additions

[DavidA717]

ok well i should be heading back to my apartment in the next couple of days after i recover from surgery. my tank has been set up with live rock/sand for almost a week now, how soon can i add a clean up crew? how about corals?

 

[yote]

After the ammonia and nitrite are 0.
Once that happens,do a 20 or 30% water change to drop the nitrates and you should be ready for a clean up crew.
I would hold off on corals untill your tank has stabilized some.
Just start with a few snails and hermits,see how they do.Then in a week or so,if ammonia and nitrites stay at 0,add one or 2 hardy fish.
Just what ever you do,DONT GET IN A HURRY.Trust me,I know thats easier said than done.

 

[Doc]

Yote is right. Take your time. Once your cleaning crew is added and things are going well (I would wait about a month after adding the crew - and they survive) THEN add your first fish. Plan out what you want your tank to look like, what corals you want and what fish you want. Once you have your plan, start S-L-O-W. Two corals a week and one fish every two weeks or so. Let your bio-load catch up. Keep checking your levels to insure you are staying in your parameters. Remember, regular water changes erase lots of human error. Good Luck.

-Dr Marco :sfish:

 

[DavidA717]

ok thanks guys, so definitely wait a good while after i put in my clean up crew for any corals at all?

 

[yote]

I would give it at least a couple of months before I added any corals.You want your system to stabilize itself before you start adding expensive stuff.See how it goes with some inverts and fish first.If your peremeters stay good and constant,then some good easy corals.

 

[Doc]

Yup. You are spot on, get used to waiting. It is SOOOOO worth it in the end.

-Dr Marco :sfish:

 

[SSalty]

Just what eveyone else said, wait...

Get your algae under control which will grow like crazy in the first months of your tank. Its not very enjoyable when you have nice fish and a bunch of algae.

You will also save yourself some money by waiting. This is a good time to sit down and read, read, and do some more reading about the saltwater hobby.

These forums are full of knowlegable people and you can also read and learn from other peoples mistakes, which we have all contributed to the site.

 

[bobby]

Good advice from everyone. The only thing I have to add is your best bet for corals is to wait 4 to 6 months and if the tank is stable then try one or two and see how it go's. It can be done faster but then your taking a chance, because if the tank is'nt ready you may end up harming or killing them. BTW start with easy to care for ones first I would jump right into SPS.

 

[DavidA717]

in order to keep my algae under control, should i remove some by hand? or just let the clean up crew do its thing?

 

[Bifferwine]

You can remove it by hand to help your cleaner crew get a head start. You can use a toothbrush and brush the rocks off and rinse them in a bucket of saltwater before you put them back in the tank, or you can just pluck it by hand, but I'd advise taking the rocks out to do this, because if algae gets loose in your tank, it'll spread even more.

 

[Doc]

...and... eventhough Biff does not seem to agree... buy yourself a few Mexican Turbo Snails. They are hair algae eating machines!!! Plan for about 1 turbo per 10 gallons. It is amazing to watch them decimate your algae problem. When you are ready to add corals, look for mushrooms or zoos, they are hardy and can withstand less than perfect conditions - good starting corals. Best of luck to ye...

-Dr Marco :sfish:

 

[Bifferwine]

Just saying...the real Mexican turbos...the ones from Mexico (that we get here) don't seem to eat algae... They must be spoiled.

 

[DavidA717]

ok sweet, ill get some pics posted as soon as i can get ahold of a camera

 

[Doc]

I have my Mexican Turbos imported from Guatemala - they are not afraid to work, maybe the ones you buy are left overs from Home Depot or something and they are not wanting to do the really dirty work...(snicker, snicker)

-Dr Marco :sfish:

 

[DavidA717]

oh yeah one thing...

i tested my params today and my ammonia and nitrites are at 0, nitrates are at like 40ppm. ill probably do a water change in the next few days, but the tank has only been up for a week, do you really think its done cycling?

also its only had its lights on for the past 2 days... dont know if thats gonna make a difference or not

 

[Doc]

NO! Don't add a cleaning crew for about 3-4 weeks. If your tank has only been up for a week, it is not ready for livestock. Wait a bit and when you start, add a few snails (like 5 or so) and see how they handle things for about 3-4 days.

Dr Marco :sfish:

 

[DavidA717]

i know, haha sorry. i wasnt planning on adding my crew for a little while, i was just curious when the best time would be, haha im not that dumb to throw them in tomorrow

 

[nauticac4]

I live next to D...his cycle is pretty much finished now! I have a turbo tearing up my reef that I will give him till my algae gets outta control again.