Where does my tank stand?

[Weltallv2]

Hi, I'm assuming I still need to wait. I'm wondering when I may add some corals to my tank, and/or what I could expect to come in the near future.

The tank:
- Reborn and dry rock
- Day 30 since Fritz zyme 9 dose
- I think I had a bacterial bloom recently(water was clear then went cloudy, to really cloudy[took 4/6 days to clear up], it could've also been all the pellets I ghost fed earlier(I don't see them stuck between media anymore).
- Clowns were introduced on day 16, after I had 0 reading on ammonia
- I had stuff growing in the nooks and crannies of my rockscape, assumed it was algae, got snails. All the growth is gone.
- Only been testing 3 parameters;
Salinity 1.026, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 4
Refractometer and Salifert testers
- Lights have been turned just this week

I'm itching to start adding to my tank!
Towards the end of my cycle, assuming when nitrites zero out. Do I do my first water change? Or do I do all the fullscale parameter tests, then decide on a water change or not.

Can I add to my tank now? Lol

Two pics are of the tank about a month apart.

 

[PotatoPig]

One comment: It looks like the rock is on top of the substrate? If so you should adjust it so the rock bears directly on the glass.

Lots of critters, and fish, burrow under rock and will eventually undermine the rock in a way that could cause failures.

 

[Weltallv2]

One comment: It looks like the rock is on top of the substrate? If so you should adjust it so the rock bears directly on the glass.

Lots of critters, and fish, burrow under rock and will eventually undermine the rock in a way that could cause failures.

Thanks for the tip, I'll make the adjustments.

 

[TeeSquared1214]

With that looking like a bowfront style tank it may be acrylic, or tempered glass?

 

[Uncle99]

You need to monitor nitrate and phosphate in the bands for any coral.

If that’s in check, try a softy, like Xenia or GSP but keep them on separate rocks so they can be managed.

See how they do!

When you move to LPS and SPS, you’ll need to manage Alk, CA and MG in the bands as well.

Good luck.

 

[Fenral]

One comment: It looks like the rock is on top of the substrate? If so you should adjust it so the rock bears directly on the glass.

Lots of critters, and fish, burrow under rock and will eventually undermine the rock in a way that could cause failures.

Upgrade advice: You should get a base rock cut flat and put it on the bottom glass, then put the others on it. Having personally had the bottom of a tank shatter out (all be it a 20g...)

 

[Reefering1]

What would you like to add?
Imo this is a critical stage for the system. Sets the trajectory for the next year or 2. Technically it's ready to add stuff now. But if you overload the system you will be in a long term battle with uglies. I would run it with just the clowns, maybe a few easy corals, and full lighting for a couple more months. Let the rocks change colors, algea grow, adjust/add cuc and give them time to keep it in check. Get control of things, then add more. Ease into it. If algea take hold this early it will be tough to beat. I like to see coraline, established microfauna and cuc keeping things clean before dumping more of fish in. Corals are a bit different as they don't pollute the water But With dry rock start, I would want to get po4 stable ASAP. Too high= endless algea, too low and you get starving corals/dino. Have you started testing parameters? Have you considered liverock?

 

[Weltallv2]

With that looking like a bowfront style tank it may be acrylic, or tempered glass?

Some kind of glass I was able to drill the back, the one piece in front bends back on the left and right.

You need to monitor nitrate and phosphate in the bands for any coral.

If that’s in check, try a softy, like Xenia or GSP but keep them on separate rocks so they can be managed.

See how they do!

When you move to LPS and SPS, you’ll need to manage Alk, CA and MG in the bands as well.

Good luck.

I'll check these levels tmrw. Can I do a mushroom as a softy?

Upgrade advice: You should get a base rock cut flat and put it on the bottom glass, then put the others on it. Having personally had the bottom of a tank shatter out (all be it a 20g...)

This is a solid piece of advice, thanks!

 

[edsbeaker]

I really like your aquascape, but wanted to add one more tip that may help you with maintenance. The rock work looks very close to the sides and front of the tank. Those glass surfaces will need to be cleaned off with a magnet or algae scrapper. If you can’t fit one of those in between it’s going to be hard to clean those surfaces, especially if corals are growing on them. But again I really like it.

 

[Fenral]

I really like your aquascape, but wanted to add one more tip that may help you with maintenance. The rock work looks very close to the sides and front of the tank. Those glass surfaces will need to be cleaned off with a magnet or algae scrapper. If you can’t fit one of those in between it’s going to be hard to clean those surfaces, especially if corals are growing on them. But again I really like it.

Good advice... which I didn't follow ... Thankfully, the snail army deals with the issue for me.

 

[Weltallv2]

What would you like to add?
Imo this is a critical stage for the system. Sets the trajectory for the next year or 2. Technically it's ready to add stuff now. But if you overload the system you will be in a long term battle with uglies. I would run it with just the clowns, maybe a few easy corals, and full lighting for a couple more months. Let the rocks change colors, algea grow, adjust/add cuc and give them time to keep it in check. Get control of things, then add more. Ease into it. If algea take hold this early it will be tough to beat. I like to see coraline, established microfauna and cuc keeping things clean before dumping more of fish in. Corals are a bit different as they don't pollute the water But With dry rock start, I would want to get po4 stable ASAP. Too high= endless algea, too low and you get starving corals/dino. Have you started testing parameters? Have you considered liverock?

I'm still all for taking it slow, thinking a coral or two, no other fish. Taking it slower on fish since I may overcrowd quickly.
I've yet to test the other major parameters, was waiting on nitrites to lower. I'll break put the other testers tmrw.
Liverock, I've been waiting for tank shutdowns locally to grab a few pounds for my sump.

 

[Weltallv2]

I really like your aquascape, but wanted to add one more tip that may help you with maintenance. The rock work looks very close to the sides and front of the tank. Those glass surfaces will need to be cleaned off with a magnet or algae scrapper. If you can’t fit one of those in between it’s going to be hard to clean those surfaces, especially if corals are growing on them. But again I really like it.

****e, I really didn't coral consider growth! There's maybe an 1.5-2" space.

Thanks, for appreciating the aquascape!

 

[Reefering1]

Couple pieces of advice...
Check phosphate early. Chances are high that the rock is either absorbing it all from the water column or already saturated and leaching back into it.
Be careful of tank breakdowns, most people are not shutting down their tank because everything is going well and have no pests.

 

[Uncle99]

Some kind of glass I was able to drill the back, the one piece in front bends back on the left and right.


I'll check these levels tmrw. Can I do a mushroom as a softy?


This is a solid piece of advice, thanks!

Sure, you can add mushrooms, but just one.
If it flourishes for a month, system is ready.

You must keep the levels stable with no consistent rise or fall, week versus week. Same with salinity and Alk. All steady.

The above creates water chemistry that’s enjoyed be good algae’s and bacteria, so the system matures faster if maintained on point.

It’s the maturity through stability that favours all corals going forward.

Good luck, but slow, it’s much cheaper that way.

 

[Weltallv2]

Yeap, my tank may be due for a water change. My parameters are on the higher side of the range.

- Ammonia, 0(salifert)
- Nitrite, 4(salifert)
- Nitrate, 51.4(Hanna)
- Phosphorus, 180 ppb(Hanna ULR)
- Alk, 7.7(Hanna)
- Calcium, 450(Aquaforest)
- Mg, 1440(Aquaforest)
- Salinity, 1.026(using AF reef salt)

Hopefully, I'll see a drop in Nitrites over the week. The Aquaforest tests, I'm going to chalk it up as user error, this was my first time using it. Phosphorus could be my feeding(frozen for a long bit now), could be the rocks?

 

[mboley]

Upgrade advice: You should get a base rock cut flat and put it on the bottom glass, then put the others on it. Having personally had the bottom of a tank shatter out (all be it a 20g...)

Or a piece of ABS sheeting is much easier.

 

[damsels are not mean]

No reason to wait for the cycle to add corals. And the tank will never mature without some sort of live rock or coral to seed the microbes. If your salinity is right then all your other parameters are too.

 

[twentyleagues]

Yeap, my tank may be due for a water change. My parameters are on the higher side of the range.

- Ammonia, 0(salifert)
- Nitrite, 4(salifert)
- Nitrate, 51.4(Hanna)
- Phosphorus, 180 ppb(Hanna ULR)
- Alk, 7.7(Hanna)
- Calcium, 450(Aquaforest)
- Mg, 1440(Aquaforest)
- Salinity, 1.026(using AF reef salt)

Hopefully, I'll see a drop in Nitrites over the week. The Aquaforest tests, I'm going to chalk it up as user error, this was my first time using it. Phosphorus could be my feeding(frozen for a long bit now), could be the rocks?

The nitrate reading is probably influenced by the nitrite reading and not an actual. You will need to wait for nitrite to be broken down completely to get a correct nitrate reading. Are you testing phosphorus or phosphate? Other than that I think you look good.