ready yet?

[IronReef]

Hi all,
Well it has been 2 weeks now since I introduced 3 good sizes of live rock to my 12 gal. cube and aprox. 4 weeks since I had water in it.
I have been keeping a close "i" on things like the ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels as well as pH, and S.G.
I know it wouldn't be fare if I said it was safe to add a fish or two to my tank yet (...or would it be?) when I am relying on the ammonia levels to read 0 before I do add any fish.
There are a few critters in the tank that were introduced when I put my live rock in. Such are; 2 blue legged hermits, a feather duster and some sorta snail or slug looking thing (...which has tripled in size since he was introduced)
All of these critters seem like they are doing well but to proove that things are in the "green" I would like to add a few fish.
Could anyone be specific as to what I could add at this time?
Thanks for the suggestion!
I.Reef

[aquawolf]

What is your nitrite test reading coming back as? Has it hit zero yet? Did you see an actual ammonia spike during the past 2 weeks that the rock has been in the tank?

[jadefox]

Originally Posted by IronReef

Hi all,
Well it has been 2 weeks now since I introduced 3 good sizes of live rock to my 12 gal. cube and aprox. 4 weeks since I had water in it.
I have been keeping a close "i" on things like the ammonia, nitrate and nitrite levels as well as pH, and S.G.
I know it wouldn't be fare if I said it was safe to add a fish or two to my tank yet (...or would it be?) when I am relying on the ammonia levels to read 0 before I do add any fish.
There are a few critters in the tank that were introduced when I put my live rock in. Such are; 2 blue legged hermits, a feather duster and some sorta snail or slug looking thing (...which has tripled in size since he was introduced)
All of these critters seem like they are doing well but to proove that things are in the "green" I would like to add a few fish.
Could anyone be specific as to what I could add at this time?
Thanks for the suggestion!
I.Reef

Like Aquawolf suggested, you need to make sure your tank has cycled before adding any fish. What exactly are all your parameters? Did you see a spike? How many pounds of live rock did you ad?

If I were you, I would not go straight for fish, rather I'd start with a clean-up crew built around Asterea, Trochus, Cerith, and Nerite snails. You may find the following article useful:

Best Snails for the Saltwater Tank - Four Snails Species for the Marine Aquarium Clean-Up Crew

Keep us posted.

[IronReef]

Originally Posted by jadefox

Like Aquawolf suggested, you need to make sure your tank has cycled before adding any fish. What exactly are all your parameters? Did you see a spike? How many pounds of live rock did you ad?

If I were you, I would not go straight for fish, rather I'd start with a clean-up crew built around Asterea, Trochus, Cerith, and Nerite snails. You may find the following article useful:

Best Snails for the Saltwater Tank - Four Snails Species for the Marine Aquarium Clean-Up Crew

Keep us posted.

Thanks a bunch for your assistance.. Ther has not been a spike in my ammonia (as of yet!) and I believe I have aprox 10 Ibs +/- of live rock.
What came with that (hitch hikers) was 2 blue legged hermits and 2 (either) snails or some sorta slug.
I am not in any kind of rush to get fish actually, I just thought perhaps it would be safe now that my ammonia is at 0. I will get the water tested for nitrates and nitrites tomorrow.
thx again!
I.Reef

[jadefox]

Originally Posted by IronReef

Thanks a bunch for your assistance.. Ther has not been a spike in my ammonia (as of yet!) and I believe I have aprox 10 Ibs +/- of live rock.
What came with that (hitch hikers) was 2 blue legged hermits and 2 (either) snails or some sorta slug.
I am not in any kind of rush to get fish actually, I just thought perhaps it would be safe now that my ammonia is at 0. I will get the water tested for nitrates and nitrites tomorrow.
thx again!
I.Reef

Keep us posted. What condition was the live rock in when you got it? Was it so-called cured live rock? What kind of live rock is it? If it's very good (read very porous) live rock, then you might be okay with 10 pounds, although it would be best to try to bump it up to at least 1 ound per gallon IMO. I'm not suggesting the 1lbs/gallon guideline should be taken as a hard and fast rule, but if you're looking to add several fish to the tank, you'll want to insure you have sufficient biological filtration. If you have not seen a spike (and you've been testing) you may want to try to force a spike (e.g. shrimp in a nylon or some such trick). Don't cycle with fish (even damsels). Once you have seen the spike, I'd add some snails to take care of the algae bloom that will most likely occur. Let us know the results of the tests. Good luck--we're rooting for you!