Where to go from here?

[blackhorse]

My tank is pretty close to finished with the cycling (I think). I started out about a month ago with just live sand and dead shrimp. Then just over a week ago added 50 lbs. of live rock. Now, my ammonia level is at 0 and nitrites are at about 2. My questions are the following:

Should I first add a clean up crew before any fish?
Can I add the clean up crew and fish at the same time?

Thanks
Tim

 

[Ziggy953]

After my cycle I added a small clean up crew and 2 fish. The clean up crew will need something to eat so by having fish in the tank you will be feeding and they will have something to clean up. By starting small and going slow your tank will have time to adjust to the new bio-load.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

Right after I cycled, I threw in a medium sized cleanup crew (about 6-8 astreas, 8-10 trochus, 4 tiny nassarius, and about 10 hermits of different varieties) to deal with the diatoms in my 46g.

About 2 weeks after that, I put in a skunk cleaner. After about 6+ weeks after cycling (due to some bad luck with my first fish) I finally added my first fish.

If I had it to do over again, I'd do it all the same again... except about 1/2 as many snails and maybe a lot fewer crabs. But putting a cleanup crew and cleaner shrimp in there at least gave me something to look at and feed while the fish was in quarantine for 4 weeks. Now that I think of it, I even added my peppermint shrimp before the first fish after I noticed some aptasia blooming.

I suppose it's personal preference as to what you add first. Don't think there's really a right answer.

 

[melosu58]

My tank is pretty close to finished with the cycling (I think). I started out about a month ago with just live sand and dead shrimp. Then just over a week ago added 50 lbs. of live rock. Now, my ammonia level is at 0 and nitrites are at about 2.

Just make sure those nitrites are at 0 and when they are I would do about a 33% PWC. When your cycle is over and you do your PWC I dont see why you cant add one fish and a small- medium size clean up crew. Dont go to large on the clean up crew because there might not be enough stuff for them to eat.

 

[blackhorse]

I plan on putting my first fish in quarantine for the first 30 days or so. Should I also put the cleaning crew in quarantine?

 

[roka64]

I wouldn't worry about QT for the clean up crew. It is possible they can bring in something from the LFS water but I believe this is VERY rare.