Just added rock sand and water

[Easyflip]

Ok, here goes, after all the planning I'm starting my tank! 1 and 1/2 in live sand, cured live rock from a local reefer and filtered ocean water from the Monterey bay. I will be adding an ammonia source tomorrow and an inoculation of nitrifying bacteria. I'll keep testing my levels, not going to add a cuc for at least 3 weeks. The rock is awesome, straight from a successful tank, lots of corraline, tubeworms, and I got a snail hitchhiker so far! Any tips on cycling? Here's a pic

 

[Evansimp]

Really like the aquascape following along!

 

[Easyflip]

Thanks! How long did your cycle take and how did you do it?

 

[Pisces3473]

Nice formation, I like the peak, lots of good zone for the different corals. Good thinking! Cycles vary, you've got good LR that could really speed things along for you. Nice water source! Just keep doing your readings at least every other day, I still do mine every day. Relax and enjoy it. Start looking for those little starfish, I'll bet you've got some. I waited to really look in my tank until I got corals, but there's a ton of life in there. I'll be watching! What kind of skimmer did you get and is it quiet?

 

[Easyflip]

Thanks! Yes I'll be testing ammonia today. The skimmer is the innovative marine aqua gadget for this tank. My lfs guy has the same one and loves it. It's quiet but I'm thinking about putting it on a timer and skimming when I'm not around. You're right, I totally want to stock it now! I've been watching this little snail hitchhiker all morning lol

 

[Easyflip]

Here's a pic, water cleared up

 

[Evansimp]

Really like the aquascape following along!

I used the raw shrimp method and it took about 2-3 weeks

 

[melosu58]

Any tips on cycling? Here's a pic

Cycle your salt tank - Aquarium Advice

 

[Pisces3473]

Thanks! Yes I'll be testing ammonia today.

Don't forget about your SG, very important if you're going reef. 1.024 - 1.026 is what I've heard although many like to be closer to 1.026 as that's the actual ocean. If you don't have one, get a hydrometer, it doesn't need to be a fancy one. Mine was about 8 bucks. Enjoy the critters!

 

[Easyflip]

I put in raw shrimp today, 0 ammonia, I'll check evey couple of days. Rock came with 6 zoas, I hope they make it through the cycle

 

[Pisces3473]

I put in raw shrimp today, 0 ammonia, I'll check evey couple of days. Rock came with 6 zoas, I hope they make it through the cycle

I've heard Zoanthids are a great beginners coral, that's why I got some. Apparently Mushrooms are easy as well. Good luck! BTW, are you sure those are Zoa's, just curious cause the dude at the lfs had some similar to that but called them something different.

 

[Easyflip]

I'm pretty sure they are zoas, the guy that sold me the rock said they were. I looked up a coral id site and found a close match. I made sure they were not aptasia which are bad. If anyone out there can ID them for me thanks!

 

[Pisces3473]

I'm pretty sure they are zoas, the guy that sold me the rock said they were. I looked up a coral id site and found a close match. I made sure they were not aptasia which are bad. If anyone out there can ID them for me thanks!

Here's a link to a site where they've got lots of pics with similar looking Zoanthids.

 

[Easyflip]

Thanks for the link. Still 0 ammonia today, I think I'm going to have a mini cycle like you cause we used established rock and added bacteria starter. I think this just enhanced an established biological filter that was already in the rock, I also used live sand. I've added about 2 cubic centimeters of shrimp meat and I'm going to test for 3 weeks with no fish and see what happens. If no big spike I'll start with cuc and watch them for awhile and then 1 fish. Mr saltwater tank cycled a tank in days with 2 fish and Dr Tim's miracle in a bottle, he never got an ammonia spike

 

[Riverhawk]

Those are either zoas or palys.. Some palys look like zoas so im not sure which they are.... Theyre great beginner corals... Tough too

 

[Pisces3473]

I put in raw shrimp today, 0 ammonia, I'll check evey couple of days. Rock came with 6 zoas, I hope they make it through the cycle

You only put the shrimp in yesterday, give it a few more days, your ammonia will increase gradually and then spike and be gone overnight. I waited at least a week before I put in Damsels. I'd wait if I were you and make sure the your getting 0's, I test all three daily at this point and monitor my SG. It may be a waste of chemicals, but better than a waste of reef inhabitants. I figure I can waste the API kit over a couple of months to maintain a healthy tank, or I can risk sacrificing my reef.

My Zoa's took about an 1.5 hours to fully open this morning and the blue mushroom seems happy too. Tommy (my clown) is getting accustomed to the tank and exploring a bit more however he like the overhang/ cave I built. Enjoy the process, its' like being a kid at Christmas again!!

 

[Easyflip]

My coral has been identified, it's not a zoa but a paly- palythoa grandis. Put a pic of it in the ID section of this site and got a quick response- cool! One of them started 'budding' this morning so I guess I'm a new dad lol

 

[Pisces3473]

My coral has been identified, it's not a zoa but a paly- palythoa grandis. Put a pic of it in the ID section of this site and got a quick response- cool! One of them started 'budding' this morning so I guess I'm a new dad lol

congrats, I've been watching my zoa's and mushroom very closely and keeping my fingers crossed. I go some timers and am alternating my powerheads for day and night as well as my lights, blue for 9 hours and whites for 7 in between so it's blue for the first and last hour. I've spotted at least 3 starfish and one of them is living in my thermometer shroud, nice and warm I guess...

 

[Easyflip]

Pisces, what's your next coral? Addicting isn't it? What are you feeding them? I put in some kent microvert and they totally blossomed and all sorts of sweeper tentacles came out of the rocks! I'm gonna stick with beginner but I want sway in the current and super pop color, green star polyp is easy but they say it grows like crazy, I don't care, I think a big mass of it would b cool, maybe covering the back wall, eventually I want the rock completely covered with color, the more fluorescent the better!
How's your 40 coming? Ready to set it up?

 

[Vazter]

nice tank! how many gallon is that?

for the nano tank you dont need to feed anything , just do weekly water change
you can check out my photo album