How long can you survive without fish?

Siberwulf

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I've been with a tank now for.... about four months. I had hoped to get fish in right after the cycle, but some stuff came up and I have been rocking just a CUC (snails, crabs, brittle stars, bristle worms). I had a nasty dino bloom, but it was due to my chaeto (I got excited, y'all) sucking up all the nitrates. Since then I've been without any real source of nitrate import or export (I do feed the crabs a bit with some crab cuisine, and they are happy).

Things I've noticed:
  • I'm good at crowing coraline. It's getting purple.
  • Hair Algae isn't growing anywhere at all. I am getting some green on rocks, but not really anything else
  • I'm good at hosting pods. I dosed some a ways back and they're loving it in there without a predator. (I do dose a little phyto here and there)
  • Bristleworms love this thing. They come out to play when the lights turn low. They are having babies. They scare me.
  • Pineapple sponges are really starting to take hold in the sump. I may scrape some out if I do a WC.
But really, I'm worried that without a natural nitrate cycle (fish poop/food) I'm gonna end up crashing something. Is that a risk here?

FTS:
FTS.jpg
 

Tamberav

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You don't need fish. Fish are optional. People keep reefs in 2g vases without any such fish.

It sounds like it is coming along nicely.
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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Give it some food for motile life that may be in there, not for bacteria they’re feeding anyway. Maybe there’s a pod or two to feed
 
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Siberwulf

Siberwulf

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Give it some food for motile life that may be in there, not for bacteria they’re feeding anyway. Maybe there’s a pod or two to feed
Yeah, the Amphipods are pretty wild. Lots of the little buggers crawling all over the place. The crabs like the crab food. I actually saw one fight a bristleworm for a pellet.
 
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