceanic Tech

08/08/2006, 12:13 PM	#3
reefnetworth Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 3,810	the time frame is crutial. wanting to place corals, and the time to place corals depends on the lenght of parameters being carefully watched and stable for at least 3-6 months. LPS may be OK after 3 months if all the criteria are intact. if you have parameter swings due to overfeeding, overcrowding, or neglect. then you wait untill stablity is completely uniform. if you have been doing everything to the best of your knowledge and experience to meet the demands of the tank and your parameters are maintained you are OK to add. but, it must be done in a timely manner. one coral a month, let the tank stabilize everytime you add something it changes the parameters. not so much that its noticed through testing. but its noticed to the bacteria. hope this helps, and best of luck. patience is your best friend in the reef. REEF-ON! __________________ GIVE A MAN A FISH, YOU FEED HIM FOR A DAY. TEACH A MAN TO FISH, HE FEEDS HIMSELF FOR LIFE. (NEVER, underestimate another man's greed) Current Tank Info: SPS dominated barebottom display with BB sump since 2005, most consistant parameters in 19+ years of reefkeeping.

08/08/2006, 12:25 PM	#5
layer3switchguy Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Southern NJ Posts: 843	Thanks guys. The tank is 2 weeks old with 100 pounds of cured live rock. I think it makes sense for me to wait a few more months... __________________ 120g Oceanic Tech (48x24x24) 90lbs of Live Rock ATB Small Cone ATI 8 Bulb Powermodule (T5) 2 Vortech MP40W Prodibio Profilux P3ex Controlled Current Tank Info: 120g Oceanic Tech

08/08/2006, 12:56 PM	#6
sir_dudeguy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10,841	imo, you dont have to wait a few months to add small begginer stuff like mushrooms and polyps. You've got cured rock, so by now, your tank is prolly cycled, if you even saw any cycle at all. but i'd wait just another 2 weeks after its been cycled to add stuff, just to be sure. But for all those harder corals, i would wait at least 3-6 months like said above. __________________ TAKE...LUCK!!!

08/08/2006, 01:34 PM	#8
sir_dudeguy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10,841	you did kinda what i did. I didnt go so fast tho, only cuz i didnt have lights yet. But if all your water params are good, i dont see why not to add some easy corals to start. I've never heard about the xenia being like that, but i'm sure they prolly are. But i do know that lots of people (and myself) use green star polyps as a kind of indicater coral...they're always the first to show any signs of bad water quality or whatever, but they're so hardy they always pull thru anyways. but anyways, i got my lights at about the same time my tank was done cycling and when i went to get my lights the guy thru in a bunch of freebie corals at the same time...mostly just polyps and a mushroom or 2. I also had no clue how to glue them and i'm sure i did a couple other things that wasnt so good for them before i actually got them in the tank lol. But they opened up immediately nonetheless, and have never closed up (besides when the lights go out ) but i'd suggest xenia, gsp, pretty much any polyp mushroom, and all that stuff to start off __________________ TAKE...LUCK!!!

08/08/2006, 12:12 PM	#2
spoiledcats Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Lehigh Valley Posts: 622	After your tank has cycled, you might want to start with some mushrooms. Those were my first, and they have been through everything and survived.

08/08/2006, 12:16 PM	#4
AktionJaxsun Registered Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Redondo Beach, CA Posts: 203	To answer this question we would have to know more about the history of your current tank i.e. how long has your tank been cycling, what have been your water parameters, what spikes in ammonia, nitrates, nitrites have you seen; did you use cured/uncured live rock???? From what I have learned and heard through word of mouth is that your tank still remains in a cycle process for 6 months or more. The initial cycling of your tank may only take a month or so, but you may continue to have problems with various algae for months after that. These may not always cause problems for your corals, but they can be a pain to get rid especially if you have corals in there. IMO I would wait to make sure over a few months that I can maintain the appropriate water parameters needed for a SW tank. Then I would start adding stuff slowly. I rushed too quickly to start adding corals and fish to my first tank and ended up killing a lot of stuff because I didn't know what I was doing and ran into a lot problems that I didn't expect. It was a waste of money and not only that a waste of life. Hope that helps.

08/08/2006, 01:12 PM	#7
Twisted Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Redding, CA Posts: 1,221	I put polyps, shrooms, leather trees, xenias, kenya tree, a shrimp, horse shoe crab, jawfish, clown, and boxer crab in my tank between 2 week and one month into my tank, the only casualty so far has been the clown, who just never adapted to my tank, he didn't eat. The coral were a mix of given to me and gathered at a small frag swap, so no to little money into them. worried wether they would survive, a friend sold me some pink pulse xenias and told me they are the canary in the mine shaft, If they close up start looking for a problem, they are very tempermental. I am into the tank 7 weeks now I think with the clown being the only failure. I started with 2 bags of live sand, 15 pounds of live rock, and about 10 gallons of water from a friends established tank. I am sure some people here will say I have just been lucky, and I am sure to a point that I have been, but I have watched my tank daily, and been adding b-ionics 2 part system since the second week, and also been adding nutrients.

08/08/2006, 02:15 PM	#9
MJAnderson Premium Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: East Bay, CA Posts: 2,633	After 4 weeks I put in a toadstool frag and green star polyps someone gave me. 2 weeks later dropped in a 3 polyp zoa. All did fine. I'm still figuring out a dosing schedule and have some algae so I'm waiting for a while on anything else.

08/08/2006, 03:03 PM	#10
kass03 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Kaukauna, Wi Posts: 2,937	Just remember to go slow and only add a little at once. If it does well then add some more. Whenever you add anything to a tank no matter how long it's been set up the good bacteria have to catch up to the load. Corals arent as bad as fish because fish need to be fed and pee poop but still attribute to the load. If you add too much at once and the bacteria can't keep up the ammonia will go up. You did'nt say if the ammonia went up and the tank cycled at all? Sometimes they still do with cured rock especially if it's shipped to you and has some die off. You want to wait until the ammonia and nitrite are at 0 Then maybe add a small cheap coral and see how it does and go from there. kass

08/08/2006, 03:11 PM	#11
Teremei Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: West Chicago (one hour west) Posts: 2,751	My tank is only just over a month old. But it's god a DSB and lots of prime live rock and a sump and refugium with a big skimmer and lots of plants. I have mushrooms, zoos, feather dusters, a big speghetti leather, and some hemeileda plant. All doing fine.