Cycling my tank... need guide suggestion and input for right direction

Pasfur

I am glad you asked this, because I was not clear. You can not keep both the C. loricula and C. argi in a 26 gallon tank. They would not get along together. You can pick one of these two, and then add 1 or 2 more small fish.

If you choose a Yellow Tail Damsel (no other Damsels) or a Pseudochromis, then you will probably be best sticking to just 2 total fish.

If you skip these, and go for smaller peaceful fish, such as Basslets, Blennies, Gobies, and Jawfish, then you can probably have 3 total fish.

I think your best overall choice would be to start with a small Blenny, then add a Royal Gramma. Then allow the tank to mature for about 3 to 4 months, then add a Flame Angel.

By the way, hermit crabs do not eat aptasia. I would suggest you add 3 Peppermint Shrimp, which do eat aptasia. Do so as soon as your ammonia and nitrites are zero. You want to add 3 because not all Peppermint Shrimp eat aptasia, and adding 3 increases your chance that the correct species was purchased. You can not tell the different species of Peppermint apart visibly. The distinguishing marks are almost identical. These Peppermint Shrimp will be compatible with the other livestock.

jaysix79

i might go this route seem like a pretty good combination of fishes... but i think i should wait a little bit more plus 'mi low on cash to be buying more live animals..

by the way the crab seem to eating all the moving Aiptasias.. i had a several growing in my tank and now they are gone..my new problem now, is all my rocks are all knocked out of the arrangement.. seems to me that, i need to buy bigger rocks to solve this problem b4 i buy some fish....

its nice to finally see things moving around the tank. now i can actually see life in it.. the hermit crab seem pretty happy he walk around the tank.. leveled my sand by walking, he puts sand in his mouth and walk around... and when i try putting fish food. he comes aggressively and feed.. he/she seem happy i hope... and the turbo snail are just snail lol. they move too but not fun to watch. they are not in the same position every time i check i don't know if that's good or not.

okay i have another question.......

now that my tank has things moving around my sand are being flip up and causing things to flow in the water also so....

my new questions are... i know live rocks and live sands are the main filter for saltwater tank.. and i know its a bad i idea to put bioballs in the sump cause it increase nitrite in the water. would it be okay to put batting material in the water inlet to the sump to act as a filter media?.

also my skimmer is been up and running for over 24 hrs now and at first it seem not to work, i know it need to be broken in like what i've read around the forum. doesnt do anything but bubbles no foam. but when i feed the hermit crab its started foaming and now it stop is that normal is that mean my tank is kinda clean still now to form foam? or is that mean keep adjusting my skimmer. or its just normal for newly cycle tank not to foam up that much?

once agian thanks for the help and advices you gave me. and im sorry to having new question as my tank progress....

jon

Pasfur

Jon,

You do not want to use an filter pads. This results in increased organic breakdown, no different than using biomedia. The suspended particles in your water will not be an ongoing problem. Give it time

The skimmer sounds like it is working normally.

jaysix79

thanks Pasfur... your soo much help I've learn a lot from you... ill update what happen next to my tank.. I'll be in the waiting period agian...

jaysix79

hi pasfur... i have a new question for you... lets say everything goes well.. tank is established and i got the right water parameter....

in the future do i still need to test for pH,ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and alkalinity all the time ?

i been testing my water and i been getting the same reading all the time... i feel like im wasting my test kit...

in my head what i think i should be monitoring if the tank is fully mature would be... the pH and nitrate reading. pH because of water change and nitrate to know when to water change. and i would say test this weekly?

jaysix79

another question i have is.. if my sump box has live rocks in it do i need light in there too?

jaysix79

im seeing a lot of these on my sand bed copepods and amphipods. thanks pasfur for your guide looks like mission accomplished =)

jaysix79

my hermit crab died... and i checked the water parameters its

2-2-2010
• pH 8.2
• ammonia 0 PPM
• nitrite .25 ppm
• nitrate 0 ppm
• temp 79
• SG 1.024