Okay everyone, firstly hello because I'm back to Reef2Reef and the hobby after a hiatus due to moving. I'm starting a 90 gallon reef using an older tank I bought back in 2012 but haven't used yet and instead of posting the obligatory new tank thread I want to start by getting some opinions. So, most tanks are started with one fish or a pair of clowns due to their hardiness and tolerance of chemistry changes in the beginning and that's fine because clowns are an entertaining fish and almost a 'staple' in a reef tank at this point. BUT... as opposed to just thinking, "my tank is cycled, time for another or more fish/inverts." How do you know if you and your tank are ready for an inhabitant? I'm not talking about aquarium size because Lord knows there's plenty of guidelines and opinions out there on that matter. What I'm talking about is something more along the lines of, "I want a pistol shrimp and goby combo, my tank has X or is X months/years old so they should be fine." Maybe something along the lines of, "looking to add a yellow tang, my tank has X or I'm going to feed X so they will thrive." Experience and research obviously play a part but is there any kind of a thread, website, guideline that you use to gauge when you or your tank is ready? I look forward to hearing the opinions on this!
When am I and/or my tank ready for another inhabitant?
- Thread starter M3d1C
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EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
When your ammonia goes down to 0 and you have some nitrates, your tank can handle a small bioload. Same thing for future additions... Slowly adding fish/inverts will allow the biofilter to catch up and be able to process the added ammonia. There's no guide per se, just patience and a dose of common sense.
*Some people add a bit of Biospira or similar to the tank with each new addition to help the biofilter along, but this is generally not needed if you're taking things slow and your water quality is stable.
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