New Tank cycle questions.

[nitratehater]

hi, i just started a new tank. i transferred about 80 lbs of LR from my old tank but changed to sand instead of Crushed Coral. the sand was sterile when i put it in two weeks ago. there are 3 gobies, 1 damsel, mushrooms on the rock, and numerous snails and crabs. i started with a brand new amiracle sump and am basically trying to establish the biological filter, and seed the sand. i've also used the new seachem product "Stability" and haven't seen an amonia spike, although i didn't expect it with the previously cured rock. question is: when do I start skimming? when do i turn on the UV sterilizer? when do i do the first water change?


it's a 65 gallon reef tank, 80 lbs of rock.

thanks, mike

[vtec si]

Welcome to REEFLAND Nitratehater!

When I up grade to my 180 I put new sand in the tank with half new water and half (about half) from my two old tanks and left it until it all settled. About two and half weeks later I added half of my live rock and the rest a few days later. As for my skimmer I started it from day one and have not stopped. As for your uv sterilizer I can not say as for I do not and will not use them for a reef tank. Sorry I can not be more help on this one for you. I would check your water perameters every few days and do a 1st water change 3 weeks from when you 1st add rock to your tank or sooner if your test tell you that you need to.

Hope this helps,
Martin

[nitratehater]

why will you not use a UV for reef. the only reason i use one is to combat things like ich. others use them to control algae, but i find that water changes rid your tank of that.


actually, i should be more clear. i had 40 pounds of live rock that i directly transferred to the new tank. the other 40 came from a friend who had it in pails with wet paper towels for about 2 hours, then right in my tank with all new water. the original 40 lbs was put in 2 weeks ago, then 1 week ago, the new 40 lbs. no amonia yet, BUT i have been using that "stability" stuff, which is supposed to overcome "new tank syndrome". I think it works well to establish the bio filter.

thanks, mike

[vtec si]

IME I have had bad luck with them the first one I had shorted out and killed everything in a fish only tank! The second one I had on my reef kill off too much good bacteria. Also would burn out bulbs faster than I could replace them. This was JME and what works for one may not for another.

Laters,

Martin