Beginners Advice

[Djbetterly]

So my tank has been cycling now for about two weeks now and my water is making good progress, my ammonia is at 0, nitrates at 10, and nitrites at 5. I know it has a ways to go but I have a few simple questions.

I'm assuming that once the parameters are all at 0, it doesn't necessarily mean you should run right out and put live stock in it correct? But how long should I give it?

What should I first start to add? Clean up crew? Fish?

Best advice for a newbie?

 

[andylee]

Nitrates will not drop without elaborate stuff. That is generally controlled by dilution through water changes. Once nitrite drops to 0, I would do a largish water change to drop nitrate and then you should be good to go.

 

[skene]

You should do some research regarding the nitrogen cycle for saltwater tanks. That way you can get a better understanding of how it works and how bacteria colonize and full duration of the cycle.
Once you comprehend the cycle in entirety, then you will understand how you should properly begin to stock the tank, as there is no right way but there are plenty of wrong ways.

 

[andylee]

Add livestock slowly and check parameters frequently. Its easy to start a mini cycle.

 

[prattreef]

Agreed. Then you can start adding livestock SLOWLY. How large is the tank? Clean up crew and 1 or 2 smaller hardy fish and perhaps a really hardy test invertebrate like a mushroom anemome and see how it goes.

 

[Djbetterly]

The tank is a Solana 34. I'm not in any rush, definitely want to take my time and do things right. As time goes on I'll be upgrading the components as well. All help is appreciated. I hope I can return the favor eventually.

 

[masterswimmer]

Nitrates will not drop without elaborate stuff. That is generally controlled by dilution through water changes. Once nitrite drops to 0, I would do a largish water change to drop nitrate and then you should be good to go.

Spot on mate........

Agree with SLOWLY adding livestock. Start with a small cleanup crew and a fish or two.

You NEED to add some critters when the cycle is complete because the bacteria levels will drop if there is no waste for them to process. In order to sustain the bacteria they need waste.

Keep testing the water after you add livestock to check for additional ammonia spikes.

Russ

 

[noelskii]

Check this thread out for some cool Solana mods.

 

[Donewiththisplace]

When u do add fish...add a hardy fish that you wouldnt mind having in your tank. Odds are that getting him out will not be easy.

 

[bartmalave]

dansel r great u can also and affordable

 

[skene]

and Damsels are going to be hard to get rid of as well... when you no longer want them there.

 

[Djbetterly]

So I'm pretty confident that my tank is completely cycled. The nitrites and ammonia have been zero for well over a week now. I did a 25% water change today and will give it a few more days to settle and recheck the nitrate levels. Currently my tank has no light, but I plan to get one this week. Other than that I'd like to start putting something living in there. I know a lot of people have said start with hearty fish, or should I start with something a bit lighter like a clean up crew? I have no problems starting slow, I have no need to rush. Thoughts and advice are appreciated.

Thank you!
Dustin

 

[fjpod]

Don't go too long without livestock. I would add a small fish or two right away (chromis), and before the cleanup crew. Without waste, there is nothing for the cuc to feed on. I wouldn't consider the cycling to be complete until some fishes have lived there for a while.

 

[masterswimmer]

Don't go too long without livestock. I would add a small fish or two right away (chromis), and before the cleanup crew. Without waste, there is nothing for the cuc to feed on. I wouldn't consider the cycling to be complete until some fishes have lived there for a while.

+1

Your denitrifying bacteria needs something to feed on. Fish waste is it!

I'm not a huge fan of adding chromis, but certainly add the most docile fish on your 'want list' first.

Russ

 

[Djbetterly]

All good points! Any recommendations in addition to chromis? I see Damsels were recommended as well.

 

[DrMusik]

tank raised clown fish are pretty hardy and nice to keep around. That's what I started off with.

 

[JarviZ]

I went against everybody else's advice and picked a damsel just because I wanted a super hardy fish as my first and thought I could just remove him when I wanted to.

It was nearly impossible to catch him and took countless tries. It was also harassing my firefish so I had to get him out. :headache:

start off with a clown, and if you don't like them, they're much easier to catch.

 

[MPISCIOTTI]

took all the rock out of my tank to catch my damsels. then fed them to my carpet anemone. so i sort of recycled them

 

[BaaMNYC]

I couldn't get rid of my damsel until I upgraded to a bigger tank and they didn't tag along. Had to take all the rock out first. PITA!

I gave the damsels to my local LFS. But they didn't acclimate and jus dumped em in. I think they got picked on and one looked sluggish. Probably got bullied to death.

 

[fishman1069]

took all the rock out of my tank to catch my damsels. then fed them to my carpet anemone. so i sort of recycled them

LOL:biggrin: