I am new and am I doing this right?

[Oldfishman]

I have a JBJ 28 Gal Led tank and this is what I have done so far.

I have cleaned the tank and set it in place on a leveling pad and it 100% level.

I have washed 40 lbs of sand and it is ready to go in the tank.

I have been curing 25 lbs or reef saver coral it was soaked in bleach*solution

for a week. It was rinsed and soaked in chlorine free water for two weeks.* I

Plan to soak it in RO/DI water for a week before building aquascape.

I have equipment to make RO/DI water and Instant Ocean Reef Chrystal for

making salt.

I have decided to use the sponge, 100 micron filter, chem pure, and purigen

for my filter media.

I have a ATO system from a prior fresh water aquarium that will fit the JBJ tank*

perfect.

I have a refactor for measuring salt content.

I have a heater to maintain temperature at 78.

I have salt water test kit to measure tank parameters.*



In two weeks I plan to add everything in the tank with a piece of shrimp to begin the cycling.



Have I missed anything and do you have any suggestions?

My only other question and I know it will get mixed reactions but do I fish or coral first?



Thanks in advance

 

[allendehl]

I believe you're fine. I'd add fish first until you get to a stable tank. Basically get into a water change and test regime so you get to know your tank and how parameters behave, once you know they are stable and recover well after WC you can add some beginner corals.
Nothing bad will happen if you do corals first other than you may end up killing them(bad for the coral and your pocket) while your tank stabilizes.

Good luck

 

[emilese]

Do you have a powerhead for additional flow? I don't know anything about the led lights in the JBJ tanks but, you may want to evaluate if the lights on your tank will be adequate for the corals you want to keep.

 

[mcgyvr]

Have I missed anything and do you have any suggestions?

My only other question and I know it will get mixed reactions but do I fish or coral first?

Just water movement.. Powerhead,etc...

and fish or coral first.. Thats really up to you..
You can do one or other other or both..

As corals typically require stable and mature water parameters and fish are more forgiving you might want to ensure you can maintain stable parameters before jumping into corals.

 

[Reefiez]

fish first for sure, as a source of ammonia for keeping your tank cycled.

very well thought out, i skipped the "is my tank level?" part, which ended up kicking my butt trying to level a fully stocked red sea reefer 525.

 

[thegrun]

There is nothing wrong with adding easy to care for corals at the same time or even before fish. More delicate corals should not be added for several months until the tank has stabilized and gone through the expected algae and bacteria blooms.

 

[clk51212]

I have been told not to add corals until coralline started to spread.

 

[allendehl]

I have been told not to add corals until coralline started to spread.

Try to get to the "whys" of these statements. You'll get a bit beat up by some but it is worth it. We tend to repeat them w/o actually knowing the reasoning behind and end up propagating a nonsense. (not saying this is one of them, if someone has bases to believe it, I am open to learn them)

Coraline algae will build up as part of the normal tank life cycle, it may be an indication of your tank maturing but nothing else that I know of.
As long as your parameters are stable and within range of those required by your corals, you could start putting them. The challenge for us newbies is to learn how to keep them stable and supply them when needed.
Most softies and lps are ok with just regular water changes, unless you introduce a ton of them at once, which is not a good idea.

 

[jonto]

I did the same things your doing. Only I used Dr Tims for the cycle and it only took about 10 days. Just don't rush things and don't try to chase the numbers, the green algae and diatom outbreaks will go away and the tank will settle on its own. I also have an Octo 1000HOB skimmer and it works great. Just listen to the experts in the forum and you'll be fine.

 

[Daddi0]

And Have Fun! :beer:
Cheers! Mark

 

[avery155]

Since it doesn't sound like you put the rock or sand in, go get your self a piece of egg crate (light diffuser) cut to fit bottom of the tank and place that on the glass before you add your rock.

After you add your rock, then add your sand.