New to group and first tank ever!!

[Raker333]

Greetings all!!

I have a new 30gal rectangle tank with a 250gph biowheel filter
I bought a Red Sea - Prizm (Hang on) Prot skimmer
I have a heater (Came with tank.

I have a whopping 2lb live rock in there (Woohoo) no fish yet as level are not right

Thus my question (first of many)

What should the levels be before I start introducing any kind of fish,Crab,Snail etc.

Is there a species that would help promote decent level (PH and such)
Plus my salinity is a bit high....(cycling some fresh water into it to resolve.)

Please dont bash me to hard heheh first timer when it comes to fish tanks.

Have testing kits and such and know how to use them, just want to make sure I am heading in the right direction. 8O

 

[coolchinchilla]

Welcome to AA!. You've come to a great place. Good for you for doing a little reading before you totally pluge in. Among the folks here we have vast experience except I don't have any SW experience myself. so I'll leave the advice to the SW folks.

 

[Raker333]

Thanks i have found a lot of useful info here and the overall impression that the "Advisor" level posters seem to support each other.

Hope to learn a lot here

 

[lando]

Ideally, you will see an NH3 spike and fall. This followed by an NO2 spike and fall. Finally, the NO3 will show up. At that time do a large (50%) water change and you should be ready to start adding livestock SLOWLY. All you need to do is ensure you have something in the tank to feed the cycle. A raw cocktail shrimp from the grocery store works well. Sit back and wait 4-6 weeks and you should be just fine. The biggest challenge you will have to face it being patient. All it takes is time.

 

[lando]

Sorry...where are my manors

Welcome to AquriumAdvice.com!!!

 

[tecwzrd]

Welcome, sounds like you are headed in the right direction so far

Not sure what you mean about “a species that would help promote decent level (PH and such)”
With a 30 gal you are going to be limited to a maximum of three 2-3” fish or two 3-4” fish so choose wisely.

I’d look through this site http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?pCatId=1926 for fish that max out around 3 to 4”, are skinny (not fat and 3”) and are listed as an “easy” fish to start out with.

When done cycling you want to aim for a PH around 8.2, SG of 1.023-1.025 with water parameters of:
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate <20 ppm. Preferably <5 ppm but not always easy just after cycling.

It’s best to use RO\DI water to keep your PH4 down and avoid algae problems and since you have a small tank and only need to change out 6 to 7 gal a month (I’d do about 2 gal once a week) you can get your RO\DI water from your lfs or RO water from the grocery store or a place like Wal-Mart for around 40 cents a gal. Just don’t use tap!

You can add your fish, crabs & snails once you cycle is done. I’d personally hold off on shrimp for 3 to 6 months though to let your tank stabilize more completely and get your Nitrate closer to 0.

Make sure you read the articles at the top of the page and ask if you have any questions.

 

[melosu58]

WEelcome to AA !!!!! Sounds like some good advice so far

 

[Macrosill]

Welcome!
May I also suggest a notebook dedicated to the tank. Jot down all your paramaters, date, changes made, etc... This way if a problem should arise you can refer back to your "log" and see what may have caused it. I always forget the last time I did a water change and how much it was(was it last tues, fri or the week before??? did I change 10% or 20%???) I find it very helpful.
Good Luck
Brian