What to do - thoughts appreciated

[jorjef]

Holy Moly, go buy a couple Chromis before you go nuts, just don't over feed them. Don't add corals until later and don't waste your money on a CUC unless you need one, then only buy what you need not three of everything.

[Reef Pilot]

You have put a lot of thought, effort, time and money into your new tank. Why risk it all by not having an ongoing functioning QT, and guaranteed healthy fish and corals? And not to mention killing otherwise healthy fish down the road because you didn't do this. I personally think that is a totally irresponsible choice to make given how simple it is to set up and keep a QT. It is just as important to start with your first fish, as it will be once your display tank is fully established.

My QT is very simple. I use a canister filter which means it is always cycled and ready to go, so you don't have to battle ammonia with a hastily set up QT. The water (and salt) is free, as I use recycled water from my display tank water changes. And that display tank water will also help acclimatize your new fish before moving them to the display tank.

Mark my words. If you choose not to QT, you will be very sorry, and upset within a year or so in the future, when you helplessly watch your prized fish suffer and die. And you tear apart your beautiful rock and corals trying to catch your sick fish to move them to your new hastily set up QT, where most of them will die anyway, because of ammonia poisoning. Do you really want this scenario? I have seen this party way too many times here on Canreef in the last couple years.

I know you said you are QTing everything, but you also seemed to be waffling with your response to Subman, so pardon my tough love post here. This topic is just too important to sit on the fence.

[fishytime]

QTs are great and they do work, but unless you plan on QTing EVERYTHING(fish and coral), I think your still rolling the dice.....quarantining fish will eliminate the chance of introducing a disease, but unless you quarantine your corals too you still run the risk of introducing parasites....

with the amount of dead rock you have started with patience is going to be key......you may be able to help things along with a bottled product but Ive never had any experience doing this......

[tang daddy]

I would personally add corals first to a cycled tank over fish, some corals can take more abuse than fish.

When I say start with corals I am meaning zoas and mushrooms, these corals can withstand quite alot of torture.....

I would wait abit on lps, start with softies, then lps and finally sps if you even plan on getting any.

When I usually start off my tank, I always add cheaper soft corals as a tester, if you kill zoas and mushrooms then your tank definately has a problem.

Dont use damsels to cycle, you will have a hard time catching them out. As much as I hate damsels I would not use them for food or cycling. The cocktail shrimp is the best method for cycling to start the amonia cycle.

Inverts should never go in a tank first aswell, they are sensitive so if there is a cycle they may not do well, again just my thoughts.....

Here is they way I see it, you cured your rock and so this doesnt help you much with a cycle because most of your cured rock doesnt have tons of algae, sponges etc. If there is no algae then the animals feeding on the algae perish, there may be slight amounts of bacteria still lingering on the rock but with no waste its hard for them to colonize.....

I still stick with my original statement, which is add some cheaper softies to your tank, add some Lr rubble or a few more pieces of liverock to your sump. Wait for the diatoms which is usually the first sign of a cycle, then the hair algae stage and maybe a cyano stage then after this is all over your tank is cycled.

I speak from experience, all my tanks I have started go through these stages, Threads on reef central seem to go through the same situation. With soft corals they can handle the nitrate/nitrite spikes, and the pods will thrive on the algae outbreak in your tank whilst cycling.

Hope my input will help with your decision, at the algae stage the fish should be good to add, because the algae will use up most of the nitrates from the tank.