I want to get my tank properly cycled as quick as I can

[BPPmichigan]

I know "quick" shouldn't be in the vocabulary of someone in this hobby. But I have a new tank, 120g, 40g refug, 120lbs of live rock. Been running for 3 weeks. I have the new kessil ap700 running. Getting a slight brown algea dusting throughout. I put 6 green chromis and a cleaning crew in there (35 hermit, 30 astrea snails, couple emrald crabs and sifting snails) and a couple little mushroom frags. Everything is living and doing well. Had ammonia and nitrates tested and I'm perfect. So here is where I need help... My local fish store recently got in a chevron tang, my favorite fish. Perfect juvi. I know it's too early to put a fish as amazing as that in my tank this early, but they were damn near giving it away for a sale price and they said it's the first time they have had one in he store in 3 years.. And before everyone slams me for wasting money, I am very aware of the risk and the deal was worth the risk In my opinion. I was able to buy the fish and they are holding it for a week for me. So I want to know what I can do to better my chances of this fish staying alive next week. Should I do my first water change? Idk if or when I should expect an ammonia spike. What percentage of water change should I do if so? Any helpful suggestions would be great and very much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[azcrazy]

how is your nitrates? when 0 your cycle should be done

I did the same thing i cycle my tank with fish (i almost got burn alive here) and all my fish is doing good

 

[Dkuhlmann]

If your tank was still cycling you shouldn't have anything alive in it. You've way over loaded it with fish and CUC, the bacteria hasn't finished growing and you are overloading it with waste from all that you put in. :hammer:

Sadly you are going to have HUGE problems if not soon, in the not too distant future. I feel bad for the live critters in your tank.

 

[azcrazy]

If your tank was still cycling you shouldn't have anything alive in it. You've way over loaded it with fish and CUC, the bacteria hasn't finished growing and you are overloading it with waste from all that you put in. :hammer:

Sadly you are going to have HUGE problems if not soon, in the not too distant future. I feel bad for the live critters in your tank.

Agreed hope his cycle is done and he doesn't make the same mistake I did

 

[BPPmichigan]

If your tank was still cycling you shouldn't have anything alive in it. You've way over loaded it with fish and CUC, the bacteria hasn't finished growing and you are overloading it with waste from all that you put in. :hammer:

Sadly you are going to have HUGE problems if not soon, in the not too distant future. I feel bad for the live critters in your tank.

Why do you feel like I will have such huge problems? I don't feel like 6 small chromis and a cleaning crew is a lot nor is it enough to throw my tank off. Why do you think I'm overloading the tank? I'm assuming you feel that the fish and inverts will create too much waste. If so, wouldn't a water change help?

 

[Clownfish Chris]

how is your nitrates? when 0 your cycle should be done

I did the same thing i cycle my tank with fish (i almost got burn alive here) and all my fish is doing good

This is incorrect. When you have 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites with a detectable amount of nitrates, then your initial cycle is complete and it is time to add a small clean up crew. Your tank will go through a mini cycle again. To address nitrates, you have to remove it from the tank via nutrient export. This means skimming, macro algae, and water changes.

 

[CStrickland]

Had ammonia and nitrates tested and I'm perfect.

do you mean all 3 were zero?
do you not have your own water tests?

It sounds like your minds made up to get it. I'd deff plan to supplement some nori at the very least.

The poop from one tang is going to be way dirtier than a few chromis, you'll need to stay on water quality

 

[oldbones]

Heck, just go buy the Tang and throw him in there with your shoal of Chromis. That way, they can all get ich together!!!

 

[seamonster124]

I use this hobby to practice patience. Use the hobby to learn to say no to the desire to own that fish. Then apply ur new skill to other parts of ur life. Then come thank me

 

[azcrazy]

This is incorrect. When you have 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites with a detectable amount of nitrates, then your initial cycle is complete and it is time to add a small clean up crew. Your tank will go through a mini cycle again. To address nitrates, you have to remove it from the tank via nutrient export. This means skimming, macro algae, and water changes.

If you read he said the ammonia was 0 and nitrites were 0 so it only need it nitrate to be 0 then cycle is done.

Edit
he said it was tested never said 0 on ammonia or nitrites, my bad

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Heck, just go buy the Tang and throw him in there with your shoal of Chromis. That way, they can all get ich together!!!

I think you should go back and reread the original post.

 

[gone fishin]

IMO to give the tang optimum chances you should do TTM on the tang for ich then place in observation for 4-5 weeks. This would benefit the tang and at the same time help your DT to stabilize a bit longer.

If you decide not to QT then WC's are your friend. Good luck just my two cents.

 

[Fish Keeper82]

The brown algae dust you are seeing are more than likely diatoms signaling the beginning of the end of the cycle. That means with your ammonia input that you currently have from the fish in the tank, you are just nearing the end of cycling. But with that said, that means your system can sustain your current tank creatures. Adding a tang this soon will almost certainly cause a serious ammonia spike and problems. Its likely that tang will polute the tank more than all those chromis combined.

Damsels were used in the past for cycling for being hardy to ammonia.
i would think adding the tang will cause the demise of that tang since it will not tolerate the ammonia spike but your chromis will likely be ok.

I would not add it for a month or so my self.

That's strictly the chemistry answer. Quarantine the tang is another matter since tanks are very susceptible to ich. The best thing you could do is get a quarantine tank for the tang and after it goes though a good month to 2 months of quarantine your biological bacteria in the tank should be ready for it.
People on here are passionate about not adding things too quickly since we've seen many posts about things going wrong along with our own mistakes when we started.

Good Luck

 

[Shawn O]

and a cleaning crew in there (35 hermit, 30 astrea snails, couple emrald crabs and sifting snails)

Even for a 120 gallon that CUC seems large. Even the small hermits will reach around 1" each. Put 35 1" balls in the tank and see how much area they will take up. Those 35 hermits and 30 or so snails do not likely have enough to eat in that tank. ... just my $.02

 

[oldbones]

I think you should go back and reread the original post.

I read the OP just fine. My point was that adding a pile of fish, including a Tang, to a questionably cycled tank with no QT sounds like a textbook recipe for an ich'ed up Tang.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

I read the OP just fine. My point was that adding a pile of fish, including a Tang, to a questionably cycled tank with no QT sounds like a textbook recipe for an ich'ed up Tang.

I was referring to you saying just go buy the tang when it was mentioned in the OP that he already had purchased it, that's all

 

[Caurimare]

I know "quick" shouldn't be in the vocabulary of someone in this hobby. But I have a new tank, 120g, 40g refug, 120lbs of live rock. Been running for 3 weeks. I have the new kessil ap700 running. Getting a slight brown algea dusting throughout. I put 6 green chromis and a cleaning crew in there (35 hermit, 30 astrea snails, couple emrald crabs and sifting snails) and a couple little mushroom frags. Everything is living and doing well. Had ammonia and nitrates tested and I'm perfect. So here is where I need help... My local fish store recently got in a chevron tang, my favorite fish. Perfect juvi. I know it's too early to put a fish as amazing as that in my tank this early, but they were damn near giving it away for a sale price and they said it's the first time they have had one in he store in 3 years.. And before everyone slams me for wasting money, I am very aware of the risk and the deal was worth the risk In my opinion. I was able to buy the fish and they are holding it for a week for me. So I want to know what I can do to better my chances of this fish staying alive next week. Should I do my first water change? Idk if or when I should expect an ammonia spike. What percentage of water change should I do if so? Any helpful suggestions would be great and very much appreciated. Thanks.

I would personally wait a little longer, chevron tangs are not hard to find at least in my part of town and you can always buy them online, but since you are pretty set on it I would buy a bottle of Fritz zyme turbo start and pour half of it one day and the other half the next day, after that add the tang, from what I gather you are not doing any quarantine so just add it to the DT.

 

[oldbones]

I was referring to you saying just go buy the tang when it was mentioned in the OP that he already had purchased it, that's all

Got it, you are correct!

 

[BPPmichigan]

I would personally wait a little longer, chevron tangs are not hard to find at least in my part of town and you can always buy them online, but since you are pretty set on it I would buy a bottle of Fritz zyme turbo start and pour half of it one day and the other half the next day, after that add the tang, from what I gather you are not doing any quarantine so just add it to the DT.

Thank you very much for a helpful solution suggestion. Everyone's input is great, even the negative stuff. Overall I took a risk, I know it wasn't very smart. Chevrons are not easy to come by and juvis online run $250 or more. I was able to get this fish for $100. I hate gambling with an animal but for that price it's worth it if he can stay alive. I have been in the hobby(despite a break while I was in grad school) so I know that here aren't any definites in this hobby. There's no guarantee it will get ich or die. Every tank is uniqueI just want do what I can to keep The fish alive. I never want a fish/coral/invert to die but in this hobby it's inevitable that you will have some loss. It's just making an effort to manage the risk, which I'm not doing a great job in this instance but it is unique and will NOT be something I do regularly.

 

[Mark9]

Late to the party and didn't read everything, but if you want to speed up the cycle, put a bottle of bio-spira in the tank, it works.
And if you push the tank too hard and get a bloom, use UV to clear it.
gl