Hi everyone! My cycle completed last weekend - ammonia and nitrites routinely getting processed fully in 24 hours after dosing to 2-3ppm.
I started to get some cyanobacteria, and added a couple of hermit crabs to help. I also plan to do a 50% water change this weekend to help get the nitrates down.
Had some questions about the filter media - I've read that a significant amount of the bio filter forms in the filter floss (in addition to the rock and sand in the tank - I also have some bio media, the highly porous stuff that most people put in their sumps - I added some of the balls to the middle chamber of my Fluval EVO XII)...so not sure when to start messing with the media rack.
A) Is it okay to change the filter floss? Or should I wait for the bacteria to become more established within the liverock/biomedia?
B ) Is it okay to add purigen to the media rack?
C) As far as additional livestock go, I was planning to pick up a small fish this weekend to get things started and keep the bacteria fed (I'm concerned that without an ammonia source, the bio filter will shrink back to the tank's current capacity which is 3 small hermits, so not a lot of bioload) - maybe a yellow goby - and then add a pair of clownfish after a few weeks. Is this a good plan?
Thanks in advance!