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Just wanted to bounce this off the more experienced folks here (which is everyone besides me). I'm just now cycling my first (soon to be) reef tank, an IM 40 gallon cube AIO. First into the tank after cycling will be a pair of clown fish, and then I intend to keep the lights off for several weeks to a month or two to ease into the ugly phase. The general plan is for a mixed reef, with more soft/lps and eventually perhaps an SPS at the top of my aquascape where the PAR is highest. Oh and I've currently got all dry rock in there. After the tank has cycled and I've got a couple fish in, I'm going to put in 5 pounds of TBS premium live rock to really get the party going.
That said, I'm considering starting off my corals by getting a couple frags of cyphastrea and mounting them on the back wall of the AIO, to eventually encrust the whole back glass. I'm very much open to suggestions on how to do this and timing. My initial thoughts were that I'd get them when I put the first two clownfish in the tank, and glue them on the bottom 1/3rd of the back wall (each 1/3 of the way from either side). The lights would be off for several weeks if I stick with my original plan for that (they will be subject to normal office lighting during the daytime), then I'd start acclimating with low light and building intensity over time. In terms of flow, I've got an MP10 currently at about 50% blowing sort of indirectly across the back wall, set up in a way that it should keep detritus from accumulating on the sand/rocks in the back area. My initial plan is to do 10% water changes weekly at least for the first 6-12 months while I get things going. While dosing isn't out of the question, and will come into play eventually, I'm hoping to avoid that in favor of regular water changes while the tank is young and the fish/coral load is pretty low.
So, what do people think? Great idea? Terrible idea? Could work but need to make some changes to the plan?
Thanks in advance.
That said, I'm considering starting off my corals by getting a couple frags of cyphastrea and mounting them on the back wall of the AIO, to eventually encrust the whole back glass. I'm very much open to suggestions on how to do this and timing. My initial thoughts were that I'd get them when I put the first two clownfish in the tank, and glue them on the bottom 1/3rd of the back wall (each 1/3 of the way from either side). The lights would be off for several weeks if I stick with my original plan for that (they will be subject to normal office lighting during the daytime), then I'd start acclimating with low light and building intensity over time. In terms of flow, I've got an MP10 currently at about 50% blowing sort of indirectly across the back wall, set up in a way that it should keep detritus from accumulating on the sand/rocks in the back area. My initial plan is to do 10% water changes weekly at least for the first 6-12 months while I get things going. While dosing isn't out of the question, and will come into play eventually, I'm hoping to avoid that in favor of regular water changes while the tank is young and the fish/coral load is pretty low.
So, what do people think? Great idea? Terrible idea? Could work but need to make some changes to the plan?
Thanks in advance.
