Why is 'taking it slow' the best way to set up a reef tank?

[shred5]

It is simple, you need to build bacteria. Without bacteria you get ammonia and ammonia is a killer to our corals and fish.
It is worse since shifting to dead rock vs live rock like we used to use because well it is dead and contains no bacteria.
Not to mention dead rock is first colonized by algae and cyano which can smother corals. Also dead rock usually is loaded with phosphates at first which leads to a higher level of cyanobacteria and algae.

People have different skill levels which may allow them to get away with a little more than others.
Patients is key in this hobby and why I have been in it so long and other are not.



Good things happen slow and bad things happen fast.

 

[Gup]

Once you've been doing it for years, you can set up same day or next day tanks like some Vets. But that's only after you really, really understand it.

I guess if you had genius level IQ and studied enough prior like at least months worth of day to day study you might be able to understand the theory and just magically be able to practically apply all of it.

But that's a rare reefer.

I always enjoyed watching the TV program TANKED. Granted they were extremely large systems. That said, they stocked those new tanks to the gills. Even with professional help, I always wondered what the percentage loss was in the first 6 months.

 

[MONTANTK]

I always enjoyed watching the TV program TANKED. Granted they were extremely large systems. That said, they stocked those new tanks to the gills. Even with professional help, I always wondered what the percentage loss was in the first 6 months.

I do recall hearing about a few instances of livestock dying within the first 24 hours. One in particular was the skateboard ramp tank. Pretty sure everything died. They make pretty cool tanks but I don’t really agree with their stocking practices

Edit: To give them the benefit of the doubt, I have also heard they remove a lot of livestock after the unveiling

 

[SPR1968]

What time frame are you suggesting when you use the word "immediately" with using bottled nitrogen cycle products

The same day

 

[Skyfish]

2cents Dry rock will take at least a year to be "difficult coral stable" even with supplementation of bacteria. Live rock will take a few months to be stable with die offs. Go full ham after that, understanding large additions still require adjustment periods.

I also think part of the go slow advice, is if someone is asking about something related to "can I add this", "how long" the person is probably not experienced in tank husbandry. It can take years to develop those skills and years of pushing your own boundaries.

Go slow== Safe, go fast =risky/possibly expensive lessons

I will also add our understanding of the bacteria interplay in the reef tank is infantile at best, if adding 3 stains of nitrogen cycle bacteria was all that was necessary everything would be insta-tank.

 

[terraincognita]

There is definitely a lot to be said about even using Seeded LR, Live Sand, and Bacto Boosts about the overall tank maturity and bacteria/microfauna populations.

That's not something you can "instant boost", While you may be able to make them fish safe day 1, I do strongly agree, REALLY SPS ready is at least 3-6 months from start.

You can stock SPS same day with the above, but I wouldn't say to do it with just some LR and Live sand from LFS. I'd only be doing that with an upgrade or transfer from existing tank with new Live Sand.

However many people have done it even still successfully.

 

[SPR1968]

What time frame are you suggesting when you use the word "immediately" with using bottled nitrogen cycle products

About 1 hour after adding ATM Colony. And only the hour, while I prepared/caught the fish

 

[Freenow54]

I was somewhat surprised that you never mentioned the most basic water parameters checks as you are adding stock. Say ammonia created from adding stock using an indiscriminate time frame. I'm assuming you did, just failed to mention that point.

That is the other way to start a tank according to the article. I did not post that section. It is frowned upon because of the possibility of the fish dying

 

[Freenow54]

Like you I am just starting. I have an article given to me by my store owner. It is quite simple to understand. I am using a sump
1} First tank all set up with rock, and Algae { go to BRS site to see the video they go or goggle it. called 13 biggest mistakes with start up.
2} NO LIGHTS NO SKIMMER
3 Get API saltwater test kit. It comes with everything you need to begin and beyond. Tests for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, and PH. This was recommended by Author and is great. Get some syringes
All sorts off calculators to tell you how much Ammonia you will need. I used 35ml for 120 gallons US. You want to get it just under 5ppm. I let it cycle then added 32oz of bacteria booster to kick start it. This depends on the rock you used. I went cultured, From what I read there is too much risk using Live. Again BRS does a video on that. There are 3 types.
4} let it run for a few days then start testing and adding more ammonia , test for Nitrites as well. I had to add another 15ml of ammonia today 3 days later. My readings were 0.5ppm ammonia, 2.0ppm Nitrite, and maybe hard to read 0.5 Nitrate.
5) When you start seeing Nitrite back off on the amonia he says half. It should spike at some point 14 to 20 days. You should then see Nitrite drop rapidly, and Nitrates going up. Close attention now to any amonia adding. He says 1/4 of initial amount.

You cannot let it sit with no fish. You would have to keep feeding the bacteria to keep it alive fish or ammonia or organic material eg food

I will qualify myself. I am far from an expert, and am learning on the way. I am currently starting my own tank from scratch. As mentioned in another post I inherited a mess of an established tank. Luckily it did not have coral , just pain in the but fish very aggressive. but one clown. It is a 40 gallon stand alone, and using a Fluval canister filter, and a hang on the back skimmer. To make a long story short ( I was in the service industry in HVAC , going to peoples homes. I ran into one customer who gave me great advice and 6 months later I won that battle with hair algae. I have posted on this site other problems with the established tank, BRS has great videos that is where I got the take it slow advice, ESPECIALLY when you have a problem, As they said it took you months to create a problem, it will take time to get out of it. I found that out by adding the cure all algae remover. I lost one coral, and the others were looking poor. I stopped using that, and found Matrix had a media which works best in a canister filter was the trick.
The other advice was water quality from members here. I installed an RO system, and bought a TDS meter. I was getting 3 to zero readings. A member suggested getting a DI filter, now readings are zero and made a huge visible difference to the tank. My leathers are thriving
Word of advice. DO NOT get lazy. Problems take a long time to present themselves, and then you are in for the long haul. If you have coral it is extremely difficult to correct problems, they show stress long before fish do. That is why I am being so careful, and taking all the cautionary steps I see It is not a race to me I am not trying to see how fast I can complete 18 holes. BRS for example suggests leaving the lights off for 4 months when you are complete with the cycle and have added fish. Presently I am about a week away from that . My cycle is almost complete after about a month and a half

 

[Lady of Babylon]

I agree with a lot of what people are saying above. In my personal experience and major failures: taking it slow helps you understand your tank. Kinda like bonsai in a zen garden on a different planet. Most coral or live rock I have added always come with more than one hitch hiker. Adding one at a time and sitting in front of your tank. (Diving into it if you will, like watching tv or a computer screen saver) you can see what is going to be problematic and what is not. In terms of bio-load and adding fish... different fish species have different bio-load impacts. Example: If you have a 55 gallon and add 3 mono’s and an eel... you are going to put your tank through one heck of a bacterial rodeo before it stabilizes, and that stabilization will take longer because of a boom and bust due to feeding and dedication cycles. Especially if you can’t figure out the feeding amount. (Many over feed) On the other hand adding something like a cleaner wrasse and 3 chromis to the 55 gallon, the bacterial swings will be more manageable and you can “catch” when your tank starts to turn for the worst much easier and keep everything alive.

 

[Lady of Babylon]

Auto correct edit.

I agree with a lot of what people are saying above. In my personal experience and major failures: taking it slow helps you understand your tank. Kinda like bonsai in a zen garden on a different planet. Most coral or live rock I have added always come with more than one hitch hiker. Adding one at a time and sitting in front of your tank. (Diving into it if you will, like watching tv or a computer screen saver) you can see what is going to be problematic and what is not. In terms of bio-load and adding fish... different fish species have different bio-load impacts. Example: If you have a 55 gallon and add 3 mono’s and an eel... you are going to put your tank through one heck of a bacterial rodeo before it stabilizes, and that stabilization will take longer because of a boom and bust due to feeding and <b>* defecation* <b> cycles. Especially if you can’t figure out the feeding amount. (Many over feed) On the other hand adding something like a cleaner wrasse and 3 chromis to the 55 gallon, the bacterial swings will be more manageable and you can “catch” when your tank starts to turn for the worst much easier and keep everything alive.

 

[vetteguy53081]

When a tank first shows that it can process ammonia into nitrite and nitrite, it can hold a small number of fish. But to many fish will cause a crash because the bacteria simply hasn’t reached a population large enough to handle many fish. So you go slow so your biofiltration can keep up with increasing demand. Since we have the tank up and running, we can add fish right? No. We now have to go thru the Nitrogen Cycle. You should test your aquarium water every day until your ammonia reaches 0. At first it will read 0, but then will creep up. This may take a few weeks to get thru. You must wait until this process is complete before you add livestock.
The tank's nitrogen cycle is a chain reaction process in which water goes through several biological changes to finally be able to sustain life. This process takes time as bacteria needs to grow and establish stable populations in your aquarium. The bacteria also needs a source of energy. When starting a new tank, it will take anywhere from 2-4 weeks, sometimes longer, for the tank to fully establish a stable nitrogen cycle. As you add fish and animals over time, the bacteria will continue to grow in order to keep up with the additional waste in your aquarium and therefore is an on-going process.
If you add livestock before the cycle is established, ammonia and nitrate can quickly kill your new aquatic friends.