How long before adding Corals???

D

dcflyers7

AC Members
Dec 3, 2004
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Harrisburg, PA
My tank(37g) has been up for a month now, and everything is going smoothly so far <crossing fingers>... I have 35lbs. of LR, DSB, PC lighting, a cleaner crew, a yellowtail and a royal gramma. All test readings are good, and my LFS says I would be ok to add a few corals. I really only want a few mushrooms, and maybe a xenia for this tank. My brother(has a 135g reef), told me to wait 'til I get all the fish I planned before adding coral. I plan to get a watchman gobie and a single clown(perc. or tomato), and thats probably all the fish i'll want for this tank...

Advice please!!! thanks...

Doug
 
Hi Doug,
I'm far from being an expert, but one of the things I have learned is not to rush in to anything. This is an expensive hobby after all!

How's your water quality? Has your tank finished cycling?

One thing you don't want to do it end up with a large bio load that you equipment can't handle. If your tank is cycled then I would just start off with the fish. Leave them in for a month or so to see how they do. You should be cool to add your first coral after this time if all seems well.

I wouldn't go out and buy several corals, just start with one or two and see how they do. Personally, I think I waited something like 3-4 months before getting my first coral.

Also, make sure you only get corals that will do well under your lights. Many corals need heaps of light (like a MH setup).

Don't take this as gospel as I'm no reef guru, but I don't see any harm in taking it slowly.

Hope this helps,
Chris
 
I second the don't rush opinion. It took a long time for my tank to fully cycle, because I was adding things. It finally is finished now. Ir's a very good idea to add livestock slowly, as your tank will do mini cycles as stock is added, and the bacteria catch up to the excess waste produced.
 
Thanks for the advice guys, and keep it coming!!! I like to believe that I know a good bit about what I'm doing so far, but regardless of how much I've watched my brother's success with his reef, or how much research i've done, this is still MY first try!

I know my lighting is sufficient for hardy corals, and i'm staying away from the hard corals, so no worries there... I figure I'll go next week to get the last fish I want(gobie and clown), let the tank mini-cycle, and then maybe late next month pick up some coral. How does that sound??? Also, i'll be installing my skimmer this weekend, so will that cause any cycling? thanks...

Doug
 
I also agree about not rushing into things. I will say though that I started my tank with LR that had two nice brain corals attached and probably 100 cup corals of two varieties. I've also had polyp coral since day one that I pretty much had to accept from a guy that lost power from the hurricanes. All have done well since the begining. When I started my tank with LR and live sand and LIVE WATER (from the ocean), I never had much of any cycle at all. I would start out with one or two corals known to be hardy.
 
Yep, install a skimmer - it won't cause any cycling and will be very beneficial to your corals by imporving water quality.

Sounds like you've got a handle on things.. so just keep going and good luck. Maybe you could post some pics of your setup?

Cheers,
Chris
 
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