Is this a crazy idea?

[Hitch08]

I have this tank and no fish...

Yes, I've been concentrating on the setup of the tank and didn't pay attention to fish. My 120g tank is setup with a 40g sump, skimmer, LED lights, a bunch of live rock, but no fish. Heck, I even setup a QT tank several months ago. I just never moved on to selecting and ordering fish.

A bit more history. I started cycling the live rock back in April. That rock was moved into my tank in early July. I let the tank run for a few weeks. Last week, I added "The Package" from TBS, which included 90 pounds of live rock and a clean up crew. Now I'm concerned that I don't have any fish making poo for the clean up crew. Although I can ghost feed a bit. A few days ago, I added some Chaeto. I saw a small ammonia spike following the addition of the TBS live rock, but things have returned to normal. I do have rising phosphates, so I'm going to run a reactor with GFO.

So here's the question. Is it a crazy idea to buy a couple of fish, do a TTM, dose with PraziPro and then add them to the tank? In other words, not wait 4-6 weeks after the TTM? My thought is that there is nothing currently in the tank. If Ich survives the TTM (or, maybe came in on the Chaeto?), then I put the two fish in QT and fallow for 72 days.

I wonder if this is more potential headache than it's worth, but thought I'd ask.

 

[gone fishin]

I would still advise the 4-6 weeks after TTM. Ich is just one of things that fish can come in with, IMO ich is one of the most benign. If your fish was exposed to low doses of copper prior to you then it could mask more serious ailments that require more than a 72 day fallow. Good luck just my 2 cents.

 

[oscarinw]

My suggestion is that if all you want is food for the clean up crew, you can attach a sheet of Nori to a small rock and leave it in the tank. No need to mess with fish. Your fish introduction should be planned around what species you want to keep and you should pay careful attention to the order in which you introduce them. To me, you should not do what you suggest.
You might be fine with TTM to avoid bringing in parasites. However, as mentioned previously, that's no guarantee either.

 

[CuzzA]

Algae wafers would be a better choice than nori, IMO, simply because they take much longer to break down and won't get blown around in the flow after they're pulled off a rock.

If you want the majority of life to survive that came in from the TBS rock I would begin dosing phytoplankton.

 

[Pigpen17]

Sounds like how I was. It took so long to be ready to add fish I started to get a bit crazy with wanting fish in the tank. My friends used to joke around, "You ever going to put fish in there?" "That's not a fish tank. You need FISH to have a fish tank!" You can just imagine them in your tank. Now imagine trying to catch them for treatment.

It's just easier to treat in a QT environment. IMHO

 

[Hitch08]

Thanks, all. Great advice. I'll do my research and QT the fish. And thanks for being kind and saying "Yes, that's a crazy idea."

Algae wafers would be a better choice than nori, IMO, simply because they take much longer to break down and won't get blown around in the flow after they're pulled off a rock.

If you want the majority of life to survive that came in from the TBS rock I would begin dosing phytoplankton.

Is this the right stuff? http://www.amazon.com/Hikari-Usa-AHK21328-tropical-8-8-Ounce/dp/B00025Z6K2

Also, this weekend I ordered BRS Reef Chili: http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-reef-chili-coral-food.html

Will that work?

My suggestion is that if all you want is food for the clean up crew, you can attach a sheet of Nori to a small rock and leave it in the tank. No need to mess with fish. Your fish introduction should be planned around what species you want to keep and you should pay careful attention to the order in which you introduce them. To me, you should not do what you suggest.
You might be fine with TTM to avoid bringing in parasites. However, as mentioned previously, that's no guarantee either.

Thanks! I have some Nori and will put it in the tank tonight.

 

[snorklr]

my clean up crew survives on algae...snails,blue leg hermits,little stars bristleworms and whatever else is lurking in the rocks...tank hasnt had fish in it for over 2 years

 

[CuzzA]

Yes. Those are the algae wafers. Ocassionaly I'll break one up at night and throw it in my tank to give the clean up crew a little treat in my algae poor tank. I'm sure they get tired of eating fish crap all day. Lol.

I have no experience with the reef chili. I feed live phyto once every few days and turn my skimmer off for an hour or so when I do, otherwise it will get sucked right out of the system.

 

[Hitch08]

Thanks Cuzza and Snorklr

Cuzza - Where do you get the live phyto from?

 

[RGS2]

I do have rising phosphates, so I'm going to run a reactor with GFO.

This isn't related to your fish question, but what do you think is causing your rise in P04? The TBS rock? Seems like you shouldn't have much phosphate with no fish to feed.

 

[CuzzA]

LFS. DT's. http://www.dtplankton.com

 

[Hitch08]

This isn't related to your fish question, but what do you think is causing your rise in P04? The TBS rock? Seems like you shouldn't have much phosphate with no fish to feed.

No, I don't believe it's the TBS rock. I have a mix of online store rock and TBS rock. I started cycling the online store rock months ago and it was leaching PO4. I used lanthanum chloride, but didn't soak the rock long enough - only about four months.

It seemed to lessen overtime, but I figured I still had work to do. I put GFO in the reactor tonight.

 

[Hitch08]

LFS. DT's. http://www.dtplankton.com

Thanks! Their website appears to be down. Hopefully it's not something big.