New salt water tank help!

[Craigswhitman]

Hey everyone, I’m starting a small reef tank for my son for our first ever tank. I know a little bit about tanks because my father had a reef tank for us growing up but, I do not know much because I was a kid and that was 25 years ago. It seems like everything has changed (for the better) but it’s confusing. I am well aware of the time and effort that goes into successful reef tank, so please just keep it to advice!

I went ahead and just bought a biocube 32, jugs of salt water, live sand and live rock. I have had the tank set up and running for 7 days now. I have been testing the water every day and I haven’t seen any changes in Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate or PH. I keep hearing about a “spike” signaling that my tank is cycling, but I really haven’t seen much activity at all. The lights are on a timing cycle and the filter is running.

Here are my questions:

1.) Am I just too excited and the ammonia, nitrites and nitrates just need more time? I care more about the fish’s health then anything and if MORE time is the only answer, I’m okay with that.

2.) The media tray is 3 levels and the tank only came with a rectangular filter that fits right in there. The bottom two trays are empty. I remember my dad using some sort of bio balls back in the day, but I’m reading that they are phased out. What else, If anything, should I put in there? I’m eventually going to do small fish and some live coral, do I wait and put something in when I buy the fish and then coral?

Sorry for being new and not knowing everything, but I refuse to hurt these animals because I wasn’t prepared and didn’t seek answers. I know I asked specific questions, but feel free to add anything that would be beneficial to a new tank owner! Thank you!

 

[brandon429]

Live rock brings in all required bac

If it was real live rock, it's as ready now as it will be in 200 more days. This thread was written purely for your type of build, a skip cycle setup:

The microbiology of reef tank cycling.

You can skip your cycle. Ive been reefing online for twenty years and have never waited one second for a tank to cycle, because I buy rocks that are already cycled and move them home. Here's two: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/octo-high-end-sps-skip-cycle-build.713256/...

www.reef2reef.com

-how to verify you have live rock without having to burn it with ammonia to be sure.
-how to cycle it if it's not true live
-how to cycle any reef tank using no testing at all.

The fact you got a zero ammonia reading is the most amazing part

 

[brandon429]

I would never personally cycle a reef tank, it means you have to wait. My rocks are from that actual pic from the group B vat. All real coralline.

Employing skip cycle science is no more bad than not waiting forty minutes for a song to download circa two decs ago. The hobby progressed in some areas yep. Things they said couldn't be rushed get rushed by every person who sets up a tank at MACNA. What they do we can do with a free pass.

The neat part is we got ultra critical about fallow, quarantine and fish disease protocol so while your rocks are ready for fish if they're group B verified, doesn't mean you should.

It means you can stock your tank up with neat items to look at, then go 80 days fallow (no fish) then input only quarantined fish. That order of ops is 2020 reefing. For clarity on fish disease protocol see the sticky threads in fish disease forum that's where I picked it up. Welcome to reef2reef
Let's see those rocks~ post pic very curious to see
B

A small kids tank with perhaps a damsel fish or one clown isn't as critical on the protocol approach. Healthy bought fish from a few genera typically stay healthy in singles for the most part

That fallow approach is more for mixed reefs and for more delicate fish but it's also excellence if you want the most updated reef approach.

 

[Craigswhitman]

I would never personally cycle a reef tank, it means you have to wait. My rocks are from that actual pic from the group B vat. All real coralline.

Employing skip cycle science is no more bad than not waiting forty minutes for a song to download circa two decs ago. The hobby progressed in some areas yep. Things they said couldn't be rushed get rushed by every person who sets up a tank at MACNA. What they do we can do with a free pass.

The neat part is we got ultra critical about fallow, quarantine and fish disease protocol so while your rocks are ready for fish if they're group B verified, doesn't mean you should.

It means you can stock your tank up with neat items to look at, then go 80 days fallow (no fish) then input only quarantined fish. That order of ops is 2020 reefing. For clarity on fish disease protocol see the sticky threads in fish disease forum that's where I picked it up. Welcome to reef2reef
Let's see those rocks~ post pic very curious to see
B

 

[Dragon52]

 

[brandon429]

Ok that is such prominent coralline it looks like liferock, painted stuff which is cycled after twelve days underwater. Hard to tell by the pics

Was that rock wet at the fish store or from a vat with living animals in it

-any form of anchored or attached plant or growth is cycle confirmation. They show up after nitrifiers. Does that live rock have tufty growths or hairlike items waving in the current, any sponges in the cracks and crevices

 

[Dragon52]

Ok that is such prominent coralline it looks like liferock, painted stuff which is cycled after twelve days underwater. Hard to tell by the pics

Was that rock wet at the fish store or from a vat with living animals in it

-any form of anchored or attached plant or growth is cycle confirmation. They show up after nitrifiers. Does that live rock have tufty growths or hairlike items waving in the current, any sponges in the cracks and crevices

+1

 

[S.Pepper]

Welcome to R2R, CraigsWhitman. No sense in me suggesting anything because Brandon helped me out. You're in good hands.

 

[S.Pepper]

Here's a video on the media tray and what you can fill it with. And don't feel sorry for asking questions, all of us, and some of still, were there at one time.

 

[Craigswhitman]

Ok that is such prominent coralline it looks like liferock, painted stuff which is cycled after twelve days underwater. Hard to tell by the pics

Was that rock wet at the fish store or from a vat with living animals in it

-any form of anchored or attached plant or growth is cycle confirmation. They show up after nitrifiers. Does that live rock have tufty growths or hairlike items waving in the current, any sponges in the cracks and crevices

It was definitely dry when I got it. Like it was sitting in a box in the back room and wasn’t transported in water. It DOES have the hair-like substance swaying around in the current but that’s all I’m really seeing. If it means anything, I’m definitely seeing more of that hair then I did on day one.

 

[brandon429]

nice detailing. dry means we need to let it sit for a while before adding bioload/new animals. can you find out if that's liferock brand. bring dry overrides it all, but if its liferock there's a quick way

 

[Craigswhitman]

nice detailing. dry means we need to let it sit for a while before adding bioload/new animals. can you find out if that's liferock brand. bring dry overrides it all, but if its liferock there's a quick way

I’m going to the store tomorrow. I will check and get back to you.! Thanks everyone!

 

[brandon429]

ok one last thing-when there if they say it isn't liferock, buy some bottle bacteria for cycling and add it. if they say its liferock, the painted on bacteria kind, then it just sits in water two weeks and is ready after that. most of the pre painted coralline rocks are this kind

Your tank is like this one I bet

How to Setup a Mini Reef Aquarium – Part 2: Aquascaping, Live Rock & Leveling | Reef Builders | The Reef and Saltwater Aquarium Blog

The reef aquarium hobby has grown so much that it’s never been easier to set one up, although a deluge of information can make it hard to know where and how to start. In an effort to give our readers…

reefbuilders.com

He did a skip cycle approach as well using same rock

 

[CasaReefer]

Welcome to R2R.. As you can see there are a lot of caring people in here and Wicked Smart To boot.. You really have came to the right place for help.. The R2R Family.. Welcome Craig...