Hi All,
This is my first post here but I've been on the reef tank subreddit for some time. I'm new to saltwater but not keeping aquariums in general. I have a great LFS that specializes in marine tanks so I followed their advice when setting up my tank.
Here's my specs:
40 Breeder
Tidal 55 HOB
2 hipargero LED lights 20% white 100% blue/UV
2 Jebao sw-4 wavemakers
Tunze ATO
Eheim Jager tru temp 150 watt heater
40 pounds 50/50 mix of marco and caribsea life rock
30 pounds fiji pink live sand
Instant ocean salt mixed to 35ppt
So I put the tank together (pics to come in build thread) and let it marinate for about 3 weeks. Then per my lfs I added two clowns and a big bottle of Dr. Tims. I added an Ammonia alert tag and tested every day for 4 weeks using api strips and liquid tests. Ammonia never went over .25 so I figured it was a false reading. Nitrite and Nitrate were nonexistent as well.
To be clear if my ammonia spiked I was going to remove the fish and place them in QT.
I brought some water to my LFS two weeks ago and he gave it a test with Hanna checkers to confirm my readings. Thinking maybe I wasn't producing enough waste I added a firefish goby. I also got an acan, hammer and zoa on impulse. None of the corals are glued in so if things spike I can take them out.
For two weeks now I have been testing daily and everything is still undetectable. I feed the fish and corals 1-2 times daily and have yet to do a water change. I have heard of the "skip cycle" but don't fully believe in it. However, I have several established FW tanks that go months without water changes and never read any nitrate so I do believe in nitrate gassing off. But not in a tank that's less than three months old.
I did have a 24 hour span where I think cyano started to bloom a week ago. I blew it off the rock and coral (not the sand) with a turkey baster and it never came back. It also disappeared from the sand bed in the same time frame.
I'm a rather impatient person and the excitement of finally getting a reef tank makes me want to keep adding livestock. I don't think I'm ready for a clean up crew yet but want to add more corals at the least. am I rushing it or did I have a low key cycle that I never noticed?
This is my first post here but I've been on the reef tank subreddit for some time. I'm new to saltwater but not keeping aquariums in general. I have a great LFS that specializes in marine tanks so I followed their advice when setting up my tank.
Here's my specs:
40 Breeder
Tidal 55 HOB
2 hipargero LED lights 20% white 100% blue/UV
2 Jebao sw-4 wavemakers
Tunze ATO
Eheim Jager tru temp 150 watt heater
40 pounds 50/50 mix of marco and caribsea life rock
30 pounds fiji pink live sand
Instant ocean salt mixed to 35ppt
So I put the tank together (pics to come in build thread) and let it marinate for about 3 weeks. Then per my lfs I added two clowns and a big bottle of Dr. Tims. I added an Ammonia alert tag and tested every day for 4 weeks using api strips and liquid tests. Ammonia never went over .25 so I figured it was a false reading. Nitrite and Nitrate were nonexistent as well.
To be clear if my ammonia spiked I was going to remove the fish and place them in QT.
I brought some water to my LFS two weeks ago and he gave it a test with Hanna checkers to confirm my readings. Thinking maybe I wasn't producing enough waste I added a firefish goby. I also got an acan, hammer and zoa on impulse. None of the corals are glued in so if things spike I can take them out.
For two weeks now I have been testing daily and everything is still undetectable. I feed the fish and corals 1-2 times daily and have yet to do a water change. I have heard of the "skip cycle" but don't fully believe in it. However, I have several established FW tanks that go months without water changes and never read any nitrate so I do believe in nitrate gassing off. But not in a tank that's less than three months old.
I did have a 24 hour span where I think cyano started to bloom a week ago. I blew it off the rock and coral (not the sand) with a turkey baster and it never came back. It also disappeared from the sand bed in the same time frame.
I'm a rather impatient person and the excitement of finally getting a reef tank makes me want to keep adding livestock. I don't think I'm ready for a clean up crew yet but want to add more corals at the least. am I rushing it or did I have a low key cycle that I never noticed?