A long period cycle isn't required when you've got all dead or cured rock, RO water, live sand and quick-cycle materials, and nothing is hardier than a cleanup crew. It looks like I lost a few hermits (that always happens) and 4 damsels (which may or may not have been sketchy as they were on sale, but that was probably somehow my fault.)
Some people go to rediculous lengths with cycles - my first tank I cycled for about 5 months before I put anything into it and the lesson I learned is that no system is going to evolve into a stable configuration if it starts out a mess, or is missing major predators and food sources. I'm sad that I lost the fish - i'm very relieved that 95% of what I bought is thriving. I definitely made a few mistakes, but I spent nearly 6 months researching this build out, and I spent the last 4 weeks carefully planning every detail and asking tons of questions here, elsewhere and to my old reefing contacts.
If I was using cheapo uncured rock, or if I had tried to add shipped rock directly into the tank (I kept it in isolation for 2 days until the stink was gone and the water tested OK with charcoal and foam) but if I did it again, I would only make slight alterations. Left to my original plan I wouldn't have gotten the cuke and stars (they are OK by the way although the cuke has decided to try and go through a hole in the middle of a rock) but I went on the suggestions of a guy with 10+ years pro experience on top of whatever his am experience was before that. My water is fine, nothing spiked, its been stable for 13 hours at temp now. The fish had plenty of time to adjust in their bags floating on top, more than twice what I usually give them.
Definitely sad for the couple crabs and the damsels, although I hate to say it but both are pretty disposable life to me in terms that they are put in the tank to serve a specific purpose but I don't consider them to be higher levels of life. I grew up on a farm and was exposed to everything but dairy, and i've had fish since I was 7 or 8, i've had everything from goldfish to pirahnas, i've never done tropical/cichlids but i've done a fair bit of brackish. I'm definitely not coming off the boat with no experience here. As far as i'm concerned, a CUC is absolutely essential to a cycle and I absolutely require at least 1 engineer fish per 10 gallons. I don't have access to a car in the next 10 or so days, and from past experience I think waiting 10 days to add top level predators is more than enough time for a long term diatom (or other) problem to emerge. Like I said, i'm sad, I wish I hadn't been quite as reckless as I was but its my nature to be especially after waiting a month for a truck, and things could have gone *alot* worse. I'm going now to get the parts to get the skimmer and the filter back online if I need them but I doubt any of my stats are going to change in the next 2 weeks. I also need to get a new thermometer sticker because thats what caused my initial panic this morning - I thought the tank was too cold from the sticker, but when I used a better thermometer the tank was uniformly 25.5oC from end to end, and much more uniform than any tank i've had in the past even months down the road. The wavemaker/powerhead I got is superb (I can't find the box but it was a german name) - its got a magnetic and suction base, a swivel and a good shield for inverts, kind of like a house fan in design. It was $20 over budget but i'm glad I got it because its doing a tremendous job.
I've got to do something about the 68k bulb, not sure where it came from (maybe with the tanktop) but its gotta go - right now the tank is purple on one end and blue on the other. Not good.
Very surprised how much of the marcorocks "melted" off - it might just be the moistness but the sharp edges are totally gone, its like the whole surface kind of melted off after contact with the salt. With the sheer amount of dry (dead) rock and sand that was added I am not expecting anything but clear sailing from now on. I would be kicking my own *** if I did something like buying anaemonaes or corals on day one but I feel no guilt about having an engineering staff and a cuc. Mistakes are how you learn but its never happy to lose livestock.
Some people go to rediculous lengths with cycles - my first tank I cycled for about 5 months before I put anything into it and the lesson I learned is that no system is going to evolve into a stable configuration if it starts out a mess, or is missing major predators and food sources. I'm sad that I lost the fish - i'm very relieved that 95% of what I bought is thriving. I definitely made a few mistakes, but I spent nearly 6 months researching this build out, and I spent the last 4 weeks carefully planning every detail and asking tons of questions here, elsewhere and to my old reefing contacts.
If I was using cheapo uncured rock, or if I had tried to add shipped rock directly into the tank (I kept it in isolation for 2 days until the stink was gone and the water tested OK with charcoal and foam) but if I did it again, I would only make slight alterations. Left to my original plan I wouldn't have gotten the cuke and stars (they are OK by the way although the cuke has decided to try and go through a hole in the middle of a rock) but I went on the suggestions of a guy with 10+ years pro experience on top of whatever his am experience was before that. My water is fine, nothing spiked, its been stable for 13 hours at temp now. The fish had plenty of time to adjust in their bags floating on top, more than twice what I usually give them.
Definitely sad for the couple crabs and the damsels, although I hate to say it but both are pretty disposable life to me in terms that they are put in the tank to serve a specific purpose but I don't consider them to be higher levels of life. I grew up on a farm and was exposed to everything but dairy, and i've had fish since I was 7 or 8, i've had everything from goldfish to pirahnas, i've never done tropical/cichlids but i've done a fair bit of brackish. I'm definitely not coming off the boat with no experience here. As far as i'm concerned, a CUC is absolutely essential to a cycle and I absolutely require at least 1 engineer fish per 10 gallons. I don't have access to a car in the next 10 or so days, and from past experience I think waiting 10 days to add top level predators is more than enough time for a long term diatom (or other) problem to emerge. Like I said, i'm sad, I wish I hadn't been quite as reckless as I was but its my nature to be especially after waiting a month for a truck, and things could have gone *alot* worse. I'm going now to get the parts to get the skimmer and the filter back online if I need them but I doubt any of my stats are going to change in the next 2 weeks. I also need to get a new thermometer sticker because thats what caused my initial panic this morning - I thought the tank was too cold from the sticker, but when I used a better thermometer the tank was uniformly 25.5oC from end to end, and much more uniform than any tank i've had in the past even months down the road. The wavemaker/powerhead I got is superb (I can't find the box but it was a german name) - its got a magnetic and suction base, a swivel and a good shield for inverts, kind of like a house fan in design. It was $20 over budget but i'm glad I got it because its doing a tremendous job.
I've got to do something about the 68k bulb, not sure where it came from (maybe with the tanktop) but its gotta go - right now the tank is purple on one end and blue on the other. Not good.
Very surprised how much of the marcorocks "melted" off - it might just be the moistness but the sharp edges are totally gone, its like the whole surface kind of melted off after contact with the salt. With the sheer amount of dry (dead) rock and sand that was added I am not expecting anything but clear sailing from now on. I would be kicking my own *** if I did something like buying anaemonaes or corals on day one but I feel no guilt about having an engineering staff and a cuc. Mistakes are how you learn but its never happy to lose livestock.
