Stocking Question

[jigglebilly]

Ive had my tank running about 4 weeks now, ive had live rock cycling since about the 3rd day of setup. 2 weeks into adding the live rock the ammonia, nitrites, nitrates all leveled off at 0ppm. So i added 10 crabs, that was about 2 weeks ago and ammonia, nitrites and nitrates are still all at 0ppm. Do you think its safe to add a couple fish? Ive been very worried about this because everything ive read says it takes 4 weeks for the water to cycle in most cases...but i did buy the live rock from a very reputable dealer in my area.
Thanks for the help!!
Patrick

 

[jigglebilly]

bump

 

[swfishfan]

This post has very reputable saltwater fish enthuiast and i would listen to what they say. I have set-up two fish tanks so far in 3 years i have been in this hobby and both times my levels always were at 0ppm but i would just trust the people on here who have done it longer than yourself, so if they say dont add anything for 4-6 weeks then thats what i would do and recommend. On both of my tanks i have waited about 6 weeks and trust me i am very impatient my wife will tell you but i waited and to date i have had two very succesful tanks. thats just my opinion you dont have to take it but i would wiat for about another 2 weeks if i were you, better safe than sorry.. welcome to the hobby youll love to hate spending the money

 

[jigglebilly]

thanks for the heads up, im just a bit worried about the tank, because the ammonia is at 0ppm...i dont want the LR to start dying off...i was thinking about just getting 1 goby to get the rock going again...
also, the LR i got was covered in coralline algae when i got it..theres still a lot of purple on the rocks but i have noticed it receeding over the last month, any suggestions for making sure it grows healthy again?
Patrick

 

[swfishfan]

Originally Posted by jigglebilly
thanks for the heads up, im just a bit worried about the tank, because the ammonia is at 0ppm...i dont want the LR to start dying off...i was thinking about just getting 1 goby to get the rock going again...
also, the LR i got was covered in coralline algae when i got it..theres still a lot of purple on the rocks but i have noticed it receeding over the last month, any suggestions for making sure it grows healthy again?
Patrick
First off, Your lr have no reason to die off, unless you are being neglegient with the tank, the lr will always be alive as long as you have good flow and lots of light and your water is in good quality.
from what i have read on coraline, it will grow but it should not go away, the only way to get rid of it is to scrap it off and i hear even that way it is very hard, like i have wrote
i suggest you just sit back and just imagine the fish you want in your tank instead of dropping them in there before the system is ready to inhabit marine life

 

[trigger11]

Have you had the diatom algae outbreak yet?
If so then IMO you would be ready to add a fish. Your readings for ammonia and nitrites have been at zero for some time so the tank has apparently cycled.
On the other hand, if you havent had the diatoms yet I would need to know how you cycled the tank? Did you do the raw shrimp, ghost feed, or something else?

 

[jigglebilly]

i havent noticed any diatom algae outbreak yet...however i bought the 10 crabs for this purpose...but everything (ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates) has been stable since i added the inverts 2 weeks ago. and i cycled with fully cured LR from a SW only LFS. (the rock was pretty well covered in coralline algae)
this is my second SW tank and this time around with cycling has been a bit strange/different than last time

 

[trigger11]

Yes, it does sound a little strange that you havent had the diatom algae yet. I suppose it is possible that you added the inverts at just the time it would have started to grow and kept it in check. (something tells me this wasnt the case though)
I am wondering what kind of lighting you have? When I started my first tank it only had a regular flourescent light that had very low wattage. I didnt get diatoms with it. I had upgraded to PC lights and within a couple of days of doing that I had diatoms all over the place.
Hmm,
Your system has been running for a month. I would say if your PH and alkalinity test out good then I would add one fish. If you were planning on going with a clownfish at all could try them first. They are pretty hardy.

 

[jigglebilly]

I bought one of the biocube 29 gallons...it came with a 36 watt 10000K compact bulb and a 36 watt actinic compact bulb

 

[trigger11]

Plenty of light then. Since you had put in the cured live rock maybe you only had a mini cycle to begin with. Sounds like you are ready to go fishin' to me.

 

[jigglebilly]

cool, thats what i thought...i just wanted to hear someone else say it before i took the plunge

thanks for the help,
Patrick

 

[reefer545]

I have heard of tnaks cycling in as little as 2 days when cured LR and LS are added. Because there was MINIMAL die off, the cycle was not a big one. Obviously, the longer you wait to add fish, the better, but yo should just fine adding even two fish, if you have enough biofiltration. How big is yourtank? Do you have 1.5 to 2 lbs of LR per gallon? As long as your tank is larger than 20 gallons, you could add a 2 fish. I believe however, 1 fish is the way to go. A goby would be a GREAT first addition, as it will stir the sand for you, and create enough waste to further mature your tank.

 

[jigglebilly]

the tank is 29 gallons, right now ive only got 1lbs/gal of LR, i was going to add more but with the rock i have, theres just not room.
Do you think a blenny of some sort would work well for a first fish?