Reef Startup Procedure ?

[wsboyette]

Having only had experience with a fish-only, I have had trouble finding info on the exact procedure for Berlin reef startup. Does one add live rock a fraction at the time, or all at once ? How long does the cycle take ? Does the skimmer and lighting run or not during startup ?? .....and so forth.....

 

[andrewprime1]

all live rock and sand at once, cycle varies from one week to six depending on how far along the live rock is on its cycle, and yes run lightning. A skimmer can only help in my mind.
Now acquaint yourself with the search function here
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/search.php?s=
or here
www.google.com
I don't mean to sound rude, but you will get more answers this way. Same goes for your two posts above this, the information is all out there and easy to fine.

 

[Aqua Keepers]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1031074

 

[wsboyette]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13305324#post13305324 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by andrewprime1
all live rock and sand at once, cycle varies from one week to six depending on how far along the live rock is on its cycle, and yes run lightning. A skimmer can only help in my mind.
Now acquaint yourself with the search function here
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/search.php?s=
or here
www.google.com
I don't mean to sound rude, but you will get more answers this way. Same goes for your two posts above this, the information is all out there and easy to fine.

Please excuse me for apparent ignorance, but I had already tried those things. I found lots of info on equipment and things with which I am already familiar, but hardly anything on actual startup procedure. What little I have seen on that subject has been conflicting and ambiguous as well. Also, my time is at a premium as it is very time-consuming to have to glean the internet for info.

 

[SaltyMember]

There are multiple ways/opinions on how to do it. But I have always put liverock in the tank first with no sand and a few hour lighting period. I let the rock cycle with lots of circulation to get rid of any dieing organisms/debris. I will run my skimmer at this time also. When the rock is cycled I add my sand. I will add a cup of established sand from another tank at this time also. Then wait a few weeks just letting the tank run while testing my water parameters. My first additions are a clean up crew when I start to see diatoms on my sand. I will wait another few weeks to a month then add a hardy fish. I will add my first coral when I see the growth of corraline algae start on my glass.
This is just the way I have done it.

 

[Reefcherie]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13305324#post13305324 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by andrewprime1
I don't mean to sound rude, but you will get more answers this way. Same goes for your two posts above this, the information is all out there and easy to fine.

If you don't mean to sound rude, then you are unsuccessful because your post does sound rude. Simply pointing a newbie to the search function is not very helpful. It takes a particular kind of patience to be helpful here in the New to the Hobby forum and help is what folks come to this forum for. If you haven't the time and the patience required, please do contribute positively elsewhere on RC but refrain from posting here.

Thanks,
Reefcherie
RC Moderator

 

[szwab]

I'll second that, well said!

 

[wsboyette]

I prefer polling experienced aquarists over gleaning the internet, as it is faster and their experience is the best source of knowledge. Also, the Reef Central search function has frequently been unavailable due to high server load. The information that I have received from the good people on Reef Central is an invaluable tool to help me vault the quantum leap from fish-only to Berlin Reef !

W.S. Boyette

 

[Bonneville08]

I'm not a berliner, but I can tell you that you should leave the lights off until you have cycled for a while. You're going to have a lot of evil in your tank for a while. Get your nitrogen cycle under control before lighting the tank (bad algae problems otherwise). Baste the rock often, siphon out anything that settles on the bottom, and keep your filter sock changed out regularly to prevent bacterial buildup in the sock. It shouldn't hurt to run the skimmer, but there are schools of thought that say it might increase your cycle time. Depending on how cured your rock is, it could take up to six weeks to cycle. If you're buying your rock by mail, it will be pretty rank. Do it all at once this way, or use a new trash can with lots of flow and aeration. I wouldn't add any livestock until you get your nitrogen completely under control. Hope this helps

 

[Bonneville08]

Sorry to write again so quickly. Better find a mandarin already eating prepared food. You might have been lucky before. Common wisdom dicates that a 45g is too small to support a mandarin. Good luck

 

[wsboyette]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13336482#post13336482 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Bonneville08
Sorry to write again so quickly. Better find a mandarin already eating prepared food. You might have been lucky before. Common wisdom dicates that a 45g is too small to support a mandarin. Good luck

No need to apologize....
Well believe it or not, I kept one in my 45 for nearly two years in 1990-92, and he stayed fat as butter. It would not eat any of the fish food that I fed the other fish. I had colonies of prolly pods living in the crushed coral bed and other places (had a few pieces of live rock in that fish-only setup), which I had established with a sample from my local aquarium shop's reef tank. A water supply problem after moving to another town in late 1992 killed off the prolly pods, and the mandarin did consequently starve to death.....

 

[mike tv]

wsboyette i read your post in the other thread you created and then saw this today
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?c=720&pCatId=2593
its in stock, i believe thats what your LFS sold you which you used to establish and maintain your aquarium, however the collectors corner on liveaquaria is for 'limited time only' items and you will not be able to count on buying these bottles to sustain your mandarin
given your experience with the copepods i would possibly suggest breeding them in a fuge (possibly in maidens hair if you can find it, from what i've read) or even a separate mini system to ensure that you could supplement the smaller than necessary amount of LR where you'll be keeping the mandarin.

not from experience, just from what i've read.

 

[wsboyette]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13341554#post13341554 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mike tv
wsboyette i read your post in the other thread you created and then saw this today
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?c=720&pCatId=2593
its in stock, i believe thats what your LFS sold you which you used to establish and maintain your aquarium, however the collectors corner on liveaquaria is for 'limited time only' items and you will not be able to count on buying these bottles to sustain your mandarin
given your experience with the copepods i would possibly suggest breeding them in a fuge (possibly in maidens hair if you can find it, from what i've read) or even a separate mini system to ensure that you could supplement the smaller than necessary amount of LR where you'll be keeping the mandarin.

not from experience, just from what i've read.

That's right, Mike....
The 45 is not physically too small for the mandarin, I just need a continuous food source for it, that is probably self-propagating like my 1990 setup had. That fish is so laid back and slow-moving, it does not really need a large tank - but certainly, as the other aquarists suggest, a larger tank would make things easier (I do have a big fat 90 in storage but not yet a place to set it up). Someone had pointed me to a good source of copepods and microplankton for the corals and difficult fish, and they seem to be a good stable supplier - www.reefnutrition.com . I will certainly verify that prior to acquiring a mandarin.... As my new system plan has evolved, I have elected to use a 20L that I have as a refugium, with a special section for copepod rearing.