When is it safe to add coral frags?

[want2findnemo]

Just wondering when its safe to add them. Since they are not as heavy bio as fish can I add like say 5 1" frags at once?



Tank is finished cycling and all the stats are:

0 ammonia
0 nirite
0 nitrate
1.023 sal
8.2 ph
78 temp
75g tank


Please advise, thanks in advanced.

[pat8you]

In general you want to give your tank at least a month to kind of settle in and stabilize before you put some hardy corals in. Some of the more difficult frags like SPS's you will want to wait at least a few months to ensure that your tank is stable enough to have a better chance for the frags surviving. Most mushrooms and zoas are for the most part indestructible as long as you keep your water quality good and keep up with water changes.

[want2findnemo]

Says here that I should add my corals before I add fish..

Reef Aquarium Additions: When to Add Live Rock, Corals, and Fish

Is that a good idea?

i wanted to get a frogspawn and some LPS frags.

[pat8you]

I haven't been in the hobby for as long as a lot of the regulars around here so i will let them take over with their experiences but i've always heard to wait a bit on the corals. Frogspawn is relatively hardy but it may struggle if you end up having swings in your water parameters due to the tank being so new. Like I said, i have limited experience and i don't want to give you bad advice so i will let some of the others here chime in at this point.

[austinsdad]

I read that article. I'd be suspicious of any that advise you put a cucumber in for your initial cleanup crew.

I'm not a believer either that adding corals will change your water parameters as the article says.

I'd say add a very small cleanup crew first, fish second. Same time even. Adding fish may cause ammonia readings to change. Nitrate, possibly ph and those.

How long has the cycle been over? Prolly yet to have the diatoms show up (nasty looking brown stuff that'll cover almost everything).

Add the fish, ensure the water is stable for a couple months, and then add corals. Believe me, I know it's hard to go slow when starting, but you can waste money and create heartache rushing.

[roka64]

You should add at least 1 fish to help keep an ammonia source.

[want2findnemo]

Ok I got about 10 snails in and ill the 3 green chromis look pretty lively but are in QT atm.

I also have two scarlet hermits. I got the brownout already where all my white sand is covered with brown stuff.

Its almost been a week only after cycle has finished, one month anniversary is comming up =)

I guess ill wait a month before I get frags in there.

Thanks for holding me back guys...

you say LBS is hardier than SPS right?

[ccCapt]

I disagree with alot in that article.

If your aquarium has growth of nuisance algae at this time, control it with a selection of invertebrates such as hermit crabs, including Scarlet, Dwarf Red Tip, and Dwarf Zebra Hawaiian crabs; and snails, such as Mexican turbo and Margarita snails.

They are basically suggesting a band aid solution. If you have nuisance algae, it's because of high nutrients. Remove the food (high nutrient levels) and the nuisance algae will go away.

Adding corals will cause your water parameters to change. Check your water parameters frequently with a test kit. Once water parameters have stabilized, you can start adding fish. Adding fish last reduces the possibility of disease resulting from fluctuating water parameters that occur when other livestock is added to the aquarium.

Fish cause parameters to change way more than coral...especially in a negative way. They add nutrients (poop) to the water. Corals will help pull some of those nutrients out. You should definitely let your biofilter get established so it can handle the fish, THEN add coral when the system is stable.

[want2findnemo]

So basically when I get my three chromis' in there and then the water parameters are stable even after weeks then its ok to add?

[melosu58]

I`d say give your tank a few weeks with the chromis in there and then add frags. But I would definitely add a few fish first to help feed the nitrogen cycle and make your tank more stable.

[Kurt_Nelson]

Adding three fish right off the bat is more than I would've done, but I can understand why you did it - the chromis want to come in all together. But because of the sudden increase in bioload, I'd definitely hold off on corals for at least a couple months. Months... not weeks.

That article about adding corals first, then fish is really bad for a lot of reasons. First, as cccapt mentioned, fish cause more issues with bioload than corals. Period. Second, you need an ammonia source (fish poop, respiration, etc) to keep your biological filtration alive. Best source for that is fish. That same waste from the fish will also help feed coral. Finally, "adding coral" isn't a one time thing. It's not like you do it once and move on. Or at least everyone I know doesn't tackle it that way. It took me a year to fully stock my tank with fish. I can't ever see being "done" with stocking it with coral.

[want2findnemo]

Ya I kinda didnt agree with the article saying add as much coral at once then add fish part.

And now.. I guess Im not listening to the article at all.. lol