When to add fish

[smalltownuser]

I have been doing quite a bit of research for my first saltwater aquarium, (and I am very excited to get started) and nearly every resource I found said that you want to wait from when you put in water, to when you add your first fish, to let the water "cycle" and become more normal I guess, before adding fish, which makes sense. I just finished watching the 5 minute playlist from BRStv and they seem to be the most knowledgeable of any other source I've seen so far, and they were saying to add clown fish right away to help eat algae and help stabilize the water? I wanted to see what a consensus would be. I would love to put clowns in there right away so I actually have something to look at, instead of just an empty tank for a few weeks, but I want to make sure its safe first.

They also said that you want to put tangs in after the clowns, but wait for about 4 months before turning the lights on, to allow the tangs to eat up as much of the algae as possible before the lights start to make it grow worse. Obviously I cant do anything about daylight, but do I need to watch where I place my tank? My living room has way more light in it than other rooms, but I also want it to be in the living room so its nice and visible, but Im not sure if the daylight would cause issues as well.

P.S. thank you in advance for any suggestions and I cant wait to get started.

 

[Spare time]

How big is the tank? You can put a fish or two in first if its big enough and you use an oversized bottle of cycling bacteria. However, its a good idea to look into quarantining first or buying fish that have already been quarantined.

 

[smalltownuser]

How big is the tank? You can put a fish or two in first if its big enough and you use an oversized bottle of cycling bacteria. However, its a good idea to look into quarantining first or buying fish that have already been quarantined.

Well the tank on the video I saw where they said to add clown fish right away was a 40 gallon, but since I am just starting, I have a 20 gallon tank.
I have no idea what quarantining refers to in terms of cycling the tank

 

[AydenLincoln]

Well the tank on the video I saw where they said to add clown fish right away was a 40 gallon, but since I am just starting, I have a 20 gallon tank.
I have no idea what quarantining refers to in terms of cycling the tank

Quarantining means to have a separate observation/treatment tank so you don’t introduce disease in and you medicate that tank not the display. Quarantining is not absolutely necessary but is highly recommended. And yes you can do a fish-in cycle and manage ammonia. Especially if you use live rock or established media. People are going to have different opinions about it though. I’d also get a bottle of bacteria and Seachem ammonia alert badge as well two essentials/helpful when doing a fish-in cycle. Look at the article section in this forum as well. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/

 

[smalltownuser]

Quarantining means to have a separate observation/treatment tank so you don’t introduce disease in and you medicate that tank not the display. Quarantining is not absolutely necessary but is highly recommended. And yes you can do a fish-in cycle and manage ammonia. Especially if you use live rock or established media. People are going to have different opinions about it though. I’d also get a bottle of bacteria and Seachem ammonia alert badge as well two essentials/helpful when doing a fish-in cycle. Look at the article section in this forum as well. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/

Lol I really appreciate your help however I have no idea what you are talking about (I have never done saltwater tanks before). I was mainly looking to see if I can get a fish right away but with all those extra steps I think I'll just skip it because I have no idea what you mean. I can start the tank cycle while I continue to do research and learn, before I put any fish in it.

 

[fishyjoes]

The reason you add water and then wait is for bacteria to populate.

Fish (and other things) produce ammonia which is toxic and will kill them rather quickly unless something removes it. That's what the bacteria is for.
If you just do nothing but let water move around in the tank the bacteria will eventually colonize enough to handle the ammonia produced by a small fish.
Using bottled bacteria (like fritz turbo start) or by adding wet live rock from somewhere (ordered on line, or purchased at LFS) will just give you a bunch of those bacteria right away (saving you all the wait time).

 

[Lavey29]

Lol I really appreciate your help however I have no idea what you are talking about (I have never done saltwater tanks before). I was mainly looking to see if I can get a fish right away but with all those extra steps I think I'll just skip it because I have no idea what you mean. I can start the tank cycle while I continue to do research and learn, before I put any fish in it.

Yes you can cycle your tank easily without fish. It is the safe and humane way to start a tank.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Lol I really appreciate your help however I have no idea what you are talking about (I have never done saltwater tanks before). I was mainly looking to see if I can get a fish right away but with all those extra steps I think I'll just skip it because I have no idea what you mean. I can start the tank cycle while I continue to do research and learn, before I put any fish in it.

Yes you can. I was answering the question of what quarantine is and why it’s done. Make sure to monitor ammonia and if you see it rise do water changes. Ammonia can kill fish if the cycle is not done properly. You want to get a saltwater test kit not API. Red Sea, Hanna Checkers, and Salifert are good ones. And test constantly during the first few months/cycle. During a cycle. You first get ammonia, then nitrites, then nitrates. Once you nitrates that means the cycle is done! The cycle can take anywhere from a few days/weeks to over a month depending on how it’s done.

 

[Tired]

The "cycle" people refer to in aquariums is the nitrogen cycle, where bacteria that live on your rocks will turn toxic ammonia (from fish waste) into less toxic nitrites and nitrates. It's not about water. If it was about the water, water changes would be dangerous. "Cycling" a tank refers to establishing those beneficial bacteria, which you can do by waiting and providing ammonia to feed the bacteria, or by adding bottled bacteria that will colonize the rocks.

You can add fish after you've confirmed that the cycle is established, by dosing ammonia and monitoring its level with a test kit (not API brand, they're inaccurate for ammonia). If your tank can turn 1ppm ammonia into undetectable ammonia in 24 hours or less, it's cycled. Alternately, you can add bottled bacteria, then wait until you see algae growth. The second one generally means waiting longer than you need to, as the algae is a slow way to confirm that stuff is growing on your rocks, but it does work.

A tang needs a very large tank. You cannot put one in a 20-gallon tank, not without it becoming stressed and aggressive. A 20 gallon is a nano tank, so you need nano fish, like clownfish and shrimpgobies.

 

[AydenLincoln]

The "cycle" people refer to in aquariums is the nitrogen cycle, where bacteria that live on your rocks will turn toxic ammonia (from fish waste) into less toxic nitrites and nitrates. It's not about water. If it was about the water, water changes would be dangerous.

A tang needs a very large tank. You cannot put one in a 20-gallon tank, not without it becoming stressed and aggressive. A 20 gallon is a nano tank, so you need nano fish, like clownfish and shrimpgobies.

And other good species for a 20-gallon include damsels, dottybacks, some smaller species of wrasse, cleaner shrimp, hermit crabs, and snails. You want to avoid any active swimmers and big fish so that rules out any tangs, anthias, eels, all puffers if you want a reef-tank, and most angelfish. These fish will all get too big for a 20-gallon or don’t belong in a reef-tank.

 

[smalltownuser]

The reason you add water and then wait is for bacteria to populate.

Fish (and other things) produce ammonia which is toxic and will kill them rather quickly unless something removes it. That's what the bacteria is for.
If you just do nothing but let water move around in the tank the bacteria will eventually colonize enough to handle the ammonia produced by a small fish.
Using bottled bacteria (like fritz turbo start) or by adding wet live rock from somewhere (ordered on line, or purchased at LFS) will just give you a bunch of those bacteria right away (saving you all the wait time).

Ok I understand that. Yes, I was planning on all of that. I already have an order in with a local aquarium vendor. I will be getting live sand, live rock, water heater, a power head, Dr Tims bacteria, heterotrophic bacteria, and a glass cleaner from him. I know I need to add the bacteria to the tank for something to do with amonia, and nitrates. This will be a long learning process for me which is why Im starting small and cheap. This store is dominantly a coral vendor so he didnt have a lot of the things I need, but I will also be getting a filter (I am currently trying to find the best option for me right now), a light refractor to check the waters salinity, calcium and alkalinity test kits, a syphon to change water, and carbon for filtering.

As of now I believe my game plan is clean and sanitize my tank I bought used, add gravel to the bottom and then live sand and live rock, and hook up the flow head and filter and add the bacteria to get it started. I supposed if I can add clown fish right away, then I can definitely add them later, so for now I will just get the water started while I figure out the best ways to continue the journey and add more fish and coral.

 

[Spare time]

Well the tank on the video I saw where they said to add clown fish right away was a 40 gallon, but since I am just starting, I have a 20 gallon tank.
I have no idea what quarantining refers to in terms of cycling the tank

Basically you can either add the bottle and add some ammonia to make sure the bottle was all good or you can add the fish. If you add the fish, I personally would buy an oversized bottle (so for a 20 gallon tank, get something rated for at least twice the size just to be cautious).

For quarantining, check out Jay Hemdal's guide on here. There are lots of vendors that sell fish that have been treated to make sure they don't come with deadly diseases and nasty parasites that can wipe out a tank. I usually assume fish that come from a store untreated (and this includes a store where they run copper in the water) will have some internal parasite and/or flukes and a decent degree of rish of marine ich, brook, and velvet

 

[smalltownuser]

Basically you can either add the bottle and add some ammonia to make sure the bottle was all good or you can add the fish. If you add the fish, I personally would buy an oversized bottle (so for a 20 gallon tank, get something rated for at least twice the size just to be cautious).

For quarantining, check out Jay Hemdal's guide on here. There are lots of vendors that sell fish that have been treated to make sure they don't come with deadly diseases and nasty parasites that can wipe out a tank. I usually assume fish that come from a store untreated (and this includes a store where they run copper in the water) will have some internal parasite and/or flukes and a decent degree of rish of marine ich, brook, and velvet

So what do you do assuming you buy an untreated fish? How do you "treat" it?

 

[Spare time]

So what do you do assuming you buy an untreated fish? How do you "treat" it?

Current Quarantine Protocol

2022 Quarantine Procedures Jay Hemdal David Scarborough Protozoans (Cryptocaryon/ich, Amyloodinium/velvet) and Metazoan trematodes/flukes are by far the most common parasites found on newly acquired fish. A carefully managed quarantine process can effectively eliminate these parasites before...

www.reef2reef.com