Tank cycle and adding fish

[talon4x4]

It looks like my 35 gallon tank is just about done cycling (5 weeks later). I have no ammonia, 10/ppm nitrates and 1/ppm nitrite, a pH of 8.2 and salinity of 1.025. Would it be too soon to put my domino and a couple chromis' in there?? The domino is pretty big about 4"

The only reason I ask is this is the first tank I've ever started on my own and I don't want to put the fish through hell if I don't have to.

[ckusnierek]

Heres the best advice I got when I started:
GO SLOW, BE PATIENT, These thing cost money and yuo dont want to throw it away.

What are your palns for the tank? Corals? Fish only? FOWLR? (fish only with live rock)I made the mistake of putting damsels in my 75 after it's cycle and with 130lbs LR I had to take all the rock out to get the damsels out. Damsels can be very aggresive fish.

Describe you set up a little more, skimmer? lighting? live rock? filter? Dont really need to know to answer your question but just courious.

Your asking about a LARGE damsel and a couple chromis. Start with one at a time wait a few days or a week and add another. There are other "hearty" fish you could put in besides damsels. If you have nitrites with no fish in there I'd say your almost done with your cycle but it's not complete. Nitrates up to 10 or 20 ( I don't like them over 10) but any trace of amonia or nitrite could be a problem . What else are you testing? you should at least be testing for:
Amonia (should be 0)
nitrite (should be 0)
nitrate (should be less than 10 IMO)
phosphate (should be 0)
PH (should be 8.2-8.4)
Alkalinity (carbonate hardness) (should be 7-10Dkh)
Calcium (should be 350-450)

These are assuming you plan a reef with fish and live rock.

[talon4x4]

I am planning a reef tank with some small fish, I have a 55 gal that is FOWLR. I wanted to put the domino in there because right now he is quaratined. He became very aggressive and started going after my tang and clown. I plan on trading him in to the fish store but figured he'd be a good fish to get the 35gal going for now.

The skimmer will be a SeaClone 100. Its currently on my 55gal but I want something better for the large tank. I've done all the mods to it and it is working quite well. I empty off the thick brown liquid every other day. I have about 40lbs of live rock waiting to go in and about 10lbs in there right now. The filter is a bio-wheel with a charcoal bag. I have a 24" 10k light on the 35 gal right now. But I wil looking into something better as it will be a reef tank. Right now I only test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and salinity (I was told that is all that is need for FOWLR). I didn't actually plan on the 35 gal being a reef tank for another 6 months or so.

So in conclusion I just want to get the domino out of quarantine, I feel bad putting him there but I don't want him to kill anything either.

Any advice anyone has would be great!!

[Twitterbait]

go ahead. have you seen any algae growth yet?

[talon4x4]

The live rock I added already had some coraline growth as well as some bright green algae (I assume its algae). It looks like coraline except its bright green. No hair or bubble algae or anything bad.

[ckusnierek]

The green on the LR could be coraline. I had some grees, blue and orange. you should have also had a diatom bloom (brown algae)

[talon4x4]

I believe I had the diatom bloom. Everything looked like it had brown dust all over it. Correct?!?

[ckusnierek]

Yep that was diatom.

[Twitterbait]

Sounds Like You Are Ready To Go!!!!!

[talon4x4]

Just an update. I decided to put the domino in the tank. He is doing great!! He loves the caves I made. They were a great hiding place while he go used to his new environment. Now he eats like crazy. You would think I never fed him. I hoping the LFS will eventually take him back. I think he is just too big for a 35gal tank.

[luvmylo]

if you still have nitrite I wouldn't add anything until this is gone