Recently cycled nano - but what to do next?

[flyingscampi]

Nano Build

I've just cycled a 15 gallon nano with ATM Colony and Dr. Tim's ammonia. I'm now on day 32. I have CaribSea LifeRock and the 'dead' CaribSea Special Grade sand - no live rock. Some diatoms appeared on day 23 but have only spread to a few light patches so far...

I've just performed a 100% water change, checked parameters, and added some Algae Barn Tisbe pods. I feed a few ml of OceanMagik daily, and the pods appear to be enjoying their luxurious home…

I’m now a bit confused about what to do next. If I do nothing and wait, will algae start to grow without further intervention, or will I just end up with a tank full of happy pods? There are still only a few light patches of diatoms and I’m concerned that by cycling the tank with both dry rock and dry sand, it’s too ‘sterile’ and nothing else will happen?

I asked a LFS about live rock and they said it will only come with bacteria, which I’ve already got…

The next inhabitants I plan on getting are a Trochus snail and a red-legged hermit (plus some spare shells.) Could I get them now and feed them manually to kick-start the system?

 

[FruiTee]

The statement the LFS gave you is pretty typical "rolls eyes" Live rock comes with established bacteria that's the difference between bacteria in a bottle with dry rock and Live rock.

If your tank is fully cycled go get your first fishy friend but don't full blast the lights yet keep them on the down low so you don't get a very ugly stage.

Give your tank and bacteria time to establish itself before letting algae take hold

Take things slow and work your way to your first hardy nice looking coral and then as you hit age milestones and you notice your tank becoming more stable add more but take it slow

 

[polyppal]

Nano Build

I've just cycled a 15 gallon nano with ATM Colony and Dr. Tim's ammonia. I'm now on day 32. I have CaribSea LifeRock and the 'dead' CaribSea Special Grade sand - no live rock. Some diatoms appeared on day 23 but have only spread to a few light patches so far...

I've just performed a 100% water change, checked parameters, and added some Algae Barn Tisbe pods. I feed a few ml of OceanMagik daily, and the pods appear to be enjoying their luxurious home…

I’m now a bit confused about what to do next. If I do nothing and wait, will algae start to grow without further intervention, or will I just end up with a tank full of happy pods? There are still only a few light patches of diatoms and I’m concerned that by cycling the tank with both dry rock and dry sand, it’s too ‘sterile’ and nothing else will happen?

I asked a LFS about live rock and they said it will only come with bacteria, which I’ve already got…

The next inhabitants I plan on getting are a Trochus snail and a red-legged hermit (plus some spare shells.) Could I get them now and feed them manually to kick-start the system?

What fish are you planning on putting in the tank?

 

[zukihara]

Nano Build

I've just cycled a 15 gallon nano with ATM Colony and Dr. Tim's ammonia. I'm now on day 32. I have CaribSea LifeRock and the 'dead' CaribSea Special Grade sand - no live rock. Some diatoms appeared on day 23 but have only spread to a few light patches so far...

I've just performed a 100% water change, checked parameters, and added some Algae Barn Tisbe pods. I feed a few ml of OceanMagik daily, and the pods appear to be enjoying their luxurious home…

I’m now a bit confused about what to do next. If I do nothing and wait, will algae start to grow without further intervention, or will I just end up with a tank full of happy pods? There are still only a few light patches of diatoms and I’m concerned that by cycling the tank with both dry rock and dry sand, it’s too ‘sterile’ and nothing else will happen?

I asked a LFS about live rock and they said it will only come with bacteria, which I’ve already got…

The next inhabitants I plan on getting are a Trochus snail and a red-legged hermit (plus some spare shells.) Could I get them now and feed them manually to kick-start the system?

The live rock will add diversity of bacteria, which is a good thing. Find the recent BRSTV video on this topic and you will see a tank cycled like yours vs. other tanks. You will feel like a geek for watching it, but it is eye opening.

 

[Spare time]

I would recommend getting a pack of dr tims waste away gel. They help with the ugly phase. I am a fan of boosting microbial diversity at this point (pns probio, ecobalance, etc.). However, I do not like live rock as live rock from LFS is almost guaranteed to have pests.

Just watch nitrate and phosphate and don't let them bottom out or get too high. Get a good test kit like a hanna ulr phosphate/phosphorus checker.

 

[flyingscampi]

The statement the LFS gave you is pretty typical "rolls eyes" Live rock comes with established bacteria that's the difference between bacteria in a bottle with dry rock and Live rock.

If your tank is fully cycled go get your first fishy friend but don't full blast the lights yet keep them on the down low so you don't get a very ugly stage.

Give your tank and bacteria time to establish itself before letting algae take hold

Take things slow and work your way to your first hardy nice looking coral and then as you hit age milestones and you notice your tank becoming more stable add more but take it slow

Thanks for your advice, I'm not planning on addding any fish to keep the nutruents down. Do do you think a hermit crab and snail (manually fed) would do the same job ? I have located a UK supplier that can send me a live rock so I think I'll give that a try..

Premium Cured Live Rock per/Kg

Buy Premium Cured Live Rock per/Kg on Rock N Critters for £26.99

www.rockncritters.co.uk

 

[flyingscampi]

What fish are you planning on putting in the tank?

I'm not planning on any, I'm an invert lover

 

[flyingscampi]

The live rock will add diversity of bacteria, which is a good thing. Find the recent BRSTV video on this topic and you will see a tank cycled like yours vs. other tanks. You will feel like a geek for watching it, but it is eye opening.

Thanks, I'll watch the video.

 

[polyppal]

I'm not planning on any, I'm an invert lover

oh, then yeah, go crazy! if the ammonia is zero you can add several as they will contribute very little to bioload. If you have several snails/crabs and no fish, they should do a good job at keeping ugly phase away (just don't overdo the lighting)

 

[flyingscampi]

I would recommend getting a pack of dr tims waste away gel. They help with the ugly phase. I am a fan of boosting microbial diversity at this point (pns probio, ecobalance, etc.). However, I do not like live rock as live rock from LFS is almost guaranteed to have pests.

Just watch nitrate and phosphate and don't let them bottom out or get too high. Get a good test kit like a hanna ulr phosphate/phosphorus checker.

Thanks for the tip, I didn't cycle with live-rock to avoid pests but with further reading it seems like a pest-free aquarium is rarely achievable. I'm using Tropic Marin's combined test kit to start with as a full set of Hanna gear is eye-wateringly expensive, but I'll replace the kits with Hanna as they run out.

 

[Imaexpat2]

Thanks for the tip, I didn't cycle with live-rock to avoid pests but with further reading it seems like a pest-free aquarium is rarely achievable. I'm using Tropic Marin's combined test kit to start with as a full set of Hanna gear is eye-wateringly expensive, but I'll replace the kits with Hanna as they run out.

Not true! I seriously QT everything going in my tank and have no pest in any of the 4 tanks I have set up and been that way for a couple of years. Its possible although it does take some effort and there is no guarantees on anything in life.

Add all the inverts you want. A very small fish wouldnt be such a bad idea although that tank is pretty small for much of a fish load bioload wise. In a couple of months a few corals wouldnt be a bad idea too. They are usually a pretty minimal bio load in a tank and if chosen correctly you can fill the tank to its litteral physical capacity! Just go slow, its a journey not a race. Enjoy it!

 

[Spare time]

Thanks for the tip, I didn't cycle with live-rock to avoid pests but with further reading it seems like a pest-free aquarium is rarely achievable. I'm using Tropic Marin's combined test kit to start with as a full set of Hanna gear is eye-wateringly expensive, but I'll replace the kits with Hanna as they run out.

It can be done. Just buy from, reputable sources and setup a 5 gallon QT for corals and stuff to catch flatworms or aiptasia.

 

[davidcalgary29]

Add some macroalgae! I love macro and there are some truly lovely species widely available. "Dragon's breath" halymenia (multiple species are sold with this description; some are nicer than others) are particularly lovely. Unfortunately, they're also quickly eaten by many members of the CUC...

Just be sure to quarantine it first if you get some. You wouldn't believe some of the nasty hitchhikers I've found in some of mine, such as aiptasia and some monstrous bristleworms.

 

[FruiTee]

Thanks for your advice, I'm not planning on addding any fish to keep the nutruents down. Do do you think a hermit crab and snail (manually fed) would do the same job ? I have located a UK supplier that can send me a live rock so I think I'll give that a try..

Premium Cured Live Rock per/Kg

Buy Premium Cured Live Rock per/Kg on Rock N Critters for £26.99

www.rockncritters.co.uk

Add some snails and crabs but make sure there is at minimal something for them to eat outside of manual feeding because they do eat alot

Do note with hermits be careful the species you keep some of them are known to destroy LPS corals and they overall a pain when they kill your favorite snail for food or bump over all your corals that aren't glued down

If you get small hermits ask for a couple of shells from the LFS this will stop them butchering a conch for its shell if you ever get one

Lastly set a coral type goal for your tank LPS or SPS dominated or Softie whichever and make sure the species of invert you get won't destroy your favorite coral.

Having a mixed reef with corals does limit some of your options. Like for instance my tank is mixed reef and I love angel fish but they known to nip or completely consume LPS so it stops me from buying them. Had I known this I would've made my tank softie mixed with cheap LPS and more SPS. But hey nothing beats that wavy look of a nice elegance coral or torch

*edit* oh and take it slow with hermits and snails add 2 maybe now and if you see the algae increase add more. Once food gets depleted they will die. I started my tank with 12 hermits and 4 banded trochus snails I have 20 snails now (they breed) and 2 hermits (they died from unknown reasons) I think they just ate each other but I've been stable on 2 now for awhile. Oh and also they shed so if you see legs floating around don't stress

 

[FruiTee]

So yeah add as needed dont buy those packs where you get too many for a new tank. You want to avoid any die-off now even a handful of snails dying in your size tank will cause your ugly stage to get alot uglier

 

[flyingscampi]

Not true! I seriously QT everything going in my tank and have no pest in any of the 4 tanks I have set up and been that way for a couple of years. Its possible although it does take some effort and there is no guarantees on anything in life.

Add all the inverts you want. A very small fish wouldnt be such a bad idea although that tank is pretty small for much of a fish load bioload wise. In a couple of months a few corals wouldnt be a bad idea too. They are usually a pretty minimal bio load in a tank and if chosen correctly you can fill the tank to its litteral physical capacity! Just go slow, its a journey not a race. Enjoy it!

You've convinced me. I have a spare 20 litre (5 gallon) tank and I'm going to set this up as a QT. I've put the sponge from an air filter into the DT to colonise.

I want to keep a low bioload as I'm often away from the house for a few days and need a system that can tick over with an automatic feeder occasionally dropping in some dry food.

 

[flyingscampi]

Add some macroalgae! I love macro and there are some truly lovely species widely available. "Dragon's breath" halymenia (multiple species are sold with this description; some are nicer than others) are particularly lovely. Unfortunately, they're also quickly eaten by many members of the CUC...

Just be sure to quarantine it first if you get some. You wouldn't believe some of the nasty hitchhikers I've found in some of mine, such as aiptasia and some monstrous bristleworms.

Halymenia and botryocladia are on the short list. QT advice noted!

 

[flyingscampi]

Add some snails and crabs but make sure there is at minimal something for them to eat outside of manual feeding because they do eat alot

Do note with hermits be careful the species you keep some of them are known to destroy LPS corals and they overall a pain when they kill your favorite snail for food or bump over all your corals that aren't glued down

If you get small hermits ask for a couple of shells from the LFS this will stop them butchering a conch for its shell if you ever get one

Lastly set a coral type goal for your tank LPS or SPS dominated or Softie whichever and make sure the species of invert you get won't destroy your favorite coral.

Having a mixed reef with corals does limit some of your options. Like for instance my tank is mixed reef and I love angel fish but they known to nip or completely consume LPS so it stops me from buying them. Had I known this I would've made my tank softie mixed with cheap LPS and more SPS. But hey nothing beats that wavy look of a nice elegance coral or torch

*edit* oh and take it slow with hermits and snails add 2 maybe now and if you see the algae increase add more. Once food gets depleted they will die. I started my tank with 12 hermits and 4 banded trochus snails I have 20 snails now (they breed) and 2 hermits (they died from unknown reasons) I think they just ate each other but I've been stable on 2 now for awhile. Oh and also they shed so if you see legs floating around don't stress

The plan is to add a trochus snail and a scarlet hermit (Paguristes cadenati), then see how things go for a few months, maybe adding more CUC if needed (but no more crabs). I then plan on adding a small group of sexy shrimp and a duncan coral.

I'll buy some Hikari algae wafers and crab pellets, and some dried nori to keep the CUC fed until my tank is a hairy mess...