reef tank cycle???
- Thread starter st3
- Start date
ren
Member
Think average time is appx 35 days. Only way to be sure its safe is to monitor params. I would say no to adding any additives cept for Ph adjustment and poss calcium to get to 450ppm. On adding LR, IMO, it depends on the quality. My source is fully cured and aged - AWESOME rock. But he's local too, if your source is through mail or not great quality ya would probably want to add it for the cycle- so not to creat a mini cycle later. If it is excelent quality I'd say add it after the cycle to minimize killing stuff during the cycle.
You need to wait on corals till after cycle is finished and anemonies need ALOT longer - an established tank.
You need to wait on corals till after cycle is finished and anemonies need ALOT longer - an established tank.
flydan
Active Member
Hey,
Go very slowly! I know you want to get things rolling along and looking cool, but go slow and save your self a lot of heart ache, and cash. Once your water has checked out ok, get a good clean-up crew and maybe a pair of cleaner or peppermint shrimp and see if they survive. I'd personally wait for a month after adding the clean-up crew. Then I'd try something real hardy like mushrooms or maybe a leather coral. (Just one! And then wait again.)
As far as additives, calcium and iodine are all I use. You may need a ph buffer of some kind. I try and keep my tank as simple as possible. You'll get answers from people who must use every available chemical on the market and swear by each one. It's a personal choice you have to make.
A non-chemical additive I like for my corals is DT's phytoplankton. I use that at about 1/2 the recommended dosage.
HTH, Dan'l
Go very slowly! I know you want to get things rolling along and looking cool, but go slow and save your self a lot of heart ache, and cash. Once your water has checked out ok, get a good clean-up crew and maybe a pair of cleaner or peppermint shrimp and see if they survive. I'd personally wait for a month after adding the clean-up crew. Then I'd try something real hardy like mushrooms or maybe a leather coral. (Just one! And then wait again.)
As far as additives, calcium and iodine are all I use. You may need a ph buffer of some kind. I try and keep my tank as simple as possible. You'll get answers from people who must use every available chemical on the market and swear by each one. It's a personal choice you have to make.
A non-chemical additive I like for my corals is DT's phytoplankton. I use that at about 1/2 the recommended dosage.
HTH, Dan'l