Starting up salt water tank !

[Jordan92595]

So yesterday i set up my 55 gallon tank for salt i added the live sand ro water and 55 half cups of salt.
Im running a canister with a tidal top filter
When can i add live rock and fish ?

thank you

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Anytime. If the rock is actually live rock (shipped wet with active bacteria/algae) then you can add the fish same day. If it is dry rock then you will need to cycle the rock/tank until the rock can process ammonia before adding fish.

Please refrain from the emergency tag in the future.

 

[lapin]

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[Jordan92595]

Anytime. If the rock is actually live rock (shipped wet with active bacteria/algae) then you can add the fish same day. If it is dry rock then you will need to cycle the rock/tank until the rock can process ammonia before adding fish.

Please refrain from the emergency tag in the future.

so im hearing from some that i should let the tank cycle 48 hours before adding any live rock and fish ? is that the case ?

 

[sde1500]

Where's the emergency? Add rock now, cycling the tank is about establishing the bacteria population on the rock and sand. Not terribly useful to try cycling with no rock. I have no idea where 48 hr without rock comes from, possibly a suggestion you saw regarding monitoring for leaks?

 

[Jordan92595]

Where's the emergency? Add rock now, cycling the tank is about establishing the bacteria population on the rock and sand. Not terribly useful to try cycling with no rock. I have no idea where 48 hr without rock comes from, possibly a suggestion you saw regarding monitoring for leaks?

no emergency haha i clicked it by accident

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

The rock goes first. If its wet when you bought it then it has bacteria and is actual live rock. If this is the case then you can skip the cycling steps and add whatever you want fish and invert wise.
If the rock is dry when you bought it then typically you cycle the tank for about 1-2 weeks with ammonia source and bacteria like Fritz. We can help you along. I like ammonia chloride but raw shrimp or fish food will work. Bacteria like Fritz Turbostart will get you moving along until you get the bacteria populations up.

 

[Jordan92595]

The rock goes first. If its wet when you bought it then it has bacteria and is actual live rock. If this is the case then you can skip the cycling steps and add whatever you want fish and invert wise.
If the rock is dry when you bought it then typically you cycle the tank for about 1-2 weeks with ammonia source and bacteria like Fritz. We can help you along. I like ammonia chloride but raw shrimp or fish food will work. Bacteria like Fritz Turbostart will get you moving along until you get the bacteria populations up.

I added some dry rock today and dropped half of this bottle to help speed up the cycle. I am using live sand which helps with the cycling.. can i add 2 clowns?

 

[sde1500]

you can add two clowns when the cycle is done.

 

[Mandrew559]

I added some dry rock today and dropped half of this bottle to help speed up the cycle. I am using live sand which helps with the cycling.. can i add 2 clowns?

You gotta test your ammonia at least before adding fish. Fritz also needs an ammonia source to work, so ghost feed the tank.

 

[FrickMasterFlex]

I added some dry rock today and dropped half of this bottle to help speed up the cycle. I am using live sand which helps with the cycling.. can i add 2 clowns?

Tank looks really dirty.... Is there a reason you're in such a rush to add fish? Why not just take your time, and let the tank do it's work for 1-2 weeks and then add the fish when your readings are appropriate? I'm only 2 months into the hobby but quickly learned that patience is key to starting a tank. I waited a month with dry rock and cycling just to make sure everything was OK before adding 2 clowns.

 

[desagon]

Did you get yourself a handy dandy test kit? No one here can tell you if it’s ready. You need to test the water to see for yourself.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

I don’t mean to shame anyone but you need to sloooooow your roll. Bacteria don’t proliferate if there is no ammonia. Adding fish now will burn their gills and hurt like crap. Give it 7 days. Live sand is snake oil, it won’t help you cycle faster

 

[jorwill]

so im hearing from some that i should let the tank cycle 48 hours before adding any live rock and fish ? is that the case ?

If it is live rock I would wait up to a week honestly. Shipped wet or not it will have die off, test after a week(ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate) if they are all good 0,0, and under 10. Get a couple fish. If ammonia and nitrite are still present I'd give it a another week and test again before tossing in live stock.

 

[laverda]

Slow down! Unless you have money to throw away on dead fish. A reef tank takes time to cycle. Then become stable and finally established.
I think you going to have troubles with your filtration. That may be a good set up for fresh water or fish only, but is not really suitable for a reef tank. I recommend you rinse out your canister filter weekly with old saltwater to prevent it from building up nitrates and phosphates.
Good things happen slowly in a reef aquarium. Take it slowly and enjoy!

 

[MichaelReefer]

Cycling takes weeks my man... You cant put fish in for at least a month.

 

[Jordan92595]

Slow down! Unless you have money to throw away on dead fish. A reef tank takes time to cycle. Then become stable and finally established.
I think you going to have troubles with your filtration. That may be a good set up for fresh water or fish only, but is not really suitable for a reef tank. I recommend you rinse out your canister filter weekly with old saltwater to prevent it from building up nitrates and phosphates.
Good things happen slowly in a reef aquarium. Take it slowly and enjoy!

i appreciate your advise and yes i am waiting a week before testing and possibly adding in the first couple fish. as far as the canister i removed the filters and added in bio balls that filter will never be touched. which will avoid any nitrate spikes from bursting "i was told / hope" my filters are ran from the tidal on the top that i will replace once a month

 

[Jordan92595]

Did you get yourself a handy dandy test kit? No one here can tell you if it’s ready. You need to test the water to see for yourself.

what test kit do you like to use ? is there any in particular or anyone is fine? i typically just bring the water in to get checked

 

[Jordan92595]

what test kit do you like to use ? is there any in particular or anyone is fine? i typically just bring the water in to get checked

at the lfs

 

[CMMorgan]

I added some dry rock today and dropped half of this bottle to help speed up the cycle. I am using live sand which helps with the cycling.. can i add 2 clowns?

Not yet. You have dry rock. It needs time to cycle. Follow the instructions on the Turbo Start and monitor your Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate.