ok...what's next??

[dubious49]

hi again everyone. so here's where i am so far...

 

1. purchased a 10 gallon all glass tank with a glass hood running 96w of PC lighting (50/50 bulbs), 2 powerheads, a 50w heater and a penguin mini.

 

2. added 15 pounds of live rock and 20 pounds of live sand and let the tank cycle for 4 weeks during which time i encountered various types of algae growth and diatom blooms.

 

3. did a 20% water change after week 5 and added 3 red leg hermits and 2 turbo snails.

 

as of today, 6 days after adding the initial cleaner crew, everything is running smoothly. crabs and snails are eating constantly. amm, trites and trates remain at 0.

 

so...what next? obviously i'm going to wait another couple of weeks to add any more livestock but when i do, what should it be? more cleaners? a fish? i'm not ready for coral yet am i? for fish i was leaning towards a tank raised clown with either a neon goby or a firefish but i'm more than willing to hear other suggestions.

 

thanks all!

 

chris

[Dennis_said]

Are your current cleaners getting it done? If so , then just leave them be and go ahead w/ the fish after a few weeks

 

If not then get more cleaners let them break into a tank for a bit, then go for the fish... add fish slowly or bioload will go out of whack

[Aware]

Go for real hardy fish, then you won't be dissapointed if the water quality isn't quite ready.(as long as ammonia and nitrite are 0)

 

Damsels make great fish to help cycle a tank, just add 1 or 2 in the 10 gallon,very small common clowns or yellow tails will be a good choice.some gobys are hardy too.

 

If the crabs look healthy living in it, then fish most definetly will.

 

 

cheers

[Jandree22]

first of all, I hope you're making a 10% water change every week or a 15-20% every other. Very important!

 

Second, coral... Honestly, I'm 50/50 about what to tell ya here. One part of me is thinking that since your system has appeared to stabalize, I think you're ready to add some mushrooms. My better half however is thinking on the safe side...wait about another week or two just to make sure you don't get any more spikes of NH4, NO2, or NO3. Either way, start off with mushrooms. They're generally not too expensive and the hardiest of corals. If they're lookin healthy after a few weeks, then you know you're in the clear.

 

Finally, fish... Considering your tank appears to be done cycling, I think you'd be okay to add anything you mentioned in your post. Just make sure you pick the one that you REALLY want because it'll be tempting, very tempting, to add all 3...which isn't necessarily a wise choice.

 

Anyways, especially considering your lighting, water movement, and LR/LS stock, I think you're on a very good path to success. Just remember to keep up with your (bi)weekly water changes!

[myelin]

Mushrooms sound like a good choice. Ask for some frags at your LFS if all they sell are huge rocks of them. My LFS has large rocks of them for $39. I just wanted a couple small ones, so I asked if they had any frags. The girl reached down into the tank and pulled out 4 small mushrooms and gave them to me for free. Just keep that in mind.

 

Before adding any other type of coral, I would work on your Ca level. Kent marine makes a product called Turbo Calcium that I have had great luck with. I use it in top-off water. I've gone from 300 points to 450 in a matter of 2 days, so this stuff is strong. I would wait to add this until you know for sure the tank is finished cycling.

 

Like stated above, I'd start with a hearty fish and some shrooms. That is what I am doing now. I want to make sure that the water is okay before I drop any cash on the expensive stuff. Okay, well I did get a small bubble coral for cheap and it ended up in my tank so...