quick question

[reeferpodge]

i am a new reefer , i hav a 180 L tank with with a good sand bed (3"ish) and 16 kg of dry live rock, tank is up and running 10 or 11 days, but i am on day 7 or reef mature pro kit it says in 3 days i put in a clean up crew but i hav 0 sign of algae or any growth in tank, i am unable to put cleaners in until 5 days time (earliest they can be delivered) but i am worried they will not hav food , i know algae is inevitable and the main prob is trying to get rid of it but in all the videos i hav seen ppl had a good amount of algae by now,
also my alkalinity is still above 8.4 dkh so i havent started adding kh koraline pro yet either , i will keep checkin daily and start using as soon as i see kh drop below 8.4

my nitrate is high also but that is normal

any advice is greatly appreciated

 

[reeferpodge]

 

[thegrun]

It seems like you may be rushing things a bit. You say you are on day 10 or 11, has the tank cycled yet? You should not add any livestock (fish, corals or clean up crew) until the ammonia and nitrites have both dropped to zero. If the tank has indeed cycled then it would be okay to add a small clean up crew, but you would likely need to supplement their diet until you have both fish and some agae growth to feed them.

 

[reeferpodge]

i am using the red sea reef mature pro kit, its a day by day guide to cycling your tank, i hav been following the guide as it is in the book it says to introduce clean up crew on day 10 but it also says i should hav algae by now or at least see diatoms growing, i wont be starting adding fish until after day 14 by the book,

 

[scooter31707]

Red Sea is a reliable company but I wouldn't trust putting fish in at the 14th day of the cycle. Have you tested Ammonia, Nirites, and Nirates. You should start to see a big increase in ammonia. This will tell you your cycle has started. Then you will see your nirites and nirates spike. I would give it another 2-3 weeks before the cycle completely finish. It could have been a little quicker if live rock was used. Stick a raw shrimp in.

 

[g_langley]

I used the same kit, added the CUC after day 14 but waited 4 weeks before introducing fish. It is a good kit and introduced me to NOPOX which is working great.

 

[reeferpodge]

i agree about the fish and i wasnt planning on putting in any on day 14, maybe a blenny or a shrimp around then but all depending on levels , the red sea book says follow its guidelines exactly
i just looked at my tank now and it has started i can see colouration on the rocks life is starting
i have been checking my water parameters regularly and am about to do my first 5%water change as red sea kit says , as of yesterday my nitrates were high 30 ppm ish but this is normal for my stage in the reef mature pro kit

hey big thanks for the replies guys , i hav and will continue to research into all i need to know to be a succesful reefer , there is so many great threads in here to help me along the way and all you guys for the questions i have inbetween thanks

 

[reeferpodge]

I used the same kit, added the CUC after day 14 but waited 4 weeks before introducing fish. It is a good kit and introduced me to NOPOX which is working great.

will follow along the same path also, id rather wait an extra week than be the cause of a fish dying for nothing,

 

[g_langley]

Keep a check on the algae but don't go all guns blazing and follow the RS Kit suggestions on algae eating fish etc. - this kit should not steer you towards a fish choice you may not need or want.

I didn't and still don't have algae problems. I just have 2 clown fish.

 

[reeferpodge]

Keep a check on the algae but don't go all guns blazing and follow the RS Kit suggestions on algae eating fish etc. - this kit should not steer you towards a fish choice you may not need or want.

I didn't and still don't have algae problems. I just have 2 clown fish.

thanks for your reply,
yes i have been doing alot of research into fish we want and the right fish for our tank and are in the process of making a rough plan of what we want , a lawnmore blenny is in this plan
we intend to go very slowly with adding lovestock and corals , this is very excitin for me and my girlfriend. we want to make the best environment we can ,
our tank will get a few new toys before having any quantity of fish and corals,as you all know this hobby is very expensive getting started

wishlish so far :
ATO system
aquarium controller
led lighting to add to my t5 or a new hybrid lighting system

i will make a new canopy for tank also to raise lighting and install a screen over the water