30g start up

[axwil92]

hi everyone. over the past 6 months ive been scrounging up every loose dollar quater and pennie i could get my hands on. ive been saving up to transform an empty 30 gallon aquarium into my own little ocean. I have the system set up with,
-as i said a 30 gallon tank
-an aquaclear 20-50 gallon filter
-45 pounds of cured Fiji live rock
-75 pounds of regular calcium based play sand(not enough money for live sand)
-a 150 watt heater(set to 78)
- a 150 GPH powersweep powerhead
I bought the water from the fishtore in town and ive had the system running for a few days now. I wanted to get the opinion of experienced reefers before i take a plunge into fish.
I was wondering if there were any tweaks to my system i might need before i add fish.
and also what fish would so well with my space. once again i want everyone to know i'm just a beginner and i really need some advice to be fully successful with my fish and my entire marine hobby, something that i hope sticks with me for a very long time.

 

[bloke]

Sounds like you need to look into "cycling" your tank before you add any fish.

 

[mopar9012]

Well first off you have to let your take cycle. The cycle will probably take a month, if you add any fish during this time they will most likely die.
Do you have a test kit? If not you will need one. You need to test things like pH,alk,nitrites,nitrates, and ammonia(spelling?)
nitrites, nitrates, and ammonia should all be zero AFTER you cycle the tank.
For starters i would say get a clown fish. You could get a coral beauty, but add that fish last or they will fight with any new fish.

 

[stanlalee]

I'd add more a bit more circulation. at least another 150gph powerhead. at this point buy some test kits for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate and make sure your levels are what they should be (zero ammonia and nitrite and some sort of nitrate reading). at this point since you have used cured liverock if you havent been testing for ammonia from day one you may have missed the cycle or not have had one. You may want to feed the tank a little bit of fish food a few times a week and keep testing for several more weeks before adding fish. Be sure not to add fish if you are getting any ammonia or nitrite reading. start with one fish and keep testing. if you get an ammonia or nitrate reading do water changes. you should probably invest in a protein skimmer before your tank becomes fully stocked. for now and the 1rst addition its probably not a high priority yet but as you add more livestock it will be.

 

[axwil92]

i do have a test kit and of course i know of cycling. i'm just getting ahead of myself out of the excitement of my first saltwater fish

 

[mopar9012]

well get a test kit, you will need one. Adding fish food will help start the cycle. The nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia should go up high, then come back down. You will probably get diatoms and that will be when the cycle is coming to an end. They are brown and IMO looks like dirt in your tank.
Be sure to get a clean up crew after the cycle, some snails and hermits maybe a shrimp(they are cool). A clownfish is good to start out with, but dont add to many fish at once. Add one fish and if you want another then get it 1-2 weeks later.
Oh yeah if you dont have a skimmer, get one. You dont need one for the cycle but you will once you start getting fish and all that. But it sounds like your off to a good start

 

[mopar9012]

well get a test kit, you will need one. Adding fish food will help start the cycle. The nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia should go up high, then come back down. You will probably get diatoms and that will be when the cycle is coming to an end. They are brown and IMO looks like dirt in your tank.
Be sure to get a clean up crew after the cycle, some snails and hermits maybe a shrimp(they are cool). A clownfish is good to start out with, but dont add to many fish at once. Add one fish and if you want another then get it 1-2 weeks later.
Oh yeah if you dont have a skimmer, get one. You dont need one for the cycle but you will once you start getting fish and all that. But it sounds like your off to a good start

 

[mopar9012]

well get a test kit, you will need one. Adding fish food will help start the cycle. The nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia should go up high, then come back down. You will probably get diatoms and that will be when the cycle is coming to an end. They are brown and IMO looks like dirt in your tank.
Be sure to get a clean up crew after the cycle, some snails and hermits maybe a shrimp(they are cool). A clownfish is good to start out with, but dont add to many fish at once. Add one fish and if you want another then get it 1-2 weeks later.
Oh yeah if you dont have a skimmer, get one. You dont need one for the cycle but you will once you start getting fish and all that. But it sounds like your off to a good start