Another Cycle question

[808smokey]

Hi,
This is a great forum, I wish I found it years ago. I'm new to this site. But I'm not entirely new to the "novice Saltwater world" but a little rusty. About 3 years I had a 30g that was going strong for about 2 years. I haven't messed with tanks for about 2 years now, was in the Navy and you can't really have fish tanks on a ship. j/k I never had any live rock or sand. I just used store bought gravel, about 2 inches deep and millenium 2000 filters with 2 powerheads. That's it.
I have a couple quick quiestions
1. UGF are basically a big no no now a days. But how do you use the powerheads?? I use to have the undergravel tray no filter with 2 powerheads to help curculate the water, one in each corner.
2. I also used and still have 2 Millenium 2000 filters Here's the link I never had any problems with levels or anything. Is one enough for that size tank. There rated at 60g tanks. I only have two because everything in the store was buy one get one free.
I use to have all this in my last tank with no problems. 10 small clowns 1-2 inches, 3 yellow tangs 3-4 inches, 1 strawberry crab, 1 Banded coral shrimp and 3 hermit crabs. and I also had 1 5" tiger caulry (caught scuba diving) with a couple feather dusters. I had a porcupine puffer but he ate 3 clowns in less than 2 minutes flat. so he went back to the ocean

Anyways... getting side tracked
Now I have to setup the "Finding Nemo Tank" :notsure: Kids want it.
I have a 38g tank, all the filters and powerheads I mentioned earlier. I filled it with tap water, dechlorinated, added correct amount of salt.
Now for my real question that I can't remember or seem to find when I do a search for cycling.
Last time I started a tank to get things going I put in (sacrificed) a yellow tail blue damsel. He lived a week or two before he went to fish heaven. But I can not for the life of me remember how soon I put the poor little guy in there. So I was hoping someone could tell me how soon to put a fish in the tank. If I remember right I waited a day or two and put him there once the temp was right.
My plans after a few months when it's all settled down is to get a couple clowns, tangs, and a couple yellow tail damsels. Maybe some hermits and a strawberry again to help clean the bottom. Probably a shrimp too. I realize that you only had a fish or two at a time but that's what I hope to end up with
Thanks for the help and suggestions.
Here's the link to my old setup tiger cualry's on there, he was sweet

 

[birdy]

Welcome to the Forum!
The first think I would suggest is that you get a current book and read it before you start anything. The Conscientious Marine Aquarist is excellent.
As far as your setup before, I am suprise you were able to keep that many fish in that small of a tank without any problems.
What I would recommend. A FOWLR, with a sandbed. you should be able to use one of your powerfilters but I don't think two would be necessary. As far as the powerheads, they should run in the tank without the UG filter, they are used to circulate the water. You will also want to add a protein skimmer.
I would also recommend you buy RO/DI water this will reduce your chances for unwanted algae.
As far as setting up a nemo tank, really the only fish you can keep in a 38gal that are in the nemo tank, would be the clownfish and the royal gramma. The other fish are just too large and delicate for a tank that size. I am sure you kids would be just as happy picking out some fish that are not going to die in a couple weeks due to disease from the stress of being in a tank that is too small for them, especially the hippo tang (no dory's please).
Inverts are fine as long as you never treated your former tank with anytype of copper base medication.
Good Luck!

 

[birdy]

Oops I forgot to answer your question on cycling. If you start out with shipped LR, 50lbs would be a good amount. Then that will start your cycle, there is no need to use fish to cycle at all. If you do not use LR with some die off, then a plain cocktail shrimp from the grocery store will start off your cycle. Get a good test kit and start testing for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, from the first couple of days, test every two to three days, you should see a spike in Nitrite, and Ammonia, then the Nitrites will drop, then the Ammonia will drop and the nitrates will rise. When Nitrite is 0 and Ammonia is 0 and Nitrates are below 40 and stay that way for a couple of weeks then your tank is cycled, then you want to do a 25% water change test the water again after a couple days and if you are stable you can start adding livestock slowly. The recommended amount of fish in a saltwater tank is one inch of fish per 5 gallons of water, this can be pushed a bit as the tank matures, also fish should be introduced to the tank slowly, one every two weeks Max.

 

[luvnluk]

Hmmm...that's alot for me to answer, however, I would do a search on cycling a tank, for starters. I would also get a book on SW aquariums and read up before you embark on this pricey (as I'm sure you well know) hobby. I would strongly recommend live rock and a much larger tank if you want a Tang (a touchy subject around here:nervous: ) Anyway, Welcome....this site is a great source of info, and, addicting (if I might add....)

 

[808smokey]

Thanks for the replies. I never had any problems with Yellow tangs. Blue hippos definitly outta the question, didn't even cross my mind. I only had one yellow tang die all the rest I put back in the ocean or gave to friends when I moved back to the mainland. I only had 1 major algea bloom that I can remember and that happened after the tiger caulry, he was too big and I gave him away to a guy with a bigger tank.
So everyone seems to steer clear of the UGF... Understandable, I did a lot of reading on the pros/cons. But... How do you connect/place the powerheads in the tank without the gravel tray?? That's all I use it for, there's no filter on the powerheads. Or better yet do I even need the Powerheads?? I guess I could just cut the plastic tray and leave just enough to make them stand in the corner??
As for the live rock, sand and bigger tank, MONEY MONEY MONEY, I'm on a limited budget. That's the biggest tank I can fit in my house without giving away furniture Same thing with the filters. I'm basicially going to put to big sandstone rocks I had in my last tank and a few sea shells that it's. Trying to keep it simple.
I'm not a big shrimp person (eating) what kind should I buy from the store? The ones that come on the tray ready to eat??
Thanks for the help.

 

[luvnluk]

You definately want the powerheads for circulation. You use them just as you did with the UGF, just without the tube. The powerheads suck water in a spit it out at a velocity depending on what you buy (550, 1200 etc.) Part of their purpose is to provide surface agitation for O2 exchange and facilitate the processing of waste....

 

[birdy]

Many powerheads have attachments with suction cups on them so you can stick them to the glass, otherwise you have to wedge them in your LR.
About LR and sand, I would highly highly recommend you use some form of these, and not regular rock and gravel. These can be aquire enexpensively. If your local home depot carries a sand called southdown, this is agragonite sand just like what they sell at a LFS, but at home depot it is dirt cheap. If you cannot find this, I have even used white silica sand with no adverse affects, it is also cheap and would be better to use than gravel. As far as LR, you can buy baserock for cheap (usually around $2 a pound) get mainly base rock and a few good pieces of LR and in a few months you will have all LR and LS.
I would really urge you to not keep any tangs in your tank. It is recommended that they not be kept in a tank that is less than 6' long, they need lots and lots of room to swim to be stress free.