Could use some advice on my 20 gallon long frank tank I am setting up

[nano reef]

Hi I am setting up a frag tank for zoas and shrooms. I have a lot of rubble and very small rocks, bio balls both big and small. Someone left a post and went bare bottom! Dont I need the rubble for my beneficial bacteria? How will I be able to vacuum and keep clean? Should I add one or two fish and what kind?

Also CUC recommendations'. I want to move my Figi Blue devil damsel over but I know he wont provide much if any benefit at all other then helping to cycle quicker! I honestly am in a hurry because I have to many corals frags coming in and need to make room but I was thinking of maybe a molly and maybe a 6line or lawnmower blenny.

Stupid I know(regarding frags) but my order got all screwed up and wrong corals were sent so I am getting the right ones plus i have had an order held for months! Long story!

I always waited 4 months to turn lights on and never had an ugly stage. How long should I wait and turn lights on and transfer corals? BRS use to say wait 4 months but now they dont say that but they say to start lights very low on acclimation mode.

Please let me know how many of you use rubble or what you use in your frag tank set up. I just finished curing and buying all of the rubble ect and now rethinking it and considering only using where shrooms will be and going bare bottom. Probably a lot easier to keep clean!

Sorry so many questions! I appreciate any advice and tips I may have not mentioned!

 

[Naekuh]

Someone left a post and went bare bottom! Dont I need the rubble for my beneficial bacteria?

most of the bare bottom setups have a sump unless you can show me otherwise...
Usually the biological is all in the sump portion.

If you want to speed cycling, you will need to use 100% live rock + 100% live sand... at a ratio of 1lb:1gal, unless someone else knows the extact number.

This should in essense allow you to skip cycle faster then the bottled bacteria stuff.

But i can't think of many frag tanks which uses sand...

Curing and using reef ready live rock are different things.
Curing means your burning all the organics off the rock that can leach ammonia...
It can take a while... so its not something that you can do in a week time.

Using ready wet live rock, means it was pulled from a cycle enviorment, and your transporting everything on the rock, both good and bad over to the new system.

If you don't have a sump, id at least section off a portion of the tank with live rock, and probably even add some bagged seachem matrix along with it.

I assuming you want a frag holding tank and not a show piece Display tank correct?

 

[nano reef]

Yes, Frag tank for zoas and shrooms. I dont have a sump so I need the rubble ect then!

I cured it because I was starting one 2 years ago with this same rubble. I got sick and ended up in hospital and down for months so it just sat there for like almost a year in the tank just evaporating away!

I didint need it anymore because while I was sick I lost all my highend zoas that I was making the frag tank for. I finally got back around to recollecting them!

Would it cycle faster If I took out some bio balls and some frag plugs I store in my sump of my other tank? Would it hurt my other tank if I removed them? What about removing some media from my 20 aio. It has chambers in the back that has some poly filter ect that I change out when I do water changes also how about using tank water from water change or not a good idea?

I also want to add more rock to my display tank and I have some nice pieces so can I cycle them with my frag tank and later remove them and not cause harm to frag tank after its cycled? I didnt cure them though because I forgot I had them so would that cause a problem. They have never been used though so there clean!

I want to trade out the rock I am speaking of because they are bigger then whats in my main display so I could swap them but then thats more rock then I need for frag tank because I have plenty rubble already. I am only wanting to cycle them in frag to later move to display! I hope that makes sense lol

 

[nano reef]

BUMP

 

[nano reef]

most of the bare bottom setups have a sump unless you can show me otherwise...
Usually the biological is all in the sump portion.

If you want to speed cycling, you will need to use 100% live rock + 100% live sand... at a ratio of 1lb:1gal, unless someone else knows the extact number.

This should in essense allow you to skip cycle faster then the bottled bacteria stuff.

But i can't think of many frag tanks which uses sand...

Curing and using reef ready live rock are different things.
Curing means your burning all the organics off the rock that can leach ammonia...
It can take a while... so its not something that you can do in a week time.

Using ready wet live rock, means it was pulled from a cycle enviorment, and your transporting everything on the rock, both good and bad over to the new system.

If you don't have a sump, id at least section off a portion of the tank with live rock, and probably even add some bagged seachem matrix along with it.

I assuming you want a frag holding tank and not a show piece Display tank correct?

Sorry I meant to quote you earlier. Please read what I wrote. Also does everyone us fish? Is it ok just to have snails? I know corals like to poop but I have only had a damsel in my tank for a white and corals are fine except I am losing quite a lot of high end zoas I purchased!

I made the water and was just going to add the amonia and starter bacteria. I bought micro bacter start thinking it would be a good choice BUT after reading directions its basically nothing but seachem prime! It says it detoxifies amonia nd nitrates and to put the recommended amount in with a fish! Not sure I want o go that route! I am in a hurry but I dont have a fish. I could probably net him but he basically useless and he loves to bury himself in the sand! He would not be happy in a frag tank at all!

I dont see how any fish can be! No rocks to swim through no sand no hiding spots especially if you have 2 fish plus I rather not have to make a lid!

Now I am behind schedule again and busy week ahead so dont know when I could get to LFS and not even sure what she has. Very small store. I watched several you tubes saying mollys are good. They eat algae all day but some people use them for cycling then rehome them! I am in a big mess with these orders I have coming in OMG! That another story! LOL

What fish do you use? I read good and bad about Lawn mower blenny and also a lot of people said 6 line wont be happy without sand so Kind of digging just snails! Hermits ect!
Surprised no one else has replied and I even Bumped it!

I might make a new one just regarding fish!

 

[CoralCrafted]

Tidal Gardens had a stent in a recent video talking about using bulk coral to cycle a tank which I thought was very interesting, As for as CUC, Six line or a coris wrasse for flatworms, and your run of the mill inverts will do you good. Would even consider a tomini as they don't get very big.