CUC Introduction

[IlliniMed]

Hi all! Starting up a Nuvo 10 - Was curious what some of you would say in terms of amount/type and when to introduce. I think i'm staying away from hermits for the time being. Would you add in the CUC before fish? I did live rock and live sand for my tank so it looks like it's about done with the cycle at the week mark. Thanks all! 

[OPtasia]

It's likely your cycle isn't done yet.

 

What test kits are you using and what are you testing for? Levels?

[IlliniMed]

3 minutes ago, OPtasia said:

It's likely your cycle isn't done yet.

 

What test kits are you using and what are you testing for? Levels?

AWI - Don't recall the levels off the top of my head. Not completely done with the cycle yet but getting there. 

[OPtasia]

It takes time. Be patient. Nothing beneficial to your reef tank goes quickly in this hobby.

 

As to your original question, you can add fish at any time as long as the tank has been cycled. The fish won't care about Nitrate but your inverts will. Odds are your tank will suffer through NTS (New Tank Syndrome) with an explosion in diatoms and/or cyanobacteria near the end of your cycle. When that happens, that's the appropriate time to add your CUC to deal with these blooms. A healthy amount of amphipods and copepods will also be beneficial and often their populations explode during dino/cyano blooms. 

 

Once the tank is cycled, reduce the nitrates through water changes with a good quality reef salt and RO/DI water. 

[IlliniMed]

23 minutes ago, OPtasia said:

It takes time. Be patient. Nothing beneficial to your reef tank goes quickly in this hobby.

 

As to your original question, you can add fish at any time as long as the tank has been cycled. The fish won't care about Nitrate but your inverts will. Odds are your tank will suffer through NTS (New Tank Syndrome) with an explosion in diatoms and/or cyanobacteria near the end of your cycle. When that happens, that's the appropriate time to add your CUC to deal with these blooms. A healthy amount of amphipods and copepods will also be beneficial and often their populations explode during dino/cyano blooms. 

 

Once the tank is cycled, reduce the nitrates through water changes with a good quality reef salt and RO/DI water. 

 

Correct me if i'm wrong but wouldn't that type of cycle happen if you started completely from scratch? So if you already have the live rocks and live sand started wouldn't that only need a "mini" cycle to get over the dieoff from transport? 

[OPtasia]

You might think that, but It happens under both circumstances, with or without live rock. That's why most reefers insist that newbies use RO/DI water for their initial tank setups and continuing water changes, to avoid the excess nitrates, phosphates and silicates. Without adequate competition for the elements and minerals, they tend to outgrow and/or grow in first.

 

Anytime actual live rock and/or live sand are exposed to air, you're going to have some die off. Even in cured and cycled live rock. Which means a mini-cure in a new tank setup is to be expected in the best case scenario. I remember getting in boxes of live rock with my first tank over 20 years ago where the rock was just wrapped in wet newspaper. Those were the days of three or four months of curing rock in the dark to get a new reef tank going.