New 55 Gallon Setup

[CrunchyToast]

Hello everyone! After a LONG time away, I have returned (I wasn't around long at first so don't be surprised if you have no idea who I am.)

Anywho, I recently setup my 55 gallon tank with a nice 30 pound layer of white sand, and full of water mixed with marine salt to the perfect salinity measured by my hydrometer. My question is, if I add Tetra AquaSafe to the aquarium, will I be able to add fish sooner than later?

Start-Up
Get off to the right start.
Begin by conditioning tap water with AquaSafe®.
Tetra's newest product is truly a breakthrough. SafeStart® works instantly to create the biological filter that has previously taken weeks to establish. With SafeStart® you can add fish to a new aquarium right away.

BioExtract formula contains seaweed extracts (natural biopolymers), which support the development of beneficial filter bacteria for healthy and clear water. The added ingredients help to reduce aquarium pollution by strengthening the bacterial bed. As always, Tetra’s AquaSafe® water conditioner makes tap water safe for fish.


- Works in seconds to neutralize chlorine, chloramines, and heavy metals present in tap water that can be harmful to fish.
- Provides a slime coating to help wounds heal and protect fish from abrasions. Unique colloid ingredients in the formula have been designed to protect fish’s delicate gills and membranes.
- AquaSafe® can be used with freshwater and marine fish.
- AquaSafe® is the market leading water conditioner brand in the US and has been protecting fish for over 35 years.

 

[TropicalNorth]

Pretty much useless, just my opinion though, other than neutralizing chlorine.

The best idea is to set your tank up, add live rock and wait around 4 weeks before adding any fish. This is just a rough guideline, different tanks cycle at different rates but I would never a fish to a tank until it has cycled for at least a month bare minimum. In my opinion cycling can't be rushed.

With my 55g I waited 11 weeks before adding fish. (Yes I'm a patient person ).

 

[CrunchyToast]

I had a friend that sucessfully used it in a 55gal although it was tropical fush. Since the tank was so big though, it took 48 hours. I guess what I may try is waiting a few days and testing the water and if it fails then start again with live rock.

 

[CrunchyToast]

PS: Although I said my plans on what to do, I still wouldn't mind other people's input, or comments.

 

[serissime]

I know that SafeStart works in freshwater (my experience), but I honestly don't know if adding it in saltwater is as effective as using live rock. I've never done saltwater.

With SafeStart, you have to add the fish when you add the SafeStart. A full cycle (in fw) will take closer to a week than 48hrs; I'm not sure what happened in your friend's tank (you don't need to test the water for 7 days per instructions)

 

[TropicalNorth]

There's a lot more to cycling a marine tank than just having the right test results. Time and patience is the best cycling method for the health of the fish. The tank needs to go through the full ammonia, nitrite, nitrate cycle.

To me the product doesn't really make much sense. It doesn't actual say it contains any beneficial bacteria but contains 'seaweed extracts that support the development of...bacteria'. This to me sounds like pseudo-science (false science) and I can't really see how it would work.

In a 55g fw tank you can add a couple of fish and the ammonia produced would be pretty low so chances are the fish would be fine. The cycle would start from there and if fish were added slowly everything would probably be fine.

What will your long term source of biological filtration be? What equipment do you have on the tank now. Without live rock (which in my opinion is the best biological filter) you will need a skimmer and fairly large filter of some kind to do the filtration the live rock would do. I really do think adding your live rock and waiting is your best bet for long term success.

 

[serissime]

How I understand SafeStart is that it makes the cycle harmless to the fish, not that it establishes the cycle. Again, I see how it works in fw, but I don't see how it's useful for saltwater.

 

[CrunchyToast]

Well, earlier today I went anyways a bought a nice chunk of live rock. I may add a few more pieces as this one looks so tiny in a 55g.

The filter is a Aqua-Tech Power Filter 30-60 gallon. The whole aquarium came together as a set purchased at Wal-Mart. An Aqua Culture Deluxe 55 aquarium kit.

 

[TropicalNorth]

That's good. Whatever is alive on the live rock will start the cycle happening. Also you can just buy a few pounds of live rock and then the rest can be baserock if you want. Baserock is cheaper and the live rock will seed the baserock, turning it into liverock after a few months.

For a 55g I would look into getting a hang-on skimmer and a couple of powerheads. You don't have to worry about the skimmer until further into the cycle but some powerheads would be worthwhile to have from the beginning.

The filter you have will provide some flow and if you have foam in it it will work as a mechanical filter, which is handy. The live rock, if you get more, will do all the biological filtration.

 

[Dan06]

I acquired cured Live Rock, a seeded cup of gravel from a healthy SW tank, and I experienced no detectable Ammonia/Nitrites/Nitrates since March 3rd. I know that won't be the case with most people, but I think if you get good quality LR that is truly cured & some seeded gravel. I waited a little over a week without ever detecting a spike before I added anything. I've still never detected anything with my tests & my LFS's testing.

I've used Bio-Spira for freshwater, I remember having 10ppm Ammonia & 10ppm Nitrites, I dumped the contents of the bag in my tank, the following morning both were down to 0 & my Nitrates were up over 10ppm. I think the general consensus seems to be that Bio-Spira is the one that consistantly works. It's pricey and by chance you get a bad culture, you're out of some money that patience & a healthy bag of seeded gravel would have done for free.

Also, you really need some powerheads. That HOB filter isn't going to create anywhere near the flow you need in your tank. From my understanding you'll be battling major nuisance issues related to poor flow, even in a fishless/invert free tank. I think your #1 priority right now is to get a powerhead.