Starting a 12g with AQuaforest

[mishka]

Hi everyone,
I’ve recently decided to try the hobby again after sucking at it before, and decided keep it straightforward and to go the route of using AQuaforest products exclusively in my IM 12g

To start I added AF rock, AF biolfil, AF lifesource mud and of course AF reef salt.
I couldn’t get my hands on AF biosand so I used caribsea livesand.

That’s where I’m at right now.
I’m a bit confused about what my next step is,
I’ve read that I should be feeding all the bacteria some food and honestly don’t know what that means so I just put a tiny chunk of shrimp in the tank.
I’m not running any carbon right now or gfo, should I be? All I have is a micron sock.
I’m about 3 days in and terrified I’m gonna fail.

 

[Aquaforest]

Hello,
For start you should dose Bio S - nitrifying bacteria for start-up: https://aquaforest.eu/en/product/bio-s/
Here you can read more (pages 4-7): https://aquaforest.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/AF_Products-Guide_EN_WEB_241120.pdf

 

[LordofCinder]

I just feed a tiny bit of flake food daily when cycling. I dont think you need to run any carbon now, just let your tank stew and marinate for a while, feed a tiny bit daily, and test every few days to keep track of the cycle. Good luck

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Hi everyone,
I’ve recently decided to try the hobby again after sucking at it before, and decided keep it straightforward and to go the route of using AQuaforest products exclusively in my IM 12g

To start I added AF rock, AF biolfil, AF lifesource mud and of course AF reef salt.
I couldn’t get my hands on AF biosand so I used caribsea livesand.

That’s where I’m at right now.
I’m a bit confused about what my next step is,
I’ve read that I should be feeding all the bacteria some food and honestly don’t know what that means so I just put a tiny chunk of shrimp in the tank.
I’m not running any carbon right now or gfo, should I be? All I have is a micron sock.
I’m about 3 days in and terrified I’m gonna fail.

Don't be terrified, be excited!..Any live sand is fine btw....To be completely honest, I'm a big fan of Aquaforest products and use many of them but if I were you I'd get a different brand sand because their sand isn't actually "live" when you get it in the bag...it's dry sand that they sell with 3 bottles of regular nitrifying bacteria that you have to mix with salt water, add it to the dry sand in the bag, and then wait at least 24 hours...it's much better to start with real live sand from the ocean that has way more bacterial diversity! The nitrifying bacteria they recommended you buy is also overpriced compared to a reputable brand like Brightwell's. Again, I love AF products but don't let your goal of having a "pure" brand tank outweigh the health of the tank itself or your wallet.
P.S. down the road if you're considering a probiotic product, look around first to find the best one because it really can make a difference which you choose...AF has very poor customer service (I was just dealing with them) which seems to be a recurring theme not just a one time thing as I've seen several users get frustrated with their lack of transparency or willingness to answer simple questions.