new 55 gal. reeftank

[bboytab]

https://www.livingreefs.com/my-newbie-filtration-setup-t25133.html

ok, my tank has been running for a week now. 55 gal., 60lbs LR, 20lbs LS, aqua remora C, Fluval g3, aquaticlife T5 HO, koralia evo 1040

i notice some critters, bug looking crawling...are these pests??

when should i do my first 20% water change? after the tank has cycled or stick with the every 2 weeks? tnx

should i turn the lights on? simulate day and night....live rocks are cured..has been with LFS for a while...

tnx

 

[Bifferwine]

The bug like things are most likely amphipods and copepods -- which means your tank is on the right track. They make great live fish and coral food, and you will especially see tons of them if you look for them at night with a flashlight.

Wait to do your first water change until after the tank has finished cycling. Unless you have already added fish or a cleaner crew (which I don't think you have).

Turning your lights on can fuel algae growth. Since you don't have anything photosynthetic in the tank, I wouldn't keep them on for more than 4 hours a day.

 

[bboytab]

thanks biff...no CUC's yet but i plan on putting them in soon...there is a small crab looking creature in one of the holes in the live rock...saw him move and caught him almost outside the hole one morning. here are some pics:

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20lbs LR

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kitchen

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60lbs LR and 20lbs LS

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[Bifferwine]

Do you know what kind of crab it was? Lots of hitch hikers can be harmful predators. If you can describe it or post a pic we can help ID it, so you'll know if you need to catch it and remove it.

 

[U4BOYZ]

Great photos...great set-up! Enjoy!!!

 

[bboytab]

I'll try to get a pic of this elusive crab...

I did a little search and looks like the bug in my tank is an isopod(aegid or cirolanid) which is a parasite and will harm fishes......any input on how to deal with this will be appreciated...tnx

 

[yote]

Thats a good looking tank.:D
Dont worry about the isopods.Once you have fish and other critters in there,any and all pods ( including isopods ) will become food.

 

[mikewurtz]

Good looking rock set-up. Looks great.

 

[Leslee]

Looking great! I really like your rock work!

 

[bboytab]

Thanks guys...its been a week now and ammonia and nitrite are still 0 at his point. Added a couple of h. crabs and a damsel to help the cycle.

 

[coolhandgoose]

You may regret having the damsel later, unless you plan on giving it back to the store. Very aggressive fish.

 

[OhNoNemo]

Yeah,IDK,i think most damsels are ok.Just the occasional domino can be trouble.The yellowtails i think are the most laid back.What one did you get?

 

[bboytab]

blue damsel. next fish I'd like to get is a pair of ocellaris clown fish...at $20 each I went with the $7 damsel to help cycle the tank....

 

[bboytab]

can I add a pair of small tank raised clownfish at this point? :question::frustrat:

2 clowns + 1 damsel = 3 total

a week old 55gal. tank with 60lbs of cured live rock, 0 ammonia and nitrite

 

[OhNoNemo]

well clowns are damsels ,so i think all will be fine In a 55
You should probably wait on adding till after the cycle,even though i think theyed be fine alot of people frown on it.

 

[Bifferwine]

Don't add anything until the cycle is finished. You didn't even need to add the damsel and crabs to help cycle. They weren't necessary. If you add two more fish now, you risk spiking your parameters which can kill everything.

Wait at least 3 weeks between new additions.

 

[bboytab]

ok got it......no more fish:bowdown: I'll keep testing and give it a couple more weeks. tnx

 

[OhNoNemo]

Yeah,but he needed something in there or there would be no cycle

 

[BL1]

Yeah,but he needed something in there or there would be no cycle

He started with 60 lbs. of LR, would have started the cycle

 

[Ulta]

Depending on the amount of decay ect you might be ok... I wouldn't chance it on a pair of clowns tho. Even tho they are 'pretty' hardy thats $40 between the 2 of em...
I would chance it on hermit crabs and snails tho (CUC Guys)...

Check out my build thread I have same size tank and started with 50lbs of LR. too
Only my LR came with a ton of dead stuff so I'm sure my decay "Cycle" went fast.


Here is a youtube I found with very textbook explanation of "Cycle" was the best thing I found when I was researching it:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYMzhUDicxQ]YouTube - Aquarium Care, Biological Filtration, and Cycling[/ame]

Also there are bacteria supplements out there(Usually on clearance b/c they have expiration dates and no one needs them unless you are starting a new tank) I haven't heard any success stories of people completely skipping the cycle using it like I guess you can(but idk any1 who would want to try that either) but its just bacteria in a bottle... can't really hurt anything can it? =P I used some while my tank was still new. Adding a little in with water changes and such.