Setting up my 150 gallon tank....question re: cycling and is my tank 'ready'

naesco · #2 02-23-2009, 07:13 PM

You need to get a nitrite, ammonia and nitrate test kit at the minimum.
If the nitrite and ammonia test zero your tank has cycled.
Adding fish:
We all get excited at the idea of adding livestock in our tanks.
To be safe and avoid problems only add one fish per month.
Check about the suitability of the fish you are planning to purchase by checking here and by careful review of www.wetwebmedia.com which is a good source of info.

Make sure YOU see the fish you are planning to buy eating at the LFS and that there are no spots, tears or redness.

You can add a couple of hermit crabs. They are predators on some of the good stuff in your tank but are fun to watch and a couple won't hurt. Add no more than 10 snails as well. Acclimate them very slowly. Ask how if you don't know. Avoid bumblebee snails and astrea.

To be successful and avoid most of the problems you read about here like fish death, cynobacteria and algae, you need patience. Go slow and good luck and thanks for posting.

Rbacchiega · #3 02-24-2009, 02:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naesco

... Add no more than 10 snails as well....

I hope you mean no more than 10 at a time. Only 10 snails in a 150 sure isn't that many. When I ran a sand bed I had 40-50 snails at any given time.

marie · #4 02-24-2009, 03:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rbacchiega

I hope you mean no more than 10 at a time. Only 10 snails in a 150 sure isn't that many. When I ran a sand bed I had 40-50 snails at any given time.

I have literally thousands of snails in my tanks but I didn't buy them, they breed like rabbits

naesco · #5 02-24-2009, 04:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rbacchiega

I hope you mean no more than 10 at a time. Only 10 snails in a 150 sure isn't that many. When I ran a sand bed I had 40-50 snails at any given time.

It may be that 10 is all that he may need. But, if more are needed, he can add more or let them populate themselves as Marie has suggested.
The myth of one snail per gallon is a marketing ploy.
We sometimes see marketing schemes where recommended 'clean up crews' are advertised.
They contain far too many snails and often contain snails like astrea that never see sand in the wild and, when they do find themselves in our aquarium, they find themselves stuck upside down in the sand only to be eaten by the first hermit crab that comes upon them.
The excess snails in these crews starve to death and are often see being eaten by hermit.
The hobbyist not the hermits is to blame. All the hermit is doing is eating a dead snail. Sometimes just an empty shell is found.

newreefer_59 · #6 02-24-2009, 02:43 PM

ok....so is now the time for those 10 snails and hermit crabs? I do not have sand at this point - only live rock, which begs another question. Do you run your system with/without sand? I have heard the comments on either side of this.

Whatigot · #7 02-24-2009, 02:54 PM

thats a great debate and really a personal choice.
both have beneficial attributes, both have downsides.
It's really whatever you like the look of better.
at the end of the day Live Rock should do just about everything that live sand can.

digital-audiophile · #8 02-24-2009, 02:58 PM

My own opinion:

Bare bottom tanks look like fish store tanks. Sand makes a tank look more natural.

TheRealBigAL · #9 02-23-2009, 07:16 PM

*edit*

Whatigot · #10 02-23-2009, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alfredshouse

This person is new and is asking for help. Cant you be supportive and give advice instead of making mean comments. This is suppose to help people and not make them feel like idiots.

I would advise PMing comments like that...
otherwise, it's just sort of hypocritical.
I understand the point abyss was making and I doubt it was meant to be anything but facetious but too the point of this thread....

You really should get a good book on reef aquariums, you will find that they are a really good place to start and then go back to when you need info.
you can pm me if you'd like a good suggestion or two on one.

It will save you the hassle of asking a question on the board everytime you have one, not that we're not happy to help, some of us are too much so

but you will find that many of us see the same questions come up when individuals are first starting out in the hobby and they could all easily be answered much faster by almost any of the better saltwater/reef aquarium books out there....