Jonnybucko
New member
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Phosphate: 0.25
Nitrate: 20-40
PH: 8.4
Calcium: 420
Temp: 77
Specific Gravity: 1.023
Nitrite: 0
Phosphate: 0.25
Nitrate: 20-40
PH: 8.4
Calcium: 420
Temp: 77
Specific Gravity: 1.023
Am I ready for corals?
- Thread starter Jonnybucko
- Start date
For a new tank some say wait 3 months, others 6 months before adding coral. I've put coral in after 6 weeks and they did fine, but you might want to run some Purigen in your sump (if you have one) to take out the remaining nitrate and phosphate, then add a few corals and see how they do.
Aquarist007
New member
wait until nitrates are zero before adding anything
waynotcars
New member
What is your hardness, KH? What type of lighting are you running. What are you doing for flow in tank? Nitrate is a pretty big range from 20 to 40? Nitrate should be as close to 0 as possible. How long has tank been established? Go through the algae blooms yet that new tanks will go through? If not these algaes will over take and smother the corals.
Jonnybucko
New member
The tank is about a year old. I have a nice lighting system, 2 actinic and 2 10k. I have never been able to get my nitrates down to zero. I do a 10% water change weekly.
Frogmanx82
New member
Your definitely ready for soft corals if you don't have them already. Slightly elevated nitrates are usually not a problem and I think they may help reduce nitrates.
Mad_Reefer
New member
I add macro algae at 1-7 days.
I add corals at 1-4 weeks depending on how much waste has to cycle before the tank cleans up. Add hardy coral first, nothing too expensive.
I add fish after that, it would be best to wait 6 months to add fish, but I can never wait that long.
I add corals at 1-4 weeks depending on how much waste has to cycle before the tank cleans up. Add hardy coral first, nothing too expensive.
I add fish after that, it would be best to wait 6 months to add fish, but I can never wait that long.
scubasteve06
Jeeper Reefer
No corals until nitrates are 10<. If you can't get the nitrates lower than that, then you need to do bigger water changes.
scubasteve06
Jeeper Reefer
Any credible thoughts on how nitrates actually help nitrates? Nitrates won't bring down nitrates, they will only add to the nitrates you already have. I think you are confusing nitrifying bacteria with nitrates themselves. Two totally different things.
Mad_Reefer
New member
Corals help lower nitrates.
scubasteve06
Jeeper Reefer
Ok, I didn't understand that one completely. That's an interesting thought, since LPS and soft corals are basically filters themselves.
Raise specific gravity to 1.026
Your salinity is low: they won't like the phosphate or nitrate, so fix that first---you don't have a filter in there, do you? Most reefs (except sps) do better without filters, which only breed nitrate problems, and they want appropriate lighting (they eat light to more and less degrees) and an ATO for salinity stability. They prefer a few degrees higher temperature, around 80. But they do improve the water. Frankly, I have no trouble putting hardy lps or softie corals in just as soon as a tank has finished cycling---and still have mine that I got then, four years and a house move later, and way, way bigger. They've survived topoff and kalk accidents and 8 hour power outages more than once, and have no trouble. The one thing they won't tolerate is ammonia, so be sure you're past that, and they don't like runaway temperature --- better low than high. They're far, far tougher than most new hobbyists think. Go ahead and get your corals once you've brought that nitrate down a bit, just not sps yet, and nothing fussy: I'd recommend euphyllias among the lps (frog and hammer are easiest). Note the parameters in my sig: hit those, stay on them, and you should be fine if you test 3 things: alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium weekly, and keep a log. Once your corals start feeding (eventually)---ask me about kalk (calcium supplement in the topoff water).
Last edited:
