Re-new

[Neoma]

haven't done a reef aquarium in 20 years (150 tot gl)and the new info is AMAZING! re starting a 75gl now, been up for a month now cycling dry coral & sand-no live rock. recently added calerupa from Sustainable ocean- although I paid for 2 day shipping from USPS, it took 8 days to arrive!!! overpriced and in poor shape, petula and feather calerupa has almost rotten petals on it but the stem appears viable so I put it in hoping that it could regenerate. unfortunately my nitrites and nitrate have spiked in only 2 days, could it be from this tiny amount of plants?! I have been dosing with 15 ml of Phyto daily and added bacteria 2-4 oz 3 times in 4 weeks. No ammonia register-I was going to add some PJ cardinals today, would this be a disaster?

 

[anthonygf]

haven't done a reef aquarium in 20 years (150 tot gl)and the new info is AMAZING! re starting a 75gl now, been up for a month now cycling dry coral & sand-no live rock. recently added calerupa from Sustainable ocean- although I paid for 2 day shipping from USPS, it took 8 days to arrive!!! overpriced and in poor shape, petula and feather calerupa has almost rotten petals on it but the stem appears viable so I put it in hoping that it could regenerate. unfortunately my nitrites and nitrate have spiked in only 2 days, could it be from this tiny amount of plants?! I have been dosing with 15 ml of Phyto daily and added bacteria 2-4 oz 3 times in 4 weeks. No ammonia register-I was going to add some PJ cardinals today, would this be a disaster?

Try 2 or 3 Dalmation Molly's, they acclimate well to salt water and I think they can handle a cycle better. I have 3 in my 75 gallon reef with a Yellow Tang, 2 Clowns, 2- 5 stripe Damsels, Filefish, Flame Hawk, and 4 blue-green chromis. they give live birth so maybe extra food for other fish and corals, if the babies do survive they are great algea eaters.

 

[Neoma]

Try 2 or 3 Dalmation Molly's, they acclimate well to salt water and I think they can handle a cycle better. I have 3 in my 75 gallon reef with a Yellow Tang, 2 Clowns, 2- 5 stripe Damsels, Filefish, Flame Hawk, and 4 blue-green chromis. they give live birth so maybe extra food for other fish and corals, if the babies do survive they are great algea eaters.

I have already had an algae bloom, so it should be good? the calerupa and cheato should be sucking up the No3 right?

 

[anthonygf]

I have already had an algae bloom, so it should be good? the calerupa and cheato should be sucking up the No3 right?

I was never successful with keeping cheato alive and I had the right conditions for it. So now I have no fuge set up, I have some algae and lots of Aptasia. My Filefish helps a little, but purchased 16 peppermint shrimp for the hard to reach areas, and they are enjoying that somewhat. I have one red crab that hides alot and he has been with me for 4 years. I hope I am not making a mistake buy getting 8 Emerald crabs to help with algae.

 

[anthonygf]

I had about a dozen assorted hermits but got rid of most of them, they would gather on my sticks (sps corals) and break off branches, so now I only have 3.