how long till coral

[bobbyblank]

tank is done with cycle and i am getting a batch of snails, herms, shrimp and mabe a cuke tomarrow to get some life rollin in the tank. How long would you sugguest waiting before adding any frags into the system? Side note, how long should it take my system to start produceing plankton and pods? I would rather introduce naturally then with a bottle

 

[Reefugee]

Bobby - assuming that your cycle is complete done, I would say that you can add corals immediately. You might want to start with some easy to manage corals (zoas, mushroom, and some LPS). As far as PODS are concern, you will get them as you add stuff (corals on pieces of rocks) from other people's tank. THis is how you will introduce pods to your tank. Be careful though because you can add pest the same way. BTW - kick starting your tank by adding "pods in a bottle" is not a bad thing.

Minh

 

[bobbyblank]

I know its not bad, im just trying to keep the eco-flow of the tank as natural as possible so i dont end up with a overpoputation problem down the line. I figure if i introduce things slowly and as natural as possible, it will give the tank time to re-adjust itself properly, like a yin n yang thing. not just pods and plankton, but most things in general. Maybe im just overthinking lol. Well if that is the case, maybe ill try to accumulate a few corals this weekend also, maybe some shrooms or zoos.

 

[MrMikeB]

I think you are on the right track regarding the 'slow' aspect. Many newbies (I included) want an instant reef and shock their system (and themselves), typically with less than stellar results by going full boar right out of the gate. Kudos to you!

 

[Reef n' Madness]

When I started my tank I took about 3 months to add in my corals (nice and slow). Mushrooms will be a good start. I am sure you will have a beautiful tank in no time.

 

[bobbyblank]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10338283#post10338283 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MrMikeB
want an instant reef and shock their system (and themselves)

I dont have the money to shock they system and start over, and my girlfriend is shocked enough as is it lol. From what i tell her its costing at least lol.

 

[Mikey Donuts]

My tank has only been up for a couple of months. Once the cycle was finished, I added a few snails and waited about another week. I then added pretty much all of my coral over the next several days. I performed large water changes frequently for about a week or so after adding the coral. Most of the coral I've got are mostly photosynthetic (mushrooms, zoos, etc...) and they add very little bioload to the system. Assuming your water parameters are excellent, you can stock your coral pretty quickly without too much worry. You obviously should take it very slowly with fish, but your frags are another story.
Here's my tank about 10 days after adding snails. Everything is doing great (and growing quickly). Just keep an eye on your water and you'll be fine IMO.

 

[bobbyblank]

looks nice, love all your zoos. My Alk was a little low, but im getting back up, everything else is bueno.

 

[mpoletti]

I would also get some type of "working" fish for your new tank. IE, a sand sifter goby or small tang, maybe a yellow.

 

[Mikey Donuts]

Thanks Bobby! Hit up Sam at Marineflora.com. He's local in Sac, and he's an awesome guy. I got a bunch of great zoos from him at a good price. He even threw that Favia frag (closed brain) in for free.
I second Marko's recommendation. I've got a yellow watchman goby who does a good job at keeping the sand clean (along with a bunch of cerith snails). Good luck with your tank!
Mike

 

[dots]

What I see the problem is with stocking a tank too soon with coral is the experience level of the person doing it not so much that the tank can't handle it, generally someone who has just gotten into it and jumps into the deep end and gets way over thier head too fast before learning to swim.

(guilty as charged.....I went from Condys to BTAs in a matter of weeks after learning the very hard way, I decided to try something easier.....SPS.......after I RTNd a couple of those I backed off and learned to take my time)

Its not so much that you CAN'T, but really shouldn't and if you do there is a lot more at risk because the tank is not established yet.

When you and your tank are new, you are just getting to know one another and it will take time for you to learn all the chemistry behind keeping your paramaters stable. I find this is the main reason to wait and go extra slow. I can look at mine and tell when something is wrong and soon you will be able too as well.

For instance, you go buy a bunch of Xenia, some Zoas, and some LPS and spend a couple hundred in the process. Because you havn't learned yet all of the tell-tale signs of when the water looks "funny" and the xenia has stopped pulsing, and the zoas are closed up.......one may not recognize the symptoms in time to adjust something as basic as too high of alkalinity, which is a easy fix.......but instead this causes a chain reaction where the xenia dies and pollutes the tank crashing it and frustrating you in the process out a couple of hundred dollars and nothing to show for your effort.

Reef tanks take years to complete and are never done........Im still waiting for mine to look like something is in it....

The loss in livestock that is killed the shake and bake tanks has to be tremendous.

You seem ahead of the game already........you asked first.......

 

[bobbyblank]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10339674#post10339674 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dots


Its not so much that you CAN'T, but really shouldn't and if you do there is a lot more at risk because the tank is not established yet.

thats why i didnt really want to add and "working" fish as a goby or small tang because i havent had a diatom bloom so the sand looks brand new and tank is too small for a free swimming tang. I was kind of hopeing for an algae bloom...i know it sounds odd.... of some sort so id have a reason to add cleaner crew but tanks still clean. I was just thinking about adding a few shrooms and maybe a zoo frag. thanks for all the info

 

[Mikey Donuts]

Yeah Bobby, definitely research every coral before you buy. I'm not saying you SHOULD get all of your coral at once, I'm just saying that it's do-able provided you're willing to do your homework and spend a lot of time monitoring your tank. The tank in the pictures is my first, but I studied for YEARS before attempting to put a system together.

 

[juaninsac]

I've always waited 6 months before adding any stony coral. A year for SPS.

The "cycle" of brand new freshly imported live rock lasts much longer than a few weeks. You have to consider that all sorts of things that you can't test for are in your water--the toxic compounds released by dying sponges, algae, tubeworms, etc. These animals release more than just ammonia when they die, and they don't all conveniently die in the first couple weeks of being added to a new tank. The point at which the denitrifying bacteria are matching the ammonia and nitrite production of the tank (when NH3/NO2 are "zero") is just the beginning of the story. It takes the rock a good long time to re-establish itself to the new current and light regime it's been placed in.

Just my 2 cents...

 

[bobbyblank]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10340132#post10340132 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by juaninsac
I've always waited 6 months before adding any stony coral. A year for SPS.

The "cycle" of brand new freshly imported live rock lasts much longer than a few weeks. You have to consider that all sorts of things that you can't test for are in your water--the toxic compounds released by dying sponges, algae, tubeworms, etc. These animals release more than just ammonia when they die, and they don't all conveniently die in the first couple weeks of being added to a new tank. The point at which the denitrifying bacteria are matching the ammonia and nitrite production of the tank (when NH3/NO2 are "zero") is just the beginning of the story. It takes the rock a good long time to re-establish itself to the new current and light regime it's been placed in.

Just my 2 cents...

Yes but my LR came out of a 2 year established tank. When i removed rock from the tank, i kept submerged in a 10g with powerhead and heater for 1 week while setting up tank. There are no dieing growths on the LR so i would think id be fine placeing a few hardy corals....but thats why im asking for a verification

 

[Reef n' Madness]

Bobby- you have PM