newbie needing startup advice

jamestown478

Reefing newb
Well I am new here. I have a 10 gallon tank that I need advice on. I just started it up. I have some live sand in it, a hermit crab, snail, and a clown fish. I read that I need to cycle the tank after I already set it up.... so what are my options to keep this tank healthy? I want to make a nice little reef as it progresses.
 
Ummm, the tank should cycle before you put any live stock in it. You should have set it up, and then just tossed in a table shrimp to let rot (so to speak) in the tank. Checking the water perameters at least once a week to ensure the cycle goes through it's progress. The clown is going to suffer through the process, and there is a good chance he will die. You should take him back to where you got him for a credit, and start your cycle. Only after all the perameters are leveled back out can you add the fish.
 
well I started the tank up last week, so far the clown seems fine. And evidently the person at the fish store didn't know what he was talking about then because he said that a clown or damsells would be fine to start up the tank with. :(
 
Do you have any live rock in the tank?If not,get some.The rock will already have the bacteria needed to process the waste.
But +1 Fast.It'd probably be a good idea to return the clown for now.
 
Hello and welcome to the site. Did you also get live rock with the live sand, and also, cured water from the fish store. If so, then the tank may not go thru a cycle. If not, then the tank will cycle over the next few days or even weeks. Your livestock may die though. Ask any questions you may have, so that we can help you get started in the right direction. :)
 
Hello and welcome to the site. Did you also get live rock with the live sand, and also, cured water from the fish store. If so, then the tank may not go thru a cycle. If not, then the tank will cycle over the next few days or even weeks. Your livestock may die though. Ask any questions you may have, so that we can help you get started in the right direction. :)


I did not get any live rock. Can I still get some and add it now? And the water wasn't cured from the store, just ro water.
 
Adding Damsels is kinda old school to help the tank cycle. You should get some live rock, try if you can, to get as much as you can afford. I'd try and get somewhere around 12 - 15 lbs or so. The live rock will help as a natural filtration for your tank.

I'm lost about the water though. Did you just add RO water, or was it a RO/salt mix of water?
 
That should be fine. Most people mix their own water. Long as your salinity is around 1.025 you are good to go. The tank will go through a cycle, amonia will spike first. Useing fish was the way to cycle a tank in the past, but with the way the spikes are, the fish really do suffer, and can die from the high levels. What I would do is add the Live Rock and start testing your water perameters (did they sell you a test kit?). Keep an eye on your little clown, if he starts looking bad, get him out and take him back until your tank finishes it's cycle.
 
That should be fine. Most people mix their own water. Long as your salinity is around 1.025 you are good to go. The tank will go through a cycle, amonia will spike first. Useing fish was the way to cycle a tank in the past, but with the way the spikes are, the fish really do suffer, and can die from the high levels. What I would do is add the Live Rock and start testing your water perameters (did they sell you a test kit?). Keep an eye on your little clown, if he starts looking bad, get him out and take him back until your tank finishes it's cycle.

no they did not sell me a test kit but I will pick one up along with some live rock tomorrow.
 
Test for ammonia and nitrites ! If they get too high the fish could die ! If they get too high do a water change out.
 
+1 everyone....cycling a tank with live fish is not necessary, since you can get the same effect w/ tossing in fish food or tossing in a table shrimp.

Go get some distilled water from Walmart, as well. When the water evaporates, you need to top off using distilled water....NOT saltwater. If you top off w/ saltwater, you raise your salinity and kill everything in there.

If you don't have one yet, I suggest you get a refractometer to monitor your salinity.
 
added about 4.5 pounds of live rock today, hoping to get more in the next week. Nemo sure seems to like it though, been checkin it out ever since lol.
 
Most fish will usually enjoy the rocks because it will give them places to swim or if they feel threatened to hide.
 
If you can get the live rock in the tank and transported wet before anything dies off on the live rock your tank can essentially skip the cycle by being able to break down ammonia/nitrite faster than your little clown can poop :)

Watch how much you feed until you get enough filtration. Fish only need to be fed every other day. And frozen foods like brine shrimp if possible. Flake/Pellets will just decay after getting to the bottom and give you more ammonia/nitrite/nitrate.
 
If you can get the live rock in the tank and transported wet before anything dies off on the live rock your tank can essentially skip the cycle by being able to break down ammonia/nitrite faster than your little clown can poop :)

Watch how much you feed until you get enough filtration. Fish only need to be fed every other day. And frozen foods like brine shrimp if possible. Flake/Pellets will just decay after getting to the bottom and give you more ammonia/nitrite/nitrate.

luckily I live really close to the fish store and was able to have it in my tank within 15 minutes of it being removed from there tank.
 
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