How long until established?

C

celebrityovernight

[hi all, i was just wondering how long it would take for a 29 gal to be established. i read somewhere on reefcentral that you shouldn't add corals till around 6 months later. i was really interested in some waving hand anthelias. can i add these after my parameters are stable, or should i wait? thanks everyone for your help]
 
[Vinh, Once your tank has fully cycled and all water parameters are good, you can slowly start adding very hardy species. However, I think it is a good idea first to do a large waterchange (if you have not already done one after the cycle finished). This will help dilute toxins in the water left by dying toxic organisms in the rock (such as sponges). Running a small amount of carbon and replacing weekly is also a good idea for the first few months for the same reason.

Keep in mind that the 'cycle' in new tanks is ongoing even after the test kits show good-many organisms may survive shipping and initial cycling only to slowly succumb to captive conditions over the next few months to a year. This is why you may be told not to add anything for 5-6 months to let the tank 'mature'. Because the new reef is very hostile to more sensitive corals and to fish, too, keeping up on water changes and carbon use can really improve your success rate. Carefully choosing only very hardy species first and leaving the more delicate for later is your best plan, imo.

Mushrooms are an excellant first choice, especially the discosoma species (smooth or slightly bumpy). The Rhodactis sp (hairy/frilly mushrooms) are more delicate and won't tolerate fluctuations in water quality well. I have Ricordia yumas that are nearly indestructible, but Ricordia floridaes that were pretty sensitive. The anthelias as well as star polyps, and some leather corals might be good after the mushrooms prove successful. Hope this helps some! :D]
 
[thanks kerry, your info was very informative. how big of a water change should i do after the cycle has complete? i currently have a 29 gal, with about 10-15 lbs of lr and 30-40 lbs of base rock. i am running a closeloop with a mag 7, and using a 20 gal for sump/refug. i'm using a bakpak skimmer, which is pulling out some gunk from the water, but i'm not sure how effective it is. i have a 2.3" deep sandbed in the tank, and a 4" deep in the sump w/ some macro. i use a rio 1600 for a return, and running around 215 watts of light (2x 75 vho and 1x65 pc). i just tested my parameters yesterday and it reads:
ammonia-1.5 mg/l
nitrite-1.6 mg/l
nitrates:80-160 mg/l

i'm about the 2nd-3rd week into the cycling period. can i get some mushrooms at this condition? if so, can i buy a frag of your yumas kerry?lol]
 
[I would agree with Kerry's suggestion about the large water change and hardy soft corals and it would be advisable given your current nitrate levels to do a large water change when the cycle if over; however, and more importantly is the fact the you still have high ammonia and nitrite levels. This indicates the tank is still not through with it's initial cycle (in fact it hasn't completed the first - ammonia reduction - stage completely). Adding much of anything with any ammonia level above 0 will just make the levels worse and potentially fatal. I know it's hard to sit and look at a bunch of flowing water in an empty tank, but I encourage you to wait until the ammonia/nitrite stages each finish before adding anything to the system.]
 
[i guess i'd just have to sit back and wait. is there anything i can do to speed up the cycle? i think i over did it with the cocktail shrimp. lol...how much longer guys till the tank stabalizes??? :cry:]
 
[I don't think you'll get an exact time frame for when the tank will be finished. Every tank is different. When you see amo=0, nitrites=0 and nitrates= 20 or less you'll be in great shape. Until then forget about it. Take this time to plan your stocking list and read up on caring for them.
Relax......all good things come to those that wait.]
 
[Just to add to what George said, remember nothing good ever happens fast in a reeftank. I think that is the number one mistake most newbies make, is trying to rush everything. If everyone had a little more patience, did a little more investigating, let the systems become more stable and established before adding livestock, they would have fewer problems. After I added my 170 lbs. of liverock to my first tank, I let it sit there for a month. Then I added a cleaner crew, then a month after that I added my first fish. Then a month later I added my first coral frags.]
 
[Rick that's fast!!

Seriously though he is right. No one likes looking at an empty tank but the longer you let it go the better off you are! It will be more stable. Have a better pod population, etc. etc.

You will also find that after your tank "cycles" and you have zero amm and nitrite you will usually go through an algal cycle that will start with diatoms, and then progress to possibly cynobacteria or a nuscience algea. With good nutrient export it will die off soon enough but it will take many many months for your tank to truly be stable. About the 6 month mark things really start to stabalize and life should be much easier. One the nicest smaller tanks I ever had was a 29G that I set up and ran with nothing but live rock and sand for 6 months. The sand bed and pod population was incredible and that thing was a dream! The parameters were super stable and when I finally started added things they thrived right from the start.

On the other extreme when I set up my current 20G about a week after my amm and nitrites were zero I added a bunch of corals and a couple fish within a couple weeks. All kinds of issues, major cyno problems, etc, etc. I then sold the fish and moved most of my corals to my big tank and ran it basically with little to no bioload for 3 months then slowly started adding the stuff back and it looks great now! Don't rush it. A little patience now will be vastly rewarded later!]
 
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