Fluval 13.5 BTA Questions

hbubley · Apr 14, 2023

Hey all!

So I think I want to try my hand at a BTA... I've wanted to for awhile but was terrified of nuking my DT if I messed up. The solution: I have a 13.5g Fluval Evo that I can use as an anemone specific tank, maybe add some coral when it settles in.

My biggest question is: If the 13.5 was seeded with some rock from my 75g DT (running for like 7 months now), should I still wait 6 months to add a BTA to this tank? I started it March 26th.
I would love to pick one up this saturday, planning a trip to Austin Aqua Farms to pick one up, but will wait if you guys think it's too soon to add.

mjw011689 · Apr 14, 2023

You likely will not see any cycle in that tank since the rock was already cycled in your other tank. Check for ammonia and nitrite, my guess is they’re already zeros. As long as the water quality is good, you’re fine to add the anemone.

How much rock did you use from your other tank? And are you planning to have fish in the new tank? Or just anemones

hbubley · Apr 14, 2023

mjw011689 said:
You likely will not see any cycle in that tank since the rock was already cycled in your other tank. Check for ammonia and nitrite, my guess is they’re already zeros. As long as the water quality is good, you’re fine to add the anemone.

How much rock did you use from your other tank? And are you planning to have fish in the new tank? Or just anemones

Thank you kindly for the response!
I used 3 small rocks, I'll post a picture in a second. It did cycle fast, I had my white tail tang in there for observation when he first arrived. So it had a fish in there for a bit. Fish is now in DT and doing great!
I plan on adding a pair of clowns and maybe some firefish. Any recommendations?

hbubley · Apr 14, 2023

Okay tank pics.

This is the whole tank. I have a hygger flow fan coming today to add on. And another box of rocks to add in. So it'll be ready and fully aquascaped by tonight for the BTA tomorrow.

These are the rocks added from my tank: