Tikosyn's Red Sea Reefer 750XXL Deluxe Build

[Tikosyn]

So I’m about ready to add my cleanup crew but I’m pretty confused about what I need to add/how much. I came up with a list, can anyone offer some input?

50 nassirius snails
20 cerith snails
4 peppermint shrimp
2 porcelain crabs
4 brittle stars
1 fighting conch
4 sea cucumbers
15 trochus snails

I decided against hermits for now, have heard too much about them being predatory. Do I need to scale my list up/down?

 

[mjlash22]

So I’m about ready to add my cleanup crew but I’m pretty confused about what I need to add/how much. I came up with a list, can anyone offer some input?

50 nassirius snails
20 cerith snails
4 peppermint shrimp
2 porcelain crabs
4 brittle stars
1 fighting conch
4 sea cucumbers
15 trochus snails

I decided against hermits for now, have heard too much about them being predatory. Do I need to scale my list up/down?

Just my personal opinion, but I would start with half and then adjust from there. I just think that’s a lot to add in all at once.

 

[Tikosyn]

Just my personal opinion, but I would start with half and then adjust from there. I just think that’s a lot to add in all at once.

Thanks for your opinion, I’m tending to agree after doing more reading. I’m thinking more like 10 ceriths, 10 trochus, a couple emerald crabs a couple peppermints and one brittle star. I can always add right?

 

[Daltrey]

I would half the snails and go with 1 of each of the shrimp and crabs for now. Maybe when your tank is more established you could add the rest. I have 25 nassarious snails, 1 emerald crab, and 1 Margarita Snail in the same tank and they do an awesome job.

Plus your going to need algea for your fish. My Flame Angel grazes on it all day.

Do you have a current pic of your tank. They definately need a good algea population or you will just starve them out. Mine when I added a minimal cleanup crew. Six weeks later and they are all doing fine.

 

[Tikosyn]

I would half the snails and go with 1 of each of the shrimp and crabs for now. Maybe when your tank is more established you could add the rest. I have 25 nassarious snails, 1 emerald crab, and 1 Margarita Snail in the same tank and they do an awesome job.

Plus your going to need algea for your fish. My Flame Angel grazes on it all day.

Do you have a current pic of your tank. They definately need a good algea population or you will just starve them out. Mine when I added a minimal cleanup crew. Six weeks later and they are all doing fine.

Well I’m gonna forget about the clean up crew for now, my tank is all out of whack. I’m using the Red Sea mature pro kit and I forgot to add some stuff on day 7, when I remembered it was day 9, so I added everything then. Well my cycle is no where near where it’s supposed to be because of that.

I’m on day 12 of the program and I still have NITRITE! I’m considering abandoning the Red Sea kit and getting biospira, I’m just really confused as to what to do next.

Current levels:

Ammonia- .2
Nitrite - .2

Anyone have any advice? I’m lost. Do I do a big water change?

Here’s some tank pics

 

[dylana407]

You don't need to do a wc until the tank complete cycling.

 

[Circa916]

Get Dr Tim’s or Fritz Turbo start 900. Both work great in my opinion. Fritz I was showing all 0’s in 3 days. Still gave it another 6-7 before starting to move livestock from my other tank just to be sure but parameters never changed. Just make sure to turn your skimmer off if you add live bacteria

 

[mjlash22]

Well I’m gonna forget about the clean up crew for now, my tank is all out of whack. I’m using the Red Sea mature pro kit and I forgot to add some stuff on day 7, when I remembered it was day 9, so I added everything then. Well my cycle is no where near where it’s supposed to be because of that.

I’m on day 12 of the program and I still have NITRITE! I’m considering abandoning the Red Sea kit and getting biospira, I’m just really confused as to what to do next.

Current levels:

Ammonia- .2
Nitrite - .2

Anyone have any advice? I’m lost. Do I do a big water change?

Here’s some tank pics

I can vouch for bio-spira, second tank I used it on with fantastic results in the first 48 hours.

Had my livestock in after the first week and still showing 0’s.

 

[Tikosyn]

Went ahead and bought a bottle of Fritz, I'll update on the status once I get it in the tank!

 

[Daltrey]

I use fritz ammonium and bio spira. Usually cycles a tank in a week. Then a little prime a day before adding livestock.

https://www.amazon.com/Fritz-Aquati...00OTH5TAQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Ocea...UTF8&qid=1519102556&sr=1-1&keywords=Bio+spira

https://www.amazon.com/Seachem-1160...D=410Zl%2BikGUL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

 

[Reefloco760]

Sweet tank!

 

[Tikosyn]

Tank is still cycling, I put in some frittzyme 9 yesterday so hopefully that speeds things up. In the mean time here are some pics of the Genesis Renew/Storm automatic water change and ATO, which has been fantastic so far.

 

[Tikosyn]

Day 43 update! Tank is cycled, have a small cleanup crew consisting of 10 Cerith snails, 2 trochus, 5 astrea, emerald crab, and 2 pepp shrimp. Also a pair of ocellaris have been added. Algae has started to die down as well, hopefully will be adding coral and some more fish soon!

 

[Tikosyn]

Tank update! I have some corals in, went with a blasto, frogspawn, and trumpet for now. Will definitely be adding more just taking it slow.

New tank inhabitants: royal gramma and fox face who are a little shy. Starting to get some nasty looking algae on the top of the highest rocks in the tanks, maybe dinos? Not sure. Any tips are welcome! Also it seemed like coralline was spreading early on but now all I am getting on my rocks is gross brown algae.

 

[luis carreiro]

Can I ask how you are you filling your ATO reservoir while using Genesis AWC and STORM for Automatic Top Off?

 

[Tikosyn]

Sure! So the storm pro system comes with the ROCV accessory which hooks directly to my RODI unit. The ROCV comes with level sensors which I have placed in my auto top off bin.

When you have the ROCV the storm will turn your rodi unit on when the water level in your ATO bin reaches a certain level and turn off when it reaches a certain level, you set each level with the placement of the level sensors. So the blue tube in the pictures is my output from my RODI, fills up my ATO bin then shuts off and I don’t have to do anything. It’s very convenient. Can’t speak highly enough of the Storm/ROCV. Also Genesis support is seriously awesome.

 

[luis carreiro]

Thanks, how do you have your ro/di system making water for your ATO using the ROCV and for your ro/di tank for saltwater making? I am planning on using the same system but having difficulty setting up the ro/di to fill the ATO reservoir and RO/DI tank.

 

[Tikosyn]

So my solution for that is pretty low brow, ingenuity wise. Some of the pictures above show my water mixing bin under the Genesis bins, next to the bins are the pass throughs I put in to feed all the tubing through the wall. I just pull the blue line from my ATO and put it into my saltwater mixing bin when I need to make more water then manipulate the level sensor in my ATO to turn on my RODI unit. I posted this issue in the Genesis forum and Kevin suggested using a T valve to turn on flow from ATO to saltwater bin but I figured moving the tube is just as easy with my setup.

 

[luis carreiro]

Got it. Thanks. This has been an on going issue for me.

 

[luis carreiro]

Where is this genesis forum. Would like to read.