So I setup my old Cadlights 50 long 36x18x18. Tank will have an ATI sunpower 6x36 setup. So I want to run this tank with bubble tips, maxi mini, rock flower nems. The rock I started with was dry rock from reef cleaners. I know they say 6 months to a year before any nems. I am obviously not going to run and empty tank for a year. What do you think would be a good time to wait. I will get a pair of clowns or maybe a small harrem of clowns. This tank is running on its own for now filtration wise but with eventually got plumbed into muni larger system once that is up and running.
Starting an anemone only setup
- Thread starter McCune
- Start date
I am doing something similar with a 40 breeder that will be a BTA/Gold stripe maroon species tank.. All base rock for the same reasons you list, started it up in March of last year. Used a variety of bacterial starters & dosed ammonia, once the cycle was over added a single blue damsel. That is still the only fish in the tank, but starting at about the 7 month mark parameters were stable and I couldn't stand it anymore so I added a couple small BTA's from a local reefer. These have gone downhill a little bit but are still going, possibly didn't like some LED supplement I added to my 4x24 sunpower. Another rainbow BTA was added more recently that seems to be very happy so far. I would think you could do RFA's or maxi mini's earlier than BTA's.
My strategy of starting slowly with a low bioload seems to be working so far, but I'm not even at the year mark yet so not out of the woods yet. I also am waiting to add a clown until I have a good population of large BTA's. Putting anemone's into a new tank will stress them enough for me without adding a pestering clown to the mix.
My strategy of starting slowly with a low bioload seems to be working so far, but I'm not even at the year mark yet so not out of the woods yet. I also am waiting to add a clown until I have a good population of large BTA's. Putting anemone's into a new tank will stress them enough for me without adding a pestering clown to the mix.
raythepilot
Member
Nems cannot tell how old the water is. They only know how good the water is. That means very low NH3. Below what you can read with a kit.
I have set up several small tanks (10 gal or less) and introduced bta into them in less than a month (some immediately after set up). To be successful you need to do frequent water changes. Normally I do 25 - 50% a week. In my treatment tanks, I do 100% twice a day! (That is clean water!)
OK that's not practical for a 50gal so try this. After a month or two try adding one bta (nothing else). Do not feed it anything. You want to keep the NH3 down. After a few weeks try feeding it a small amount of food. If she takes it start feeding once a week, otherwise wait a while and try again in a few weeks. Do as much water changing as you can.
The idea is to build up a NH3 eating bacteria load that matches you tank population.
I have set up several small tanks (10 gal or less) and introduced bta into them in less than a month (some immediately after set up). To be successful you need to do frequent water changes. Normally I do 25 - 50% a week. In my treatment tanks, I do 100% twice a day! (That is clean water!)
OK that's not practical for a 50gal so try this. After a month or two try adding one bta (nothing else). Do not feed it anything. You want to keep the NH3 down. After a few weeks try feeding it a small amount of food. If she takes it start feeding once a week, otherwise wait a while and try again in a few weeks. Do as much water changing as you can.
The idea is to build up a NH3 eating bacteria load that matches you tank population.
