What comes first?

[Bobby brown]

Hi I opted to cycle my tank with a small piece of shrimp. Now that the cycle is complete is there an order to stocking my tank? Fish first then soft corals or is it the other way around or does it really matter?

 

[user 26995]

You want to stock it slow so the biological filtration and catch up to the bioload without a spike in parameters, such as ammonia or nitrites.

When I first set up my tank I started with soft corals and snails and a big blue legged crab. They will help with any algae bloom you may encounter as the tank will go through a few algae outbreaks.
You should be able to get away with a small fish or a pair.
What size is your tank?
you might be able to post pics now or with a few more posts. Would like to see your system.

oh and welcome to RF. We are all here to help with any questions you might have.

 

[user 26995]

I just saw, you have a 10 gal tank.
The small tanks are really fun.
Kind of hard to stock with fish because of the size, but there are a few pretty cool little fish you could get for it.

 

[Scampy]

I too would start with a few beginner corals then add fish. Fish first adds a larger bio load to a newly established tank and can raise havoc on params. Corals first will be easrier and gives you time to practice with test kits (you do have a good kit, right?) and adjust for param swings. Things can change quick in a small tank. Welcome aboard. Look forward to your tank build.

 

[Derbird]

Welcome to the salty side

I would start with some hardy soft corals. Some nice zoanthus (zoa's or zoo's), Paly's, leathers, or mushrooms are a good start. Mushrooms can spread quickly so some do not like them but they are among my favorites. With fish if you are going to do more then one be sure to add the least aggressive first and then the next least aggressive and so on.

With such a small system you will want to do your research and know what you want to keep before you go to the LFS (local fish store). Once there it is very hard not to just pick out a pretty fish or coral without doing the proper research to know that it will thrive in your tank. The best advice I was given when I first started this hobby is to research as much as I thought I possibly could, and then do that much more again. There are so many different types of tanks and ways to set them up it can be frustrating at first but it is well worth learning.

I read you have a 10 gallon with sump, what kind of lighting are you using? This will determine what types of corals and anemones you will be able to keep. Side note, you will want to wait on anemones until your tank has stabilized

Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions. There is a good group of people on this site

 

[Bobby brown]

Hey everyone! Thanks for the warm welcome! Currently I do not own a test kit of any kind. I'm just doing weekly water changes. I'm not too worried about damaging my plants(Neewb response). Anywho I ordered a 2x10w driver from sure electronics and from rapid led 2x5w whites and 4x3w blues. My sump is running off a cfl. I don't care for it or the heat it puts off but until I get off my but and wire up more LEDs .......

 

[Bobby brown]

Ps I now have some turbo snails and couple of hermits oh and about 250 copapods. Hopefully my tank is ready for all that action.

 

[Scampy]

You say the cycle is complete and you have no test kits. How do you know if it's ready for livestock? I strongly urge you to get a good test kit (not strips). How are you mixing the saltwater? Do you have a refractometer or hydrometer or just following the directions on the salt? What is the source of your water? Please dont buy livestock untill you are able to monitor your params.

 

[Bobby brown]

I'm using the directions on the salt, I own two hydrometers ,both give different readings so I'm using the floating glass hydrometer over the plastic in tank version for my reading. Using ro/di water from my local grocery store. You're right about needing a test kit it's top of my list, however It's been over two and a half months since I set the tank up. I've seen diatom bloom followed by hair algae, that's why I assume I'm ready to move forward.

 

[user 26995]

Yeah, it probably has cycled, but before you add any more livestock, it would be best to know there was no ammonia or nitrite and very little if any nitrates. You dont want to unintentionally harm the animals. A good starter kit, easy to get a hold of is API for saltwater. Most pet stores will have it.

 

[Bobby brown]

Noted! Thanks for the info, I think I'm gonna be able to make it to my Lfs tomorrow. I'll keep an eye out for that product.

 

[Bobby brown]

this is pror to my leds

 

[Holygral]

Agree you MUST have test kits, in such a small tank, things can go bad instantly, A sunday afternoon and your local fish store is closed and your fish die, having to wait until Monday to find out what is wrong may be too late to know what to correct. You also need to be using rodi water. Please also keep in mind your tank will only support 1 or 2 small fish, (small as in small when full grown) no tangs (no matter how small)

 

[pandora32]

Welcome aboard! Now about your question. As stated above already, you MUST have a test kit. Almost as important as the salt and water. Ive noticed nobody has mentioned it, but im curious, what kind of water flow do you have? Any powerheads or is it just from the filter return? This will also determine what kind of corals you can keep. Also, why did you choose to start yoir adventure in reef keeping with a small tank? Space, money, had it sitting around? A 55 gallon tank woulda been a better choice to start with, or bigger. Not to big, not to small.

 

[pandora32]

Oh. And get a refractometer. The glass hydrometer bobbin around in a tank filled with rock could spell disaster!

 

[Bobby brown]

It's just the filter return (396 gph).is this sufficient to keep softies and maybe some lps? Is this a proper amount of flow? I really didn't want a bunch of crap hangin out in my tank. I think powerheads detract from the natural look of the tank. I fear they also may suck up a fish. As to the size of my tank.....money, maintenance, extra room in my cramped apartment. For the record I only use ro/di water and have no interest in placing any sort of tang in such a small environment. Honestly I'd be happy with a pair of clowns a cleaner shrimp and some mushrooms in tank .

 

[Bobby brown]

I have to get to a decent lfs soon, petsmart hurts

 

[Peppie]

Bobby,
IMO you should have a powerhead in your tank for circulation. The return pump is not enough to create flow inside the tank. Dont worry about a fish getting sucked into it. It rarely happens.
Two small powerheads one on each end of the tank pointing at eachother will help your softies be healthier.

 

[10gnano]

I would also recommend a power head, you could get a couple Hydor Koralias for around $60. Another good investment for such a small tank is an ATO. This will help keep your params stable, 10 gals tend to bounce around a bit. I ran a 10 gal for roughly two years, the best addition to the tank was the ATO.

 

[Bobby brown]

What if I were to buy a larger return pump and outfit it with a spray bar?i worry that Two powerheads would be an eyesore!