Starting new

[anthonys_aqua]

Hi all, starting a reef tank soon and was just wondering a bit about the process of cycling, maintenance etc.
dont count the one I had since it was already up and running when I got it lol


I come from freshwater planted tanks so I know the basics of most things but from what I've read/watched maintenance seems a bit difference.

Usually in freshwater tanks you do multiple wc the first couple weeks due to the large amounts of nutrients being released by the aquasoil and typically you can add fish like say you use seachem stability but more issues come down the line as it just adds more waste for you to clean up.

Ive seen videos from reef builders where they add fish and corals all in a day and never did a wc for months. Seen a lot of folks say that reef tanks need longer cycling, usually 4 months before you add coral for maturity reasons I presume but also see people adding stuff as soon as the tank is cycled.

whats the best way to cycle a tank? fishless? fish in like what brs tv does? whens a good time to start adding corals? how much wc should you be doing weekly? Im used to 50% weekly for my freshwater tanks

 

[resortez]

Welcome to saltwater. Would help to know whats you’re setup, run down of equipment you will be using. It helps to use live rock & live sand for the cycling of the tank. Not sure if you’re aware of the use of RODI water but if you’re going full reef, RODI & a good salt mix is a must. Personally, I would begin with reading up on fish, how to introduce them, behavior, nutrition, compatibility with others & get familiar with reef safe fish & none reef safe fish. Do plenty of reading on all the animals you would like to house in your tank & the chemistry of the water needed to keep them thriving. Take your time with it, this hobby requires tons of patience. Maintenance depends of your parameter readings but I personally do 20% every other week. Also, get familiar with invertebrates & building a strong clean up crew (cuc), those guys will keep your tank nice & tidy but there are some that aren’t reef safe, so read up. Hope it helps & good luck.

 

[anthonys_aqua]

Welcome to saltwater. Would help to know whats you’re setup, run down of equipment you will be using. It helps to use live rock & live sand for the cycling of the tank. Not sure if you’re aware of the use of RODI water but if you’re going full reef, RODI & a good salt mix is a must. Personally, I would begin with reading up on fish, how to introduce them, behavior, nutrition, compatibility with others & get familiar with reef safe fish & none reef safe fish. Do plenty of reading on all the animals you would like to house in your tank & the chemistry of the water needed to keep them thriving. Take your time with it, this hobby requires tons of patience. Maintenance depends of your parameter readings but I personally do 20% every other week. Also, get familiar with invertebrates & building a strong clean up crew (cuc), those guys will keep your tank nice & tidy but there are some that aren’t reef safe, so read up. Hope it helps & good luck.

I’m setting up a IM lagoon 50 AIO, I was going to use one of the caddy’s for bio media (seachem matrix) with filter floss and the other side probably the same but maybe with gfo and carbon. As for cycling not sure if I was going to use a fish or dr Tim’s ammonium chloride with starter bacteria. I wanted to also add a refugium to the back and not sure about adding a media reactor yet, or if it’s better to just leave it in the caddy. I already use RO water for my tanks so I can add a DI resin and I use the Red Sea blue bucket.


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