When do you think a tank is ready to hold livestock?

[Kedd]

It took me a few months to cycle my tank when I did it two years ago, after making a move to a new house.
I did have a lot of rock from a 7-year-old tank to give me a jump-start, but even after a month it sill wasn’t ready.
I see a lot of tanks 1-2 months old that are holding large amounts of coral and fish, but most can’t maintain it.
I just took out some old rock and added new, and without a doubt I see my tank is going through a cycle.
Yes, everything looks ”good”, but I know the signs of a tank out of balance.
All my water is perfect, but the skimmer is telling me to not even think about adding livestock.
The skimate is too wet or too dry. There is no constant in what my skimmer is doing.
The build up on my glass, rock and sand, which most would not even notice when looking at the tank, tells me the same thing.
Every tank is different, but I don’t think most, if any tanks are ready to be loaded (fully stocked) with animals, even within three months time.
This thread is not meant to bash anyone, just to touch on the topic.
As I said my tank is a newbie now.

My question is what do you think constitutes a tank ready to start being stocked?

 

[Deanos]

clamcrazy had mentioned elsewhere on this site, that a tank is not ready for a clam until AT LEAST, there's signs of coralline growth. That's a good starting point IMO.

 

[scumonkey]

I think a lot depends on your experience level as well?

 

[marrone]

I'm going through the same situation as yourself right now, as I just converted over my tank from a 58 to a 90 with the old rock and some new rock. I've gone though nitrate spikes and even though some things are doing good others aren't. I think part of the problem is that my tank is fully stock which doesn't give the tank a chance to settle in and be able to handle the change in the load or fluxulations.

It seems my softies can handle the changes better but some of my LPS have struggled, especially in the beginning. The SPS haven't done that well.

I think you can start to stock softies shortly after your tank has cycled, as they can handle the flux in the water conditions better. Easier LPS can be added later and even later hard LPS. I think the old rule for SPS was your tank should be running for at least 1 year and conditions should be really good before you start to add them. Now a days people seem to jump right into adding SPS.

 

[spykes]

when you bacteria can prove it can with hold alot of ammonia. IMO i put 5 ppm of ammonia hydroxide and see how fast it coverts over to nitrate. my tank can convert 5 ppm within a day. high nitrosoma and nitrabacter sp bacteria

 

[Kedd]

Marrone,I have the same thing, lots if livestock and a rebuilt tank, but I had to do it, the AEFW's were there I needed to cure the prob. I hope this does it.

Deanos, I think your answer is key, if coraline is there thing are starting to turn for the better.

 

[digitalreefer]

Measuring coraline growth is a bit vague. If you add rock to a tank, you may have great coraline on your other rocks, but the tank still isn't ready to hold stock if it's spiking.

Once your cycle is over, I feel the key is to stock very slowly. I made the mistake of adding too quickly last time and am trying to correct it now. The bacteria will grow as you add stock, so it can be argued that some hardy stock does the system well early on... (not cycling with them, but adding them after the cycle) and allows the needed bacteria to grow in numbers.

 

[ellebelle]

I started my tank in November. I purchased my rock at the Fall Frag Swap (October sometime? Late September). It was already cured, but I left it curing until I set up my tank. I tested my levels for a week and never saw any ammonia so I started stocking my tank with cleaning crew, some zoanthids and clove polyps and some chromis. I've continued stocking fairly slowly and now I have an almost completely stocked tank. Everything looks great and I have to scrape coraline off the walls of my tank all the time.

I don't think it's WHEN you start stocking, I think it's how fast you start stocking and what you try first.

 

[prattreef]

I've always used the new coraline growth on the GLASS rule as well.

I've also done several same day switch overs ( did one yesterday), and I've found the key to success in this situation is to maintain as stable a population of bacteria as possible i.e. keep your rock submerged in circulating tank water and exposed to air for as little time as possible, use at least 40% mature tank water from the original setup and seed your new sand bed with sand from the old setup.

 

[marrone]

I wouldn't use Coraline as a gage that your tank is doing well or is ready to handle additional corals. I've seen many tanks that are running great and they can't grow coraline. I've also seen tank with coraline growing everywhere right off the bat and they're not ready to handle SPS or even LPS corals.

 

[prattreef]

Mike, I agree with the former, but not with the latter. If the conditions are right for coraline to grow, they should be right for corals too. Overstocking or stocking too quickly is another story entirely.

 

[Kedd]

Digital, I don't mean a spot here or there of coraline.

Yes you are right, slowly add livestock and let the bacteria level ballance is also a must, and a big one at that.


I can cycle a tank in 2 weeks if that, but it's not ready.
When is the cycle done?
What will send it into another?

 

[digitalreefer]

If the conditions are right for coraline to grow, they should be right for corals too.

Low flow tanks for zoas and mushrooms don't always have the proper conditions for coraline. My tank didn't grow coraline on the glass until I upgraded my powerheads, but my easy corals and fish were fine.

 

[ccr]

Here is my very conservative formula:
First, wait for Ammonia=0, Nitrite=0, Nitrate=0, then wait the algal succession to complete. I went through a period of diatom growth during which I added my cleaner crew.

Once the diatoms are gone, wait at least another month. During the wait, set up a Q tank.

Here is how I keep from adding Coral too fast: All coral goes through 4 weeks in quarantine. A couple of frags from the same tank can go through Q together.

After a couple of cycles of coral addition, you should be a good 6 months into your tank.

Now you can start to add fish, one at a time, through the 4-week quarantine cycle. Add them least aggressive to most aggressive.

For myself, I am not moving even this fast. I have been enjoying the succession of life on my rock and the activity of my cleaner crew.

 

[prattreef]

Yes I agree, no coraline does not mean your tank isn't ready, but new coraline generally means it is.

 

[marrone]

Randy I know what you're saying but for some people it's very easy to grow coraline but there tank isn't ready to handle the harder to keep corals, like brains & SPS. I guess the question is to what effect can you keep corals, are we talking about just alive or growing like crazy with great color.

I do think it's important not to over stock, which in my case was a problem and I didn't have much choice. Even though I have great water conditions I see corals, that were doing great in my old tank, now having ups and downs.

 

[prattreef]

I think we are not really disagreeing much here

 

[LeslieS]

ON 6/19, I set up my 120 (Initially 75 lbs live rock which I left out of the water for eight hours and turned into dead rock).

On 7/15, I added grape caulerpa (to the sump), 12 snails, and 3 scarlet hermits. Ammonia and Nitrites were at 0. At this point, I was doing my first water changes to get rid of the Nitrates.

On 7/19 Amonia and Nitrite had been at 0 for 1 week and Nitrate was at 10. I added a lawn mower blenny to deal with my out of control algae and continued to add a few snails, crabs, and shrimps each week until I had the amount I needed. I continued regular 12-17 gallon water changes each week.

8/12 The next fish, a neon goby, was added.

This is not very scientific, but I try not to add more than one thing in a week. Sometimes several weeks will go by and I don't add anything. There are exceptions. When I bought my urchin, there was a really cute hermit crab that I just had to have. I like some of my fish to be in pairs or schools so they have to be added together...etc...So far this general rule has worked for me.

This is off topic, but I know people think I should have more rock. No need to point it out in this thread I add as I have room and need.

 

[marrone]

I think we are not really disagreeing much here

No we're not. I think the biggest problem nowadays is everyone is stocking their tanks as soon as the cycle is finished, and in some case even before then. This leads to tanks not being as successful as they should be.

 

[prattreef]

I couldn't agree more. The old adage is an old adage for a reason:

" Nothing good every happens quickly in a reef tank"