Tips from the pros?

[Lodilo]

Hi,
I got some established sand, 2 year old live rock (from sump), 2 power heads and some salt. No skimmer yet.
In my newbie ignorance, I did not have my salinity correct and added the sand....killing it most likely. Anyway, I got the temp up to 78 and allowed the sand bed to settle. Hydrometer reads between 1.022 and 1.023.
My live rock has been in a garbage pail with power heads, heater and the original water the whole time. I added this to the tank in a crude attempt at aquascaping. I put in the power heads trying to ensure no dead spots and that I was not stirring up the sand and "borrowed" my over sized good light from my 55 gallon. T5, blue actinic and a 10,000K. I am trying to get my Hands on a T5 36" 10,000K but, nobody in Vic seems to have them in stock.
The live rock has tons of growth on it. I will take my water for a test tomorrow. Now, the hard part....patience.
How long should I expect to wait before I can add anything? Even the CUC?
Any input appreciated.

[Johnny Reefer]

What type of fish are you planning to keep?
What parameters are you going to have the LFS test for?

[Skimmerking]

you will be surprized what thye can live in. I had some live rock in a tub and its was pretty mich no water left in the tub i just put it in there to store it. 7 months later i took it out to cure it again. and there was pods in there in the bottom of some water that dripped over time and the water was cold and stale too..

-other then that keep the wate heated to 78-80
-lots of flow in thetnak to keep stuff going.
-you dont have to have any lights on for long periods that wil jsut start algae growth.
-get some cycle from the LFS its a bacterical growth in a bottle that will
-help your CYCLE going. amazing stuff use the whole bottle it wont kill your tank trust me.
and let your tank go thru its stages.

other then that just looking at your tank and your thread that you have rock in there 2 years old you shoudl be able to put stuff in your tank right away get the tests sortedd out.
if you have no AMMONIA you are good
if you have no NITRATES you are rocking .

good luck,

[Lodilo]

Originally Posted by Johnny Reefer

What type of fish are you planning to keep?
What parameters are you going to have the LFS test for?

Something small, nothing that will get too big for comfort and not too many either, possibly goby, peppermint shrimp, clown. More concerned with not screwing up the water.

[Johnny Reefer]

Right, well I agree with Amodeus. You should be good to go right away, provided the water tests are okay. Start slow, with a few specimens and work up from there.

[Myka]

I say wait at least 2 weeks before adding anything no matter what your test readings are. If your tank shows a cycle (shows ammonia and/or nitrite readings, even if really low), be sure that ammonia and nitrite test 0 for one whole week, and nitrates are less than 10 ppm. Then add a small cleanup crew.

I would suggest you raise your sg to 1.025-1.026. 1.0264 is the average sg of the worlds reefs.

Personally, I think that Cycle product is taboo. Just like the bagged "live" sand. Well advertised marketing scheme.

[Johnny Reefer]

Originally Posted by Myka

I say wait at least 2 weeks before adding anything no matter what your test readings are. If your tank shows a cycle (shows ammonia and/or nitrite readings, even if really low), be sure that ammonia and nitrite test 0 for one whole week, and nitrates are less than 10 ppm. Then add a small cleanup crew.

I would suggest you raise your sg to 1.025-1.026. 1.0264 is the average sg of the worlds reefs.

Personally, I think that Cycle product is taboo. Just like the bagged "live" sand. Well advertised marketing scheme.

As many as there are aquarists, there are differing opinions. Now? Two weeks? Ultimately, it's your decision Scott.
Re: The SG....it's a FOWLR, so IMO it doesn't need to be that high. I kept my FOWLR at 1.022 (pre Zeovit) with no problem.
Re: The Cycle product. Agreed that it's a waste of $.

Cheers,

[Lodilo]

Went and talked to the very knowledgeable Len at Hillside Tropical and he tested my water. Tests were good and he suggested a pair of green chromis to start. Just floating them now. I will monitor daily and return on Thursday for a retest. Thanks for the input and I am very excited to be finally making the cross over to the salty side!

[Myka]

I don't like to say it, but Green Chromis aren't a very good fish to start with! They are mean little bastards, and will probably pick on other fish when you want to add, and then they are a pain in the butt to catch when you decide you want to get rid of the little pricks. Some people recommend them as starter fish because they are very tough little fish, but the reasoning behind it is hugely flawed. If you need tough fish to survive the first few weeks of your tank, then you probably didn't wait long enough to add them in the first place!

[Lodilo]

I agree that waiting cannot hurt but, test were good and I am happy with the little guys.
I have a question about my flow... I have a "Maxi Jet" power head (295gph) and a "Korailia 2" is this too much? The maxi jet give the pencil like stream straight across the tank while the korailia pulls water in from all around and streams it nicely. I hate the maxi jet and want to axe it but don't want to sacrifice too much flow?
Input?

Pics momentarily

Thanks again!