from cycled to sps how long

[rogerwilco357]

how long from the end of the tank cycling to being able to add sps corals ? how long did you wait to add your sps?

 

[MechEng99]

I always wait until the diatom blooms, cyano, and green hair algae phases are over. (Phosphates & nitrates are 0...or close to it.) Once the coralline algae is taking off, I'll add a few easy test corals. If those do well for about a month, that's when I move SPS over. But, that's just me...works well so far.

 

[am3gross]

i waited till i got a few fish established and after all the blooms were over. 1 of the big things for me now is the whole QT process.. dont skip on it. make sure you get a good practice down now and not years later and have everything you have worked so hard for dwindle away.. if you start right in the begining the easier your experiance will be and you will have less die off... good luck!

 

[Norwood IND]

i waited till i got a few fish established and after all the blooms were over. 1 of the big things for me now is the whole QT process.. dont skip on it. make sure you get a good practice down now and not years later and have everything you have worked so hard for dwindle away.. if you start right in the begining the easier your experiance will be and you will have less die off... good luck!

+1 Definitely quarantene your corals and dip. You can never be too sure if your source of the coral is absolutely bug free.

 

[redhanded77]

In my experience, I have added sps right after the tank has cycled. Ive also done it with newly cycled base rock and never had any problems. I use NSW so Im not sure if that makes a difference or not.

 

[Will C]

I waited ab 6 mos with my first tank and my second I introduced some easier to maintain sps ab 1 month after the cycle. Both methods worked, the only difference was experience and the second tank is larger

 

[29reef]

Well besides waiting for the normal cycle and coraline growth. I suggest sticking to montis and tank raised sps for the first 6mon-1year. I also notice as a tank matures it seems easier to acclimate sps and also growth rates go up. I suggest reading and maybe joining a reef club or find someone who keeps sps that can help guide you in the right direction. As they have become easier to care for they still aren't as easy as say soft corals.

 

[rogerwilco357]

thanks

thanks

well think i will take the corals from the holding tank and start to acclimate them one every other day to see what happens i have some 20 corals to move that have been quarantined for about 2.3 months all is good and clean so will give it a shot thanks for the input.
Roger

 

[buy_baff]

Let me know how it goes roger. Your frag I'm holding is a small colony now LOL.

 

[mike332211]

Don't add to many coral/fish at one time. Every time you add anything to any tank (new or established) you have a small cycle because the bacteria need to reproduce to compensate for the new bio load.

 

[ZurichOne95]

I added a blue tort frag as soon as my week cycle was done, tank was cycled with had ocean water and D-D salt. Only took a week to cycle, all my Sps are great now. So I think if you know your tank is stable go right ahead!

 

[ingtar_shinowa]

if you know how to maintain parameters you can add as soon as the initial cycle is over. People will say 6 months to a year but thats for learning the hobby more than the corals sake. There is a learning curve however to the hobby and its different from softies and lps

 

[therman]

If you have some sps experience and you know what a healthy acro looks like, go ahead after a couple of weeks. If you have fish and inverts doing fine, and your Ca and KH are where they need to be, some hardier sps should do fine. I've had acros in a tank during the major algae cycles without any issue.

 

[poolkeeper1]

59gal tank, New Marco rock, Day 3 added a dozen SPS, On day 7 Added the remaining 75 pieces from a previous tank. 5 months later they are all doing great and have doubled in size with great color.
As long as your parameters are correct and there is no Ammonia/Nitrite your able to do this successfully with the proper equipment and care. JMHO
Bill

 

[steevareno2002]

coralline algea is always a good indicator that your conditions are ideal. They need the same Cacium/Alk and Magnesium to frow so it gives you a good idea that your SPS will do well also. My experience has been about the 3 month mark. Start with some hardy SPS like monti caps and digitata, wait a month and go from there...

 

[buy_baff]

59gal tank, New Marco rock, Day 3 added a dozen SPS, On day 7 Added the remaining 75 pieces from a previous tank. 5 months later they are all doing great and have doubled in size with great color.
As long as your parameters are correct and there is no Ammonia/Nitrite your able to do this successfully with the proper equipment and care. JMHO
Bill

+1 I did relatively the same thin when setting up my current tank the only diff was that my rock was live and had been cooking for 2 months. My tank was fully stocked in one week. I would also add this should not be done my a novice.