What to feed a new tank

[Frank A.1]

Hi everybody,
I'm setting up a 75 gal. reef tank with a 50 gal. refug./sump.I'm going to use wild live rock and live sand and I'm going to wait at least 6 mos.before adding any corals or fish. the thing I need to know is what is the best food to feed the live sand,if at all,during this period?

 

[Anonymous]

You might want to put some hardy fish in there after about 2-3 weeks to help continue the cycle. Please do a search on the nitrogen cycle and learn it, it will make or break your tank success.

Basically get a good test kit ( Ammonia, Nitrate) There 3 parts of the cycle. First you will see a Ammonia spike, the amount will depend if your live rock is cured or not. After that spike you will see a NITRITE spike but may be small and fast. Then the NITRATE spike, this will probably be the longest. Once the nitrate is zero or close to it, your cycle is complete for the most part. Now add some hearty fish, you need to slowly add to the tank since the bacteria has to grow to compensate for the increased load of the fish. DO NOT and any nitrate reducing chemicals, that will break the cycle or slow it way down.
Also you will see some algae blooms like brown stuff covering the glass and sand and rock, this is diatoms and one the excess silacte is eaten the algae will subside. Next you might see a red algae, this is because of high Phosphates and nitrates....


Well keep searching and good luck!

 

[mr_X]

the live rock will cycle the tank. there's no need for fish at this point. there's also no need for food. i don't think you'll need to add any nutrients to the tank during the whole 6 months. as trimixdiver said, you are going to have algae blooms of different kinds of algae- these will die off and create more food. i think yu are safe to add the rock and just wait 6 months.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi everybody,
I'm setting up a 75 gal. reef tank with a 50 gal. refug./sump.I'm going to use wild live rock and live sand and I'm going to wait at least 6 mos.before adding any corals or fish. the thing I need to know is what is the best food to feed the live sand,if at all,during this period?

You don't need to feed the "tank" anything. You could put a raw shrimp in there but you don't have to. Just let the tank go and when your tests show you're done w/ cycling then you can add a fish or two. Not before then. While your waiting on the tank to cycle do a lot of reading to figure out where you want to go with your tank and to make adjustments to your equipment. :wink:

Good luck.

 

[Anonymous]

It shouldnt take your tank 6 months to cycle. Are you just using that time line to be safe, or is that when you'll be ready to continue with your plans for the tank?

 

[Frank A.1]

The idea of waiting for six mo. or more is to allow the tank and the refug./sump to mature and to let all the little critters in and above the sand to multiply which will produce more natural food(plankton)once corals and fish are added.Also as they multiply there are more critters to help in turning over the sand and keeping the substrate clean. Feeding the tank(after the cycle) during this time would be to keep all the living things in and above the sand alive so they can multiply.

 

[Anonymous]

The phyto blooms are a perfect feed for that life in the cycling stage. It mimics the natural phyto>plankton bloom seen in the ocean yearly.