Restarting 250 MAX

TheNewReefer82 said:
Great thanks for letting me know, was on the fence about the kit but think
I’m going to give it a try.

Did you end up adding the CUC without algae growth or just left out the day 10 instructions?
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I followed the instructions 100%... In my opinion I would only add a pair of hermits and a pair of nassarius snails (for the substrate)... wait a while for more algae growth before adding any more CUC. But once you add the first fish then you could add further CUC for the 'leftovers' from the fish (whatever your preference and suited to your tankmates). Sadly I lost the 3 snails that I added as there was not enough algae for them (they lasted about 2 months, and I felt guilty about this - but we learn). I am now only seeing the beginning of a good foundation of algae (3 months in) so will probably add a couple more snails in the next month or so (or might not even add any more snails as the growth ain't that crazy... not a bad thing in my opinion). I was one of the fortunate ones and completely missed the "ugly tank" stage during the cycle and I attribute that to the fact that all of my rock was artificial rock and dry live rock.... great not to have to deal with loads of hair algae and diatoms. My first fish was a pair of clowns added as per the instructions and they are still doing great.

P.S. Please note that I also decided to use Red Sea's live reef base (substrate), so this also assisted the process for me.
 
Hope everyone and your tanks are doing well in this heat:m28:

Anyone willing to help me, how does one estimate how much water is in the tank without rock and substrate. I have about 17kilo of rock and 20 pounds of sand. Need to know in order to dose right amount of starter kit liquids.
 
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Is it okay to use this mature pro program depending on my circumstances. My tank has just been cycling with no live substances or rock in it. Haven’t added anything to the tank to seed it or speed up the cycle.

Is it still advisable to start on day one or start on which ever day advises the same parameters as my tank is on?
Anyone willing to tell me what I should do?
 
Cycle process is about the time needed, for all the dead organisms on and in your rock, to decompose. Or be eaten. So there is no more corpses decaying releasing ammonia into the water. For that you mostly need bacteria to run around. Check my signature at the bottom of this post.

With freshly mixed salt water and clean artificial rock, your system is basically clinically sterile. There are no zombies, neither zombie killers. Except those bacteria you might have introduced when you stuck your hands in there, that is if the can at all survive the salt water.

Even if you do now get zero ammonia readings for a week, adding fish will only then start any cycle. The very first fish poop will set off the chain reaction for a bacteria colony to start. You will be out of sync, between the fish poop and food waste and the bacteria colony stabilizing around whats available for it to eat.

You need something to really start the process. So that there are at least some form of biological filtration by the time you add your first fish.
 
RiaanP said:
Cycle process is about the time needed, for all the dead organisms on and in your rock, to decompose. Or be eaten. So there is no more corpses decaying releasing ammonia into the water. For that you mostly need bacteria to run around. Check my signature at the bottom of this post.

With freshly mixed salt water and clean artificial rock, your system is basically clinically sterile. There are no zombies, neither zombie killers. Except those bacteria you might have introduced when you stuck your hands in there, that is if the can at all survive the salt water.

Even if you do now get zero ammonia readings for a week, adding fish will only then start any cycle. The very first fish poop will set off the chain reaction for a bacteria colony to start. You will be out of sync, between the fish poop and food waste and the bacteria colony stabilizing around whats available for it to eat.

You need something to really start the process. So that there are at least some form of biological filtration by the time you add your first fish.
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Great, thank you for the informative reply:cheers2:
 
Day 14 of the program and parameters as follow;
Nitrite- 0ppm
Nitrate- 15ppm
Ammonia- 0.00
DKH- as of now 6.2dkh (having some problems calculating the correct dosage of coraline grow)
 
Away in George for New Years, got some one watching the tank and adding water. While I’m here I decided to visit one of the sponsors shops @Atilla, must say probably the best fish shop I’ve been to with crazy cheap prices. Also picked up a few goodies while I was there and appreciated advice on which fish I should get first. :m01::m106: Will definitely be ordering from you guys when I get home!

11725D9E-B646-487A-99B1-8FECFCD7E334.jpeg
 
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TheNewReefer82 said:
Away in George for New Years, got some one watching the tank and adding water. While I’m here I decided to visit one of the sponsors shops @Atilla, must say probably the best fish shop I’ve been to with crazy cheap prices. Also picked up a few goodies while I was there and appreciated advice on which fish I should get first. :m01::m106: Will definitely be ordering from you guys when I get home!

11725D9E-B646-487A-99B1-8FECFCD7E334.jpeg
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Thank you very much for the kind words Kyle, we really appreciate it. We, as hobbyists ourselves, try and accommodate every single reefer.
 
Got home from holiday today and cleaned the tank and tested (house sitter was topping up with tap water
Without my consent)

PO4=0
NO3= 0 ppm
NO2= 0ppm
Ammonia=0
pH=8.2
Alk= 7

Do these parameters not seem a little weird for my circumstances, the house sitter was also not dosing Any no-pox while I was away... just want to make sure before I start stocking.
 
Hiw is the alae growth? Algae consumes NO3 and PO4 so that you do not pick it up on test kits.
 
No doubt caused by the tap water but also common in newly cycled tanks. They also feed on silicates which is also present in tap water. I would some water canges and suck out as much diatoms as possible. A good phosphate remover will also remove silicates.
 
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Okay as long as it’s reversible.
I added chemi pure and a new bag of carbon. Will do a water change tomorrow. Thanks so much for the information and help! @NJH :m106:
 
'D' said:
Very cool scape man! I will be tagging along - would love to see your first additions and how it develops over time!
Good luck! :)
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Thank you friend, will be sure to post lots of pics when I start stocking!
 
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Hi everyone, got my first fish today. He’s too fast to snap a decent picture but this is the best i could get lol. LFS was low on stock and only had damsels and Tamato clowns. But they did have a pistol shrimp which is missing a pincer so I tried to argue for a discount if I took him lol, anyone advise getting a pistol shrimp for a first?:m01:

14F35AF4-DA93-41FA-9D50-CAA14B8827B3.jpeg
 
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