Ok so I'm new to salt water

[Phil]

So I got a new 75 gallon tank and 35 gallon sump and has been running for about 10 days I tested my water today and ammonia and nitrate all read 0 everything else's reads normal. I have about 80 lbs of live rock and sand in it. Does this mean it's safe to get a cleaning crew or a fish or two?

[gregzz4]

As long as your Nitrates don't go above say 5ppm you're safe to add a small cleanup crew. If you don't already have algae, you could wait until some starts to appear. Up to you.
Wait weeks while testing before adding your first fish, and the same goes for the next fish and so on. Many say to wait a month between.

[HaZRaTTy]

Originally Posted by Phil

So I got a new 75 gallon tank and 35 gallon sump and has been running for about 10 days I tested my water today and ammonia and nitrate all read 0 everything else's reads normal. I have about 80 lbs of live rock and sand in it. Does this mean it's safe to get a cleaning crew or a fish or two?

If all your LR = was actually Live rock from another reefers tank and transferred acutely and properly you might not even see a cycle, or you could go through a "Mini Cycle"

Have you seen any swing in Nitrite,Nitrate and Ammonia levels through the days? Diatoms start, stop, disappear?

I would say that there would be no problem adding a CUC.

[Proteus]

Prodibio has a product called startup. It's said after treatment you can add 20% of your complete bio load.

I used it while changing tanks. While I still saved 100 gallons if water from existing tank I added all my fish and all my coral within a week. Only lost one fish.

[daplatapus]

Have you been adding anything to the tank? Any food or anything? If there is no die off of the live rock but there's also nothing else in the tank to produce ammonia you won't get any reading of anything. I would ghost feed the tank for a week as if you had one or two fish in there and test again. If all levels remain zero, then I would say you've either skipped your cycle or had a small one, BUT you still have enough bacteria to deal with any waste produced by live stock so you'd be safe to add a clean up crew..

[Snaz]

My two bits of advice.
1. Your local fish store does not always offer the best advice. Good thing you found these forums, read them and ask questions... No question is stupid and all will be answered.
2. Go slow.

[Phil]

Yes I have been adding frozen brine shrimp to the tank most of my rock was dry rock but I got a few nice peices from red coral haven't seen any due off yet but I might have not cycled yet. But I did add some bio starter a week ago maybe I'll wait another week or two. Anyone got some rock scaping advice I just kind of threw it all I'm my tank to get it going.

[HaZRaTTy]

Originally Posted by Phil

Yes I have been adding frozen brine shrimp to the tank most of my rock was dry rock but I got a few nice peices from red coral haven't seen any due off yet but I might have not cycled yet. But I did add some bio starter a week ago maybe I'll wait another week or two. Anyone got some rock scaping advice I just kind of threw it all I'm my tank to get it going.

Steve is a very good person to talk to, and "pick" his brain about things. One of the few people in the hobby that will talk to you as a human being and give a professional accurate opinion. Unlike 90% of the others out there I've personally encountered.

[Faithinc]

My first question is:

Do you have a skimmer?
Sand Bed?
Sump w/ refugium?
Good return flow?
Proper water movement (Powerheads etc?)

Between the fantastic live rock I had, a good skimmer + sump set up I was at 0/0/0 (phos/ites/ates) by week 3. Week 4 I added the Prodibio start-up kit just to be sure that I had enough stable bacteria in the tank, and added my first clean up crew (started small-5 hermits, 5 snails). I lost 2 Turbos within 3 days (arguably more to a lack of proper acclimation than anything else). But since then I have not lost a single creature in my tank. I'm on week 7 now with:

2 small clowns
1 juvenile Melenarus wrasse
13 narcissus snails
4 dwarf hermits
1 monster hermit (King Crab)
6 Turbos

The addage "Go Slow" is good advice--but--only in the context of what is safe and appropriate for your tank. You really have to get a feel for your tank. If you've put in the proper biological and mechanical filters in place, and your parameters are within their safe areas for adding fish--there is no reason (other than old-reefer mentality) that you cannot add a small, hardy fish and a small CUC to your tank.

The Number 1 motto you should live by as a reefer is
--BE RESPONSIBLE--
Those are not just colorful art-pieces your adding to your tank. They are living, breathing, feeling creatures capable of feeling pain and stress.

You wouldn't throw a cute malamute puppy in a toxic environment--there's no reason why you should throw a fish into one either.

[Phil]

Ya I'm on week 3 I have 80 lbs of sand in display tank 40, 20 in Sump w/ refugium and a skimmer and about 70 lbs of live rock gonna see if I can post some pics on weekend when I got more time maybe start a journal. Have 2 power heads in tank and a hy-3000 return pump