how long did you cycle aquarium before adding SPS

[deansreef]

Hello, I have an acrylic 225 gallon peninsula ( 60" x 36" x 24" high) and its a barebotttom with cured rock... I set up using tropic marin pro reef salt and RO/DI water and also used Dr Tims one and only and ammonia to cycle... tank has been cycling for 5 weeks so far and I plan to cycle another 11 weeks before turning lights on"¦. I want this to be a successful SPS tank... what did you all do regarding cycle time to first SPS ?

 

[ycnibrc]

As long as you can keep your parameters stable and have good culture of bacteria u can add some sps. Its hard to say when because each tank mature differently. Some zeovit tank can add sps after 14 days


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[deansreef]

As long as you can keep your parameters stable and have good culture of bacteria u can add some sps. Its hard to say when because each tank mature differently. Some zeovit tank can add sps after 14 days

yes, I am cycling with no light and stable parameters for 4 months as its BRS recommendation for successful SPS reef

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[deansreef]

here is a video of my cycling reef, turned light on just to video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi8s9ZY5w_I

 

[tom obrecht]

As mentioned above systems vary greatly. I'd say if old mature rock is used you maybe looking at weeks to a few months. My current system started completely fresh with dry rock. I'm at 9 months (after dosing numerous bottles of varied bacteria) and just now is the tank stable enough to start maintaining sps. Not vigorous growing sps, just maintaining. It is definitely testing my patience!

 

[cody6766]

Start slowly with good 'canary' corals.

I always start adding SPS with montis and birdsnest. Mind you, this is after 2-3 weeks with zoas, some LPS or other similar corals. Sometimes I've added all of them at once, but that was with well established rock.

Let your 'canary' corals sit for a couple weeks, then slowly add other SPS and watch all of them as you add.

 

[sfsuphysics]

Looking back at my tank thread on the local forum, from day 1 of water in the tank to first SPS was roughly 3 months or so. I had fish in there super soon, I did do any black out, I used Microbactr7 while cycling (not sure if that did anything), it did go through a major case of the uglies, but once that past the tank looks great now and corals seem to grow fine.

But like Cody said, definitely have canary corals, I think some digitata, stylophora, and some acros. Luckily for me I'm not really into the high priced named corals that are out there so the canaries were corals that I actually wanted . But no RTN/STN of corals, hell the tank was still doing some "uglies" with the SPS in there, it all worked out fine.

 

[Mike de Leon]

I would stock with all the fish that you like first and let the cycle stabilize that way. Start keeping your NO3 and phosphate at bay. The longer you wait the better. Corals will already need lights. Once you turn them on and not fully cycled you will fight algae issues to no end.
Take your time.

 

[Higher Thinking]

I cycled my rocks in a Rubbermaid for about 8 weeks. Once I moved them to my tank and got it wet I added my first acro exactly 14 days later (just looked back at old photos).

There's really no reason you have to wait as long as you're mentioning. All the truths about keeping SPS just need to be kept. You'll definitely be dealing with various types of algae, but a healthy coral will keep growing.

Here's the first pic I took of the tank with a coral in it. Water hadn't even cleared yet That was ten months ago. Now the tank has several dozen acros.

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[deansreef]

acro in 14 days

acro in 14 days

how about an up to date tank shot

 

[drs2140]

As soon is everything is stabilized. It's different if it's one month in on your first aquarium or one month in on your new aquarium but you've been in the hobby ten years

 

[sreefs]

Wait at least until Coraline algae grows well on the glass! If you want some of the high-end SPS I would wait a year!

 

[waterman78]

Pat is right... Signs of maturity is coralline algae growth....but then again 1 year of maturity would be the train of thought.

My two pennies. Good luck.


- Larry

 

[kungfujoe]

After 2 months I added my first sps

 

[madadi]

You can add it anytime, but if you want it to have best chance to survive look at your coralline algae like others have mentioned. if your algae is making circles on the back windows the size of a nickle to a quarter you are good to go and conditions are good for most SPS to do well also. dont forget to light acclimate when you are adding corals especially if you have strong lights.