New and Impatient

mannyfish16 · Jul 22, 2021

Hey all, kinda a weird saltwater question. This is my first reef setup. I know I'm supposed to wait for my new tank to cycle before I add other stuff in it but right now I have an RBTA for my one maroon clownfish and am so excited to dress it up more and add more to it but have to wait 6 weeks, right?!?! Right now my bottom is bare (looks super cool) but I'm going to put sand in it. Any other ideas that I could add to it before then without killing them?!

KJ · Jul 22, 2021

Welcome to R2R!!!

StellarLoving · Jul 22, 2021

Welcome to reef2reef.

Fred2482 · Jul 22, 2021

Welcome! The amount of weeks really depends on the actual setup. I wouldn't add anything else until you are 100% sure the cycle has completed.

ReeferMadness01 · Jul 22, 2021

I was the same way with the patience! But you’re going to have to slow down or learn the hard way. I’d def let it cycle before adding any live animals or add the bacteria now. Happy reefing!!

Fish Think Pink · Jul 22, 2021

mannyfish16 said:
Hey all, kinda a weird saltwater question. This is my first reef setup. I know I'm supposed to wait for my new tank to cycle before I add other stuff in it but right now I have an RBTA for my one maroon clownfish and am so excited to dress it up more and add more to it but have to wait 6 weeks, right?!?! Right now my bottom is bare (looks super cool) but I'm going to put sand in it. Any other ideas that I could add to it before then without killing them?!

Welcome!

What are your water parameters?

Sand can be a medium for nitrifying bacteria to grow upon. Tanks with sand cycle faster than bare bottom tanks. Be sure to rinse your sand several times with tap water, then RO water before adding to your tank. If RO water is left in sand, then ensure your water's salinity doesn't change from adding the rinsed sand.

Glad you joined and glad you are excited. Hope your RBTA survives cycle. Good luck!

Theulli · Jul 22, 2021

mannyfish16 said:
Hey all, kinda a weird saltwater question. This is my first reef setup. I know I'm supposed to wait for my new tank to cycle before I add other stuff in it but right now I have an RBTA for my one maroon clownfish and am so excited to dress it up more and add more to it but have to wait 6 weeks, right?!?! Right now my bottom is bare (looks super cool) but I'm going to put sand in it. Any other ideas that I could add to it before then without killing them?!

It's not about X weeks, it's about seeing ammonia in the tank, and then observing that the ammonia has dropped to 0, and nitrites are at 0. I would not put anything in until you've reached that point, because there is little telling how long that phase is going to last.

SPR1968 · Jul 22, 2021

Hi and welcome to Reef2Reef!

Look into ATM Colony and similar product’s Its 2021 you dont need to wait 6 weeks 6 months or whatever its an instant cycle

Having said that anemones need mature stable systems or expert water maintenance and if you can provide that fine. If you cant I would take it back to the shop for the time being

Siberwulf · Jul 22, 2021

Tagging @brandon429 in here. You're essentially look for Ammonia to drop. Sand increases surface area for bacteria to help this process. Nitrites, I don't think you really care about. They're not harmful to marine animals. Nitrates are actually healthy in certain amounts for coral nutrition.

Also, this is not the hobby for the impatient. It only leads to heartache. You can be patient though! Anyone can!

brandon429 · Jul 22, 2021

agreed this is a very good post to critique new cycling science claims against post patterns and predictions on what a reef will do given a set of moves, he wants to add more fish and is wondering if a filter can handle it.

might even be tempted to add more bacteria, that's our training its what most would do. bottle bac sellers have written cycling rules, so far

the rule of surface area activation in reef cycling says that once you can handle waste you are orders beyond what your current bioload demands. you have room for errors; a lost fish and snail. or an overfeed event, or add more fish
you have a shock absorber, able to modulate system not a locked in place then undo system.

We prove this tenet daily in the sand rinse thread: any reef who wants to join right now we can remove your entire sandbed instantly, robbing you of that much surface area, and your whole system proceeds even if you added new fish right then

The number one false driver claim for bottle bac sales unneeded is the claim that by dosing more bacteria to the water, they implant and do their job

that's untrue. water shear, natural competition for vital space regulates how high bacteria stack up on microlayers on the rock, that's why us feeding a bit much on a Thursday is processed, not stacked

it is cast off as skimmable mass mainly

water changes export much of it after adding. its certainly not harmful to add cycling bottle bac after an initial cycle, that's why sales repeat, but its not helping.

This tank above is cycled therefore fish disease is the regulator of adding fish, not ammonia control.

there is no time after cycle that adding fish causes a brief period of noncontrol, that's merely a brief period of believing an api test, but its not lack of ammonia control.

brandon429 · Jul 22, 2021

I believe any claim in reefing should come with a big proof thread or the claim itself is armchair quarterbacking.

Suddenly add 20 fish to Established tank

Hi Reefers I need some advice from experts here. So my 65 gallon tank is about 2 years old and was housing 4 fish and around 20+ anemone. Recently I converted into a clownfish harem by adding 20 clownfish all at one time. Suppose 20 is a good number for them not to fight. Right now...

www.reef2reef.com

you are considering adding a couple fish. there's twenty all at once, how did the reef do

69reefman · Jul 22, 2021

Welcome to R2R

revhtree · Jul 22, 2021

Welcome to your new home for saltwater reef aquarium resources and fun! Welcome to the family!

PeterC99 · Jul 22, 2021

Welcome to R2R!

Take your time getting cycled!

G Santana · Jul 22, 2021

The hardest thing to overcome in this hobby is lack of patience.
Take your time, you will eventually get there.
Welcome to R2R.

brandon429 · Jul 22, 2021

Remember this key detail: the patience is around your disease control choices, adding fish slowly has nothing to do with disease planning. Your cycle is done, so there’s nothing to go slowly with, as cycles are not undone by adding more fish we showed above in excess.

don’t confuse cycle doubt with apt disease control, be sure and mind the conditions that matter not the ones fixed and ready.
Any tank with a rose bta and fish not dead in two days is cycled. Post pics of your tank

the way you plan for disease control is not add more fish before reading the stickies in the fish disease forum

reef tank cycles have a close date, a date you don’t look back in doubt and you proceed with confidence in the filter. Any arrangement you used to handle anemone, fish and food for days meets this date of certainty. Your tank carries as many fish as it can carry, now, but disease will be the limiting factor.

****when we add more fish to a cycled reef, more bacteria do not form above going fallow without fish, a steady state forms just by being wet. The surface area holds its max bacteria because its wet, not because you are controlling how many bac by withholding or adding fish and any live rock you use is in excess of the degree of surface area you need to reef. This misinformation about increasing or decreasing bacterial load based on fish spread on forums is overselling bottle bac by millions of dollars. Your cycle is done.

proof of this rule are the thousands of fallow tank posts ran on seneye, when adding fish back after 90 day wait, ammonia control stayed the same. It did NOT get weaker with fish missing from the tank. Opposite of what forums type routinely in response to API variations.

mannyfish16 · Jul 22, 2021

Fish Think Pink said:
Welcome!

What are your water parameters?

Sand can be a medium for nitrifying bacteria to grow upon. Tanks with sand cycle faster than bare bottom tanks. Be sure to rinse your sand several times with tap water, then RO water before adding to your tank. If RO water is left in sand, then ensure your water's salinity doesn't change from adding the rinsed sand.

Glad you joined and glad you are excited. Hope your RBTA survives cycle. Good luck!

mannyfish16 · Jul 22, 2021

I don't know my water parameters yet. I just started it two days ago, lol. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm building the stand now for my Biocube

SO excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't stop looking at aquarium things!!!!!!!!

CMMorgan · Jul 22, 2021

mannyfish16 said:
I don't know my water parameters yet. I just started it two days ago, lol. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm building the stand now for my Biocube SO excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't stop looking at aquarium things!!!!!!!!

New and Impatient are 4 letter words in reefing. They usually lead to another set of 4 letter words.... Dead Fish.
Take a breath. Do some reading. Fish and RBTA do not belong in a two day old tank. Your enthusiasm is awesome but this is the kind of hobby where only bad things happen fast. Many people plan out their tanks for a year before they get wet. Slow down and enjoy the ride. Your livestock will thank you.
Welcome to the salty family. Relax and enjoy.