Is my tank ready to fishes? (20 gal)

[lprnvr]

Hello all,

I made my aquarium setup with the following equipment 1 week ago. Do you think my aquarium is ready for fish to live? If not, how long do I have to wait? How should I proceed? Few weeks ago, I put polyps.

My equipments:
* Rocks (Totally 4.41 lbs);
- 4 part of live rock (Fiji, CaribSea)
- 1 part of non-live rock

* Sand (CaribSea Seaflor Special Grade)
* Water (ReeFlowers Caledonia Sea Water)

Other equipments:
* Protein Skimmer (Fluval PS1)
* Head-motor (Eheim Compact on 600)
* Wavemaker (Tunze 6015)

Thanks for your comments

 

[lprnvr]

Sorry I couldn't edit my post.

I put polyps few days* ago.

 

[Alex114]

Hello all,

I made my aquarium setup with the following equipment 1 week ago. Do you think my aquarium is ready for fish to live? If not, how long do I have to wait? How should I proceed? Few weeks ago, I put polyps.

My equipments:
* Rocks (Totally 4.41 lbs);
- 4 part of live rock (Fiji, CaribSea)
- 1 part of non-live rock

* Sand (CaribSea Seaflor Special Grade)
* Water (ReeFlowers Caledonia Sea Water)

Other equipments:
* Protein Skimmer (Fluval PS1)
* Head-motor (Eheim Compact on 600)
* Wavemaker (Tunze 6015)

Thanks for your comments

No. Do not add fish. Your aquarium needs to go through the nitrogen cycle which may take 6-8 weeks. If you set the tank up about a week ago I believe it should be in the ammonia stage right now. Buy a ammonia/nitrite/nitrate test kit. When all three of those parameters are 0 you should be good to add fish. Look up the nitrogen cycle for more information.

Also you might want some more rock for the tank. Another 10 or even 15 pounds for a 20 gallon tank will give more surface area for the beneficial bacteria. Is this your very first tank?

 

[lprnvr]

No. Do not add fish. Your aquarium needs to go through the nitrogen cycle which may take 6-8 weeks. If you set the tank up about a week ago I believe it should be in the ammonia stage right now. Buy a ammonia/nitrite/nitrate test kit. When all three of those parameters are 0 you should be good to add fish. Look up the nitrogen cycle for more information.

Also you might want some more rock for the tank. Another 10 or even 15 pounds for a 20 gallon tank will give more surface area for the beneficial bacteria. Is this your very first tank?

Thanks for your comment A guy who sell seawater said to me your tank is ready. But I could not be sure about it. I put polyp few days ago. And I see some live things like pods, worms.

I agree with you about that. I thought about quantity of the rocks. But I don't have enough tank size.

I guess I need to test (ammonia/nitrite/nitrate) to add new fishes. So, it means if the test result is OK, I am ready to add a fish right?

This is my first aquarium and tank experience by the way.

 

[Alex114]

Yes. So the ammonia will build up in your tank and then go to 0, the nitrite will follow and finally the nitrate. This happens in every single tank when first starting out. Some go through it quicker than others but unless you add something like turbo start it won’t take just a week. You might be able to add a damsel now. But I wouldn’t risk it. Since you’re seeing pods it might be a little quicker than 6 weeks but testing is the only way to be sure

Also test salinity. You can buy a refractometer (more accurate) or a cheap hydrometer online. Make sure the salinity is right but if you bought the water it should be

 

[lprnvr]

Yes. So the ammonia will build up in your tank and then go to 0, the nitrite will follow and finally the nitrate. This happens in every single tank when first starting out. Some go through it quicker than others but unless you add something like turbo start it won't take just a week. You might be able to add a damsel now. But I wouldn't risk it. Since you're seeing pods it might be a little quicker than 6 weeks but testing is the only way to be sure

Also test salinity. You can buy a refractometer (more accurate) or a cheap hydrometer online. Make sure the salinity is right but if you bought the water it should be

Thanks a lot, I will follow. You're right, I have refractometer. I need to buy some salt. My aim is feeding few fish, some soft corals and few shrimps snails. So, what should I chose about the salt? Should I chose Reef Salt or Sea Salt?

 

[Alex114]

Pretty much any salt should be fine for soft corals. They tolerate a lot more than sps/lps corals so as long as you mix correctly and let the salt totally dissolve you should be alright. Assuming you mean instant ocean sea salt correct? Calcium is on the low side but maybe buy a smaller bag and see how they do before buying a bigger amount of salt. And it depends on what’s at your lfs. Instant ocean and fritz are whats in stock around me and what I’ve used, both are fine.

 

[lprnvr]

Pretty much any salt should be fine for soft corals. They tolerate a lot more than sps/lps corals so as long as you mix correctly and let the salt totally dissolve you should be alright. Assuming you mean instant ocean sea salt correct? Calcium is on the low side but maybe buy a smaller bag and see how they do before buying a bigger amount of salt. And it depends on what's at your lfs. Instant ocean and fritz are whats in stock around me and what I've used, both are fine.

I got it. Actually, I am living in Istanbul, Turkey. So, I couldn't found Instant Ocean Sea Salt. Did you hear Aquaforest Sea Salt?

 

[Alex114]

I have never used it but the parameters look like they should be alright. Do some research on calcium/magnesium and what corals need for each