cycled... now what?

[whaboutbob]

I pretty much know the answer, but it seems like there are a lot of different answers to the same question in this hobby so I thought I'd ask.

I was able to cycle my tank (50g Seaclear sys II, so about 45g water including sump) fairly quickly thanks to http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/member.php?u=2581">myVWrock</a> giving me some rubble from his refugium (thanks Chris!). Yesterday when I got back from the Fla. Keys with about 6 lbs of live rock, coral pieces and shells, I found the tank cycled so I put most of the porous pieces of rock in my filter and spread the coral pieces and shells around my tank. It looks awesome (will post pics soon) and I even found some snails and amphipods still alive. So in all, I have roughly 32 lbs of live rock, but almost all of it is the very porous Totoka and stuff from the Keys, so I am going to see how well it handles the bio load as I slowly add things. I know most recommend 1-1.5 lbs per gallon, but I am trying a less is more approach starting off.

Which leads me to my question, what should I add? I did put 10 of the small blue hermits in today to start off, which should work well with the shells I collected (they look the same), but I think I need an ammonia source. I did add a piece of a sinking wafer for the crabs, but they didn't even go for it yet. Should I add a fish or two, or wait a few more weeks? I am using the Seachem Reef Solution dosing for now. I am preparing water tonight for a 10% water change and I am running a skimmer. I'm not sure what else to mention, other than I'd like to lean toward some sort of Goby or Jawfish, but would love to get a Mandarin. I know there are many issues around feeding them though and will probably hold off until I'm more experienced. I do have a healthy number of copopods already though, which may also be from the rocks from the Keys.

Oh, one other thing, the tank is more of a bio-rectangle, so I set it up like the rock had fallen over. So it lays across the length of the tank, with a limited number of places where the rock touches the bottom to help with water flow (this tank has 12 or so jets along half of the back at the bottom). So there are a lot of hiding places under and around the rock. I think I read that the layout of the tank should help dictate what fish you add. So that might be important.

Anyway, sorry for rambling on. Looking forward to some ideas to look into.

Thanks!

 

[hhughes]

Um... cleanup critters are an ammonia source. All your "critters" are. I'd wait a bit and watch it... give it a week or two to make sure nothing spikes. It's always better to go slow... every time you add something or change something, give it a little time to balance out again. Hell, I made myself nervous adding a shrimp and 8 coral frags at once!

As for the mandarin, they eat TONS of copepods. You'll need to replenish them as fast as he eats, so see how your "less is more" rock theory works out first. I suspect you'll need more rock first, and I'd wait until the tank is really stable first. I am looking for one now but my 55g is well over a year old and has probably 80lbs of rock and no other copepod-predators.

 

[whaboutbob]

maybe I should clarify. It was washed up pieces, with most being marble size and a dozen or so larger ones. I guess it wasn't technically live, since the only thing live on it was bacteria and maybe some amphipods, but if that's what you're talking about then I won't do that again. I was at a park and it didn't say anything against it and there were rangers there that saw that I was collecting and bagging shells and other debris.

Akopley;467813 wrote: I didn't finish reading your post but you could get in a **** ton of trouble for taking live rock from the keys.

 

[whaboutbob]

thanks... definitely the answer I was expecting, so it's good to have some confirmation. So no mandarin... are there some blenny's or other similar fish that might be ok to add in a few weeks if all is stable?

hhughes;467814 wrote: Um... cleanup critters are an ammonia source. All your "critters" are. I'd wait a bit and watch it... give it a week or two to make sure nothing spikes. It's always better to go slow... every time you add something or change something, give it a little time to balance out again. Hell, I made myself nervous adding a shrimp and 8 coral frags at once!

As for the mandarin, they eat TONS of copepods. You'll need to replenish them as fast as he eats, so see how your "less is more" rock theory works out first. I suspect you'll need more rock first, and I'd wait until the tank is really stable first. I am looking for one now but my 55g is well over a year old and has probably 80lbs of rock and no other copepod-predators.

 

[whaboutbob]

but wouldn't their ammonia source be dramatically less than what I had for the last 12 days? I forgot to mention that I used a cocktail shrimp, which I broke in half before leaving for the Keys last week. Can a big drop in ammonia cause problems similar to a spike?

hhughes;467814 wrote: Um... cleanup critters are an ammonia source.

 

[rostato]

Give it some time. Use this time to figure out exactly what you want in the tank. Make a list, check it twice, and figure out the proper order to add the tank mates.

Do add anything that will stir up your sand bed until it is stabilized, and has had a few months to accumulate bacteria.

Please stop dosing what ever you are dosing. That is pointless right now. All that will do is throw off your levels. Hold off on the water change for another week or so also.

Just leave it alone for another week or two, keep ckecking for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. When you see your nitrate starting to accumulate, you knwo for sure your cycle is almost done.

 

[dakota9]

Google search "basic aquarium chemistry" and " cycling an aquarium"

 

[corigan]

Like stated, Mandarins require a tank with a huge fuge that has been established for atleast 6 months to a year.

I wouldn't see a problem adding in a small blenny but go slow. I however would wait and see what happened to what you just did to your tank. It says you came back yesterday, the tank was cycled, and you added 6 lbs of rock that you got from the keys (not even going to get into that issue). It does not sound like you took the time to cure that 6 lbs of rock. This could add a huge amount of ammonia and get your tank still cycling, or ateast produce ammonia. Also with the crabs introduced I would wait a week or two before adding any kind of fish or anything. You might be able to add some snails, but if that 6 lbs of rock spikes that system than it would kill them. The hermits could be dead meat if it spikes.

Take things slow, this hobby teaches you that patience is of the essence.

 

[myvwrock]

whaboutbob;467807 wrote: I pretty much know the answer, but it seems like there are a lot of different answers to the same question in this hobby so I thought I'd ask.

I was able to cycle my tank (50g Seaclear sys II, so about 45g water including sump) fairly quickly thanks to http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/member.php?u=2581">myVWrock</a> giving me some rubble from his refugium (thanks Chris!). Yesterday when I got back from the Fla. Keys with about 6 lbs of live rock, coral pieces and shells, I found the tank cycled so I put most of the porous pieces of rock in my filter and spread the coral pieces and shells around my tank. It looks awesome (will post pics soon) and I even found some snails and amphipods still alive. So in all, I have roughly 32 lbs of live rock, but almost all of it is the very porous Totoka and stuff from the Keys, so I am going to see how well it handles the bio load as I slowly add things. I know most recommend 1-1.5 lbs per gallon, but I am trying a less is more approach starting off.

Which leads me to my question, what should I add? I did put 10 of the small blue hermits in today to start off, which should work well with the shells I collected (they look the same), but I think I need an ammonia source. I did add a piece of a sinking wafer for the crabs, but they didn't even go for it yet. Should I add a fish or two, or wait a few more weeks? I am using the Seachem Reef Solution dosing for now. I am preparing water tonight for a 10% water change and I am running a skimmer. I'm not sure what else to mention, other than I'd like to lean toward some sort of Goby or Jawfish, but would love to get a Mandarin. I know there are many issues around feeding them though and will probably hold off until I'm more experienced. I do have a healthy number of copopods already though, which may also be from the rocks from the Keys.

Oh, one other thing, the tank is more of a bio-rectangle, so I set it up like the rock had fallen over. So it lays across the length of the tank, with a limited number of places where the rock touches the bottom to help with water flow (this tank has 12 or so jets along half of the back at the bottom). So there are a lot of hiding places under and around the rock. I think I read that the layout of the tank should help dictate what fish you add. So that might be important.

Anyway, sorry for rambling on. Looking forward to some ideas to look into.

Thanks![/QUOTE]



I believe that we disgust this , give me a call if you have any questions on what we talked about just give me a call

 

[whaboutbob]

first, let me apologize for what may have been a uneducated decision to collect shells and pieces of coral and rock from the beach while beachcoming with my daughter. the park had signs about not taking certain shells, but I grew up where collecting this type of debris was allowed.

I think the small ammonia spike from earlier today may have been due to adding this to my tank last night, because now I am getting 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites, and around 20 ppm nitrates. the seachem dosing I mentioned earlier was simply to bring my ph and alk in line, which it is now (8.3-8.4 and around 180-300ppm).

anyway, thanks for the advice and I'll work on my patience and go slow.

 

[hhughes]

Different places have different rules about what can be taken from the beach. I've never been to the keys, but I know on Sanibel you can't take anything living. (But dead shells and debris are allowed.)

Beach debris is not really "live rock". I suspect stuff from the keys is fine, but in general, be careful collecting off beaches. Some have some pretty nasty pollutants. In any case, there's bound to be dieoff on rock that's been sitting on a beach so patience is good.

 

[rostato]

whaboutbob;468040 wrote: first, let me apologize for what may have been a uneducated decision to collect shells and pieces of coral and rock from the beach while beachcoming with my daughter. the park had signs about not taking certain shells, but I grew up where collecting this type of debris was allowed.

I think the small ammonia spike from earlier today may have been due to adding this to my tank last night, because now I am getting 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites, and around 20 ppm nitrates. the seachem dosing I mentioned earlier was simply to bring my ph and alk in line, which it is now (8.3-8.4 and around 180-300ppm).

anyway, thanks for the advice and I'll work on my patience and go slow.

No need to worry about your PH or alk at all right now. Just let the tank settle, and it will even itself. out. Whatever you do, so not fall into the trap of trying to keep your PH at a certian level. Each tank is different in each house. Most of my reefs run between 7.6, and 7.8 PH... Consistancy is the key.