[monsterM]

I finally cycled my tank about 3 weeks ago and had a few additions to my 55 gal FO tank. Here are a few pics tell me what you think. Any suggestions, feel free. So far I have a yellow tang 2 clowns that I used for my cycle, they survived!!!!!
Any way, I also have yellow tail damsel, catilina golby, electric flame scallop, hermit w/ anemones, 10 snails and blue leg hermits. I want to add 3 more fish, a black and white butterflyfish, royal gamma, flame angel, a cleaner shrimp and somemore blue legs. Does that sound ok?

Thanks for your Imput,
Mo

Check out the pics!!
Tell me if it needs work. I am new at this.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by monsterM

Any suggestions, feel free. So far I have a yellow tang 2 clowns that I used for my cycle, they survived!!!!!

My first suggestion is that the next time you cycle a tank, you do it without any live fish. It's really cruel and totally unnecessary. Use a couple of dead shrimp from the supermarket instead.

Any way, I also have yellow tail damsel, catilina golby, electric flame scallop, hermit w/ anemones, 10 snails and blue leg hermits.

The Catalina Goby (Lythrypnus dalli) is a subtropical species that ranges from Morro Bay (central California) to Guadalupe Island (northern central Baja California). It's natural temperature range is 18-22C (64.4-71.6F). They do not live long at temperatures in the upper 70's. Ideal aquarium temperature for this fish would be 66-72F.

The electric flame scallop is another poor choice. It was recently discussed in this thread: electric red flame scallop (not really sure what it is)

Not sure what you mean by "anemones," but these should not be added to an immature tank and are usually not used in fish-only tanks.

I want to add 3 more fish, a black and white butterflyfish, royal gamma, flame angel, a cleaner shrimp and somemore blue legs. Does that sound ok?

The Royal Gramma (Gramma loreto) would be a good choice. The Flame Angel (Centropyge loricula) would be another good choice for an established tank. You should wait another six months before attempting to add one of these and they do better in tanks with lots of live rock. The Black & White Butterflyfish (Chaetodon argentatus) is probably not a good choice for a 55-gal tank but if you do decide to go with one of these, wait at least six months.

Good luck,

[salttanker]

Wow! I am amazed that the yellow tang made it through the cycle period. I know damsels are much hardier for cycling, but Ninong is absolutely correct. This is unnecessary punishment on a fish to have to go through such torment. As Ninong suggested previously, I used a raw shrimp to cycle my tank, and the results were excellent. Good luck to you. 3 weeks isn't very long, so you might come across another ammonia spike once again.


Mike

[bguile]

Hmm.... I'm trying to put this all together. Why would someone use dead raw shrimp to "cycle" a tank and what are you looking for it to do? Im now starting to wonder if my tank is "cycled" since I didn't do anything like that. I cured my rock in a large bucket until the ammonia and nitrites subsided then i placed it in my aquarium with crushed coral substrate and waited a week and a half before I put my clowns and emerald crabs in. Is that incorrect? Am I confusing the "cycling" process of the tank and the "curing" process of the rock? Does that mean I have put my fish in jeopardy?

[salttanker]

In the picture you have, what rock did you cure? From what I can tell, it looks like various ornamental pieces, unless you have added the live rock after the picture was taken. Also for reference, a piece of raw shrimp left in a tank to cycle will perform just as well, or even better than a live fish. Below is the process your fish went through, so this is why most people like myself would be surprised that they made it..especially the Tang:

As far as the cycle process is concerned, this can normally take anywhere from 6-8 weeks to completely cycle. Some say 2-3 weeks. This has never worked for me, and probably most people on this board would agree. Your tank will go through the nitrogen cycle process, which will allow the bacterial colonies to establish in a new tank. Then from there, ammonia spikes will occur which is detrimental to any fish. After the bacteria breaks down the ammonia, it will then go through a Nitrite spike. Nitrite is produced through the biological activities of Nitrosomonas as it consumes the ammonia. This will rise until the bacteria has increased enough to help break down the nitrite faster than it is being produced. Then you have the Nitrate factor. This is the last cycle of the nitrogen process. If low in numbers, it can be safe for fish. If it is too high, then water changes will be needed to rectify the problem. This can usually be controlled by not over-feeding.
Since your fish haven't been in there very long, only time will tell if they make it or not. I sincerely hope they do.
First and foremost, if you haven't purchased a quality test kit yet, I would highly recommend it. One cannot assume that their tank is healthy without testing it. For a FO tank, what you will need to look for in a test kit is pH, Alk, Nitrite, Nitrate, and ammonia. Also, what is your SG reading and temperature in your tank?
Lastly, just remember that for every fish you add to a newly established tank, the bacterial colonies have to catch up in order to keep everything in balance. If you add too many at one time, it may not be able to catch up in time leaving you with unwanted results. I personally only add one fish maybe every 2-3 months to be on the safe side. HTH

Mike

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by bguile

Hmm.... I'm trying to put this all together. Why would someone use dead raw shrimp to "cycle" a tank and what are you looking for it to do?

One would use raw shrimp from the supermarket instead of live fish. The dead shrimp would decay, producing ammonia which would provide nourishment to the growing populations of beneficial bacteria. This is one way to begin the nitrogen cycle if you are setting up a tank without live rock. There are other variations on this same theme but the raw shrimp method is the most popular.

Im now starting to wonder if my tank is "cycled" since I didn't do anything like that. I cured my rock in a large bucket until the ammonia and nitrites subsided then i placed it in my aquarium with crushed coral substrate and waited a week and a half before I put my clowns and emerald crabs in.

The initial cycle is complete once ammonia is undetectable and nitrite is undetectable or almost so. This initial cycle can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks, depending on your particular circumstances. You would get a stronger initial cycle (producing larger bacterial populations) using uncured live rock but it might last three to six weeks or longer. If you used fully cured live rock, the initial cycle may be over within three or four days but you would have to proceed very gradually with the addition of any livestock. Although it is not absolutely necessary, it helps to throw in a couple of raw shrimp or a piece of raw fish if you are using fully cured live rock to add extra ammonia to give a boost to the bacteria.

Is that incorrect? Am I confusing the "cycling" process of the tank and the "curing" process of the rock? Does that mean I have put my fish in jeopardy?

The initial cycle refers to the period of time it takes for both the ammonia and nitrite to spike and fall back down to nothing while the nitrate has peaked and is on the decline. The exact nitrate reading that would mark the end of the initial cycle is arbitrary. If you are adding only fish, you might say that a nitrate reading of 100 ppm or less is good-to-go for hardy species. Other people might say that the initial cycle is not over until your nitrate is below 50 ppm. This refers to the initial cycle only. The tank will continue to cycle for the next several months as each new addition is made. After each addition, the bacterial populations will have to adjust to accomodate the increased biological load on the tank. It is better to proceed slowly. Some fish are more sensitive than others and should not be introduced to a tank that has been set up for less than four to six months. This would apply especially to dwarf angelfishes and butterflyfishes, among others.

If the tank is being set up as a reef tank, hardy corals (softies and some LPS) could be added once the nitrate reading is below 50 ppm (preferably below 25 ppm) but SPS should not be added until nitrate readings are below 20 ppm (preferably below 10 ppm, ideally below 5 ppm).

[bguile]

Im sorry guys...I think I have confused you as this is not my original post. I happened to chime in b/c there was a suggestion of using raw shrimp to cycle a tank. My aquarium is a 12g Nano cube with only live rock and crushed coral substrate. My rock was cured in a seperate basin from my display tank and when the ammonia and nitrates subsided, I then placed it in my display and left it and the substrate in for about 2 weeks and all parameters maintained....no ammonia or nitrite, and nitrate measured at ~30ppm. I even took my water to the LFS and they said the water was good. So Im just wondering if I should've once again spiked the ammonia levels after putting the LR in the display tank before adding livestock (2 true perc's), although..there is a lot of life and diatoms growing on it to feed the emerald crabs.

[salttanker]

You're right. I am confused now.

Mike

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by bguile

Im sorry guys...I think I have confused you as this is not my original post.

Nope, no confusion at all. That's why I answered each of your points separately and specifically for your situation.

[monsterM]

Sorry guys there was a misprint. I only cycled my tank with the clownfish.