Anyone have a fishless reef?

[ACBlinky]

We're thinking of giving our 65g to my parents, who have suddenly shown an interest in reefing, and using it as an opportunity to upgrade and/or change some things. If I end up starting a new tank, I'd like to do it the way I wish I had the first time around -- SLOW. I want to get the rock in and just let it be for a few months, see what macro and critters pop up, let the pods breed, and then start slowly adding corals I really like one by one. While I was thinking about what fish to keep, the thought occured that maybe it would be easier to run fishless, at least for a year or so until the tank really matures.

Has anyone got a fishless reef? Just curious if it's a lot easier to maintain (less nutrients) and equally fun/relaxing to watch.

 

[sir_dudeguy]

i got a 2.5 gallon fishless reef lol..idk if that really counts tho cuz you cant put any fish in there to begin with

But this is just a thought here, but when you add fish...that will usually/sometimes cause a small spike right? Not much, no, but would it be enough to worry about corals? I guess i'm saying, if you already got corals in there, then add a fish, would the addition of a fish be enough to cause a small spike to where the corals might get stressed out? Just wondering cuz i was kinda planning that, but for a smaller tank...i'd think that in smaller tanks it could happen, but would it on a larger one? (Oh, and what size tank are you thinking of?)

 

[ACBlinky]

A 90g is the largest tank that would fit into the space, but it's a considerable upgrade from a 65g (and about as large as I feel able to handle at this point). I don't think adding a single fish would cause much of a problem in a 90g (with a sump the system would be around 125g), we're planning on about 100lbs of LR if we do end up doing this, and the only fish that might go in would be small, gentle and reef-safe -- I've had my fill of agressive crab-killers, I want to create a peaceful tank

 

[Ursus]

I kinda wne the opposite direction on my 20H. I started with fish and didn't add any coral till about 9 months after setup. Im very pleased with how it worked out. I haven't had an issue with cyano, green hair algae, or just about any pest. I do have a tiny spot of bubble algae, but it doesn't seem to be growing.

 

[Pico Keeper]

I'm starting a new project like that now. I'm doing something very similar, I'm going to cure raw live rock in the tank. Let it cure, let the tank cycle, and then let it sit for 6 months. Get the pods, macros, critters, etc get going. I will be adding pods, micro brittles, cucumbers, snails, a few hermits, etc... Let all that stuff start breeding in the tank.

After 3-4 months, I will start buying my SPS frags to throw into the frag tank. So they grow. Maybe 6-months to a year later I will add all the SPS frags (now semi colonies to the display) I will then Order some large frag packs of LPS and zoanthinds. Let the tank grow for a year, and then start introducing fish every other month, until I got my entire stocking list in there.. Approximately 25 fishes in a 220 galllon tank.