Setting up my 150 gallon tank....question re: cycling and is my tank 'ready'
 

Had my tank running (live rock with bacterboost initially) since Dec 1. It is a 150 gallon setup and just wondering....at waht point do I know it has definitively cucled (ie: ready for fish, etc). Still having a bit of an algae bloom as it is tough to get rid of it all at once, but have started using RO-DI water in my WC's. I have a few pieces of coral that seem to be doing ok - they are in my profile simmary. So, what tests that I run tell me it is ready to introduce a fish or two?

many thanks

sounds like someone needs to do some readin up on the nitrogen cycle.

You should be testing for ammonia and nitrite (both should be 0) but you should def read up on why and what your are testing....

heres a decent start
http://www.reefcorner.com/Manual/nitrogen_cycle.htm

+1

If you are asking what to test for you're probably lucky your corals are still alive :wink:

o

You need to get a nitrite, ammonia and nitrate test kit at the minimum.
If the nitrite and ammonia test zero your tank has cycled.
Adding fish:
We all get excited at the idea of adding livestock in our tanks.
To be safe and avoid problems only add one fish per month.
Check about the suitability of the fish you are planning to purchase by checking here and by careful review of www.wetwebmedia.com which is a good source of info.

Make sure YOU see the fish you are planning to buy eating at the LFS and that there are no spots, tears or redness.

You can add a couple of hermit crabs. They are predators on some of the good stuff in your tank but are fun to watch and a couple won't hurt. Add no more than 10 snails as well. Acclimate them very slowly. Ask how if you don't know. Avoid bumblebee snails and astrea.

To be successful and avoid most of the problems you read about here like fish death, cynobacteria and algae, you need patience. Go slow and good luck and thanks for posting.

Good advice !!!!!!!
 

*edit*

I would advise PMing comments like that...
otherwise, it's just sort of hypocritical.
I understand the point abyss was making and I doubt it was meant to be anything but facetious but too the point of this thread....


You really should get a good book on reef aquariums, you will find that they are a really good place to start and then go back to when you need info.
you can pm me if you'd like a good suggestion or two on one.

It will save you the hassle of asking a question on the board everytime you have one, not that we're not happy to help, some of us are too much so:lol: but you will find that many of us see the same questions come up when individuals are first starting out in the hobby and they could all easily be answered much faster by almost any of the better saltwater/reef aquarium books out there....

For a great book I recommend.
The Conscientious Marine Aquarist: A Commonsense Handbook for Successful Saltwater Hobbyists by Robert Fenner

+100 Great Book !!!!!

I think its safe to say you could start researching different fish species to find out which ones you want and can keep, some are more aggressive then others and you want the least agressive to go in first. It's been nearly 3 months since you set up the tank so you can probably start adding fish soon, 1 at a time unless they are really small.

By all means get the above test kits mentioned but be aware you probably won't get any ammonia and nitrite readings and maybe even 0 nitrate readings if you haven't been putting any food in the tank

Thanks all very much for the excellent responses. I am fairly in-tune with the basics, so I was mainly referring to other elements such as calcium, magnesium, phosphates, potassium levels/tests and the like. I should have been a little more clear with that:smile: The nitrite is 0 and ammonia is .1, but the algae is still evident, tho better than a few weeks back.

I have had a smaller salt water tank for several years, but find there is so much more to know with a reef set-up.

Oh, and I would still like to know if the 'bacterboost' I was sold several weeks ago is something that is beneficial to the continual operation, or an additional additive not needed, and appreciate any advice on that.

Have you checked phosphates? Might have missed that. Algae means that there is phosphates regardless of if you can read them. Running a phosphate reactor or similar will fix that in a hurry.
Anyways, for those levels you'll want to test more frequently after you've started to add corals.

The ammonia should be at zero.
You do not need any 'additives' to cycle a tank. All you need to do is throw in a dead shrimp as the initial food source to get the bacterial going.

then with a good base knowledge, a book like the one by bob fenner that was mentioned would go a very long way with you.
you can see that you're going to get all kinds of suggestions and advice on a board as active and as helpful as canreef so even after you post here, you'll probably have a few theories or suggestions to explore and a good book can make knowing whats right for you and your tank a much easier task.

IMO, bacterboost might help the initial cycle, but a waste of money thereafter.

We also have our own reference library. :smile:

http://216.187.96.54/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=40

naesco, why avoid bumble bee snails?

I hope you mean no more than 10 at a time. Only 10 snails in a 150 sure isn't that many. When I ran a sand bed I had 40-50 snails at any given time.

I have literally thousands of snails in my tanks but I didn't buy them, they breed like rabbits :lol:

Bumblebee snails are whelks and therefore are predators both on other snails and the beneficial worms and other critters we encourage to grow in the rock and live sand.
But they look cute don't they?

It may be that 10 is all that he may need. But, if more are needed, he can add more or let them populate themselves as Marie has suggested.
The myth of one snail per gallon is a marketing ploy.
We sometimes see marketing schemes where recommended 'clean up crews' are advertised.
They contain far too many snails and often contain snails like astrea that never see sand in the wild and, when they do find themselves in our aquarium, they find themselves stuck upside down in the sand only to be eaten by the first hermit crab that comes upon them.
The excess snails in these crews starve to death and are often see being eaten by hermit.
The hobbyist not the hermits is to blame. All the hermit is doing is eating a dead snail. Sometimes just an empty shell is found.

ok....so is now the time for those 10 snails and hermit crabs? I do not have sand at this point - only live rock, which begs another question. Do you run your system with/without sand? I have heard the comments on either side of this.:neutral:

thats a great debate and really a personal choice.
both have beneficial attributes, both have downsides.
It's really whatever you like the look of better.
at the end of the day Live Rock should do just about everything that live sand can.

My own opinion:

Bare bottom tanks look like fish store tanks. Sand makes a tank look more natural. :)

and either way, is now the time for those 10 snails and hermit crabs?

Adding the clean up crew is the great place to start :) I dont think I ever really waited more than a couple weeks before I added snails and crabs.

I'm currently running a tank that is mainly bare bottom, but does still have some sand for the goby. I love it. There are ways to create faux bottoms if you were worried about it, but I don't notice it anymore.

and whats the matter with that. :lol:


I think it depends on what your stocking, although both can ve run with anything. I prefer the nice clean no sand look in my sps tank with a whack of current. I can see and siphon out the detritus and snail doo-doo,s during my weekly water change

It is ok to add them now.
Remember snails like high and constant salinity 1.025 to 1.026and must be acclimatized very slowly. 3 hours minimum
Any questions on how to do it ask.

Sand bed. I like to natural look and I like the fact that there are lots of stuff in the sand that creates minute food for all the other critters.
But, unless it comes to tangs, each to his own.