help me get a 29 eclipse going

[hemicuda]

hey all,
a friend just hooked me up with a 29 eclipse tank. i know it's not the ideal set up for a reef tank but i'm going for it anyway. i want to get it going fairly quick , it's for my girlfriend who's fighting cancer. i just want a few fish and some soft corals in it.
here's what's going on so far. the lights are upgraded but i don't know exactly what they are, one seems to be a fluorescent and the other has a blue tint.?. the local shop said they will be ok for now in a low light tank setup. it has 35 lbs of live rock and 40 lbs of live sand. i also put in an internal skimmer. when i got it the shop set me up with some chromis to put in it while it's cycling, they seem fine. i also was told by a few shops that some of the stronger corals will be ok while the tank is cycling, when i purchased a test kit i also got a small polyp cluster. the polyps are all open and seem fine. i tested the water today after four days of cycling and the PH was 8.2, the ammonia was .25, nitrite was 1.0, and nitrate was 20. i am going to wait until the levels are ideal before i put anymore fish in there. would it be ok to put a few more pieces of soft coral in there now while the tank is still cycling?
please give any suggestions and info you can.
thanks,
joey

 

[errattiq]

NO!!! That fish store should have never sold that stuff to you knowing you had an uncycled tank! They are only seeing $$ signs out of you. First, using a fish to cycle a tank is considered cruel (as im sure others will post) but seeing your situation, it works. Coral needs an established tank or they will die, end of story. They are very sensitive to water parameters and require pristine water quality (ie 0 ammonia 0 nitrite and little to no nitrate). Even if a coral survives a cycle, it will more than likely perish within a short time. I understand your situation, but its not going to help by dumping tons of cash into your tank and seeing horrible results because hasty purchases. Take your time for her, let the tank cycle with what you have in it now. A 29 is considered a smaller tank so limit the number and size of fish you have in there, or you'll run into water quality issues. I recommend a clownfish pair (Nemo's always get spirits up lol). As for corals, stick to hardier softies such as colts and leathers. They seem to be more lenient in terms of water quality. However, before you add anything else, the cycle needs to be done. Add one or two max per week. then in about a month (will is still sort of pushing it) add a couple soft coral. Again, this isn't the most ideal timeline of a setup but it should get up and going for what you need it for. Hope this helps, if you have any questions, let us know, not your local shop. Remember, we have nothing to gain by telling you to buy stuff, they do!
PS. Your lighting should be fine, that blue bulb is called an actinic. you should have a white bulb to supplement it, called a daylight bulb. a nice typical setup would consist of 10000K Daylight bulbs and an actinic.
-Josh P.

 

[hemicuda]

wow, thanks for a great response. i'll be sure to wait until the water is cycled before i add anything else. i went to four local stores and unfortunately all were willing to sell me fish knowing i just started cycling the tank and haven't tested the water.
i've checked out a lot of the different fish online and here are what we like... a pair of clowns for sure, lawnmower or starry blenny, sand sifter goby, six line wrasse, flame angel, fire hawk and blue tang. i don't know if all these would be able to go in the tank but which would be best?
also, at night there are tons of little shrimp like critters crawling around the live rock, what are they?
thanks again,
joey

 

[errattiq]

ahhh those are called copepods, they are beneficial, and most critters will eat em' lol. Unfortunately, especially with the waste produced by most marine fish your numbers are limited if you want to have a healthy tank. Although large numbers are possible, be prepared to do large water changes every few days to keep the parameters in a 29 in check (I know I use to have one lol). As for your stocklist here's my advice, the pair of clowns,
and either two of these four blenny,goby,sixline,fire hawk. That way you are guaranteeing yourself a nitrate free tank to house corals with a liberal time between water changes (leaving you more time to be with your girl and less time mixing saltwater and tending to this beast). The flame angel and blue tang require tank sizes far beyond 29 gallons and will likely die in a 29 after a short period of time, not too mention that would be big $$ loss right there in those 2 fish. Roll with that and its smooth sailing my friend. add fish by fish slowly after your cycle and you'll have a prospering aquarium, just remember after your cycle not to stir up the sandbed (causes ammonia/nitrate spike), and don't add anymore live rock, only base rock if you need more rock. That way there is no mini cycle from the new rock's dieoff causing more death in your tank. If you have any other questions let me know, I'm definitely here to help, I want that tank to be beautiful for her too. I couldn't imagine what she's going through!
-Josh P.

 

[hemicuda]

the tanks cycling nicely, numbers are dropping. once it has fully cycled and there's no ammonia or nitrite how soon should i add a CUC?
thanks

 

[trouble93]

Don't let anyone talk you in to getting a cuc without knowing the facts. If a cuc dies in your tank it becomes toxic and if not caught fast enough can wipe out your whole tank I've seen it happen...Doing a tank on such a small scale takes time your lfs worries about what goes in there pocket not what goes in your tank...There hopes are if it dies you will come back to replace it. I started out in a 20gal. tank and it took a few months to get on track. I've learned in this hobby of ours go big or go to the bank often.

 

[aztec reef]

the tanks cycling nicely, numbers are dropping. once it has fully cycled and there's no ammonia or nitrite how soon should i add a CUC?
thanks[/QUOTE
Asap, u can also do a large waterchange just for kicks or if nitrates are high.

 

[hemicuda]

cool... i'm going to about a 3 gal water change today. for a tank this size how many snails should i add and what kind? also, should i get an emerald crab or some hermits?

 

[errattiq]

I'd go with 20 or so turbo's (glass/rock cleaners) and 15 or so nassarius snails (sand sifters). Some may say thats a little high but the rule of thumb is 1 per gallon. I think trouble93 misunderstood you when you said "cuc." Don't worry, a clean up crew (cuc) like your speaking of is not toxic in any way. The cuc, or "Sea cucumber", trouble93 was talking of are toxic to an aquarium. lol .. Let me know how things go. By the way, I would gold off on getting a clean up crew at least for a few weeks after having some fish in there just so they'll actually have sufficient food to feed them all.....