New Tank Startup Advice

[valawala]

I have started a new 120 gallon saltwater tank (sp. gr 1.023, temp 78F) and would like to make it a mainly fish tank but with
some corals. I have 1" plenum with two uplift tubes, 2-3" of aragonite on top of the plenum and about 1/4" of crushed coral
on top of that.

My rock consists of some aragocrete and tufa. I don't plan on getting any live rock since i want to preserve the look I have
now. My question is since I have no bacteria cultures to start
out with, what do I add to the tank to get it going? I was
planning on ordering the mix/match special at IPSF but since I
have no algae in the tank, will the critters have anything to eat?

Thanks for reading!

[FishDaddy]

Hello valawala,

Good to have you with us!
If there is nothing organic in the tank, you will need to introduce something to get the Nitrogen Cycle started. I would recommend a couple pieces of fresh, raw shrimp from the supermarket. You will need test kits for Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate, to monitor the cycle and determine when it's safe to put any animals in. Any inverts you add would most probably be killed by the Ammonia.

What fish are you planning to keep? That would determine what kind of inverts/clean up critters you could get.

If you don't have it already, I would highly recommend getting and reading Robert Fenner's The Conscientious Marine Aquarist before adding any livestock. Scott Michael's Marine Fishes will give you good detailed care requirements and invert suitablity for fish.
Good luck with your new tank.
Dick

[valawala]

Thanks FishDaddy for reading! I was planning on having two percula clownfish, one yellow tang, an orchid dottyback and
maybe two blue damsels. On the invertebrate side, I would like
to have some soft corals (sarcophytons mainly). I already have the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate test kits and wasn't planning on using them until, like you said, introduce something organic into the tank. Could I get a small amount of coralline encrusted liverock (Gulfview.com comes to mind) to bypass the 6-week cycle time and start out with a couple clownfish? I was either planning on getting liverock from gulf-view or some of the GARF Grunge to start out my tank if I didn't order from IPSF. What are your suggestions?

[RWD]

Hello,
What do you mean by a plenum AND two uplift tubes? Do you mean a undergravel filter? A plenum type system should not have any uplift tubes to circulate the water under the plenum.

[valawala]

Thanks for reading RWD. I currently have a 1" plenum with two 3/4" uplift tubes in the back of the aquarium. I designed this from
instructions over at GARF in which they used the two uplift tubes
during the initial stages of tank cycling in order to saturate the bare aragonite sand with critters and bacteria. After two weeks
the 3/4" PVC tubes would be capped.

[RWD]

I see I'm not familiar with that method so that's why I asked. Good luck and welcome!

[FishDaddy]

Valawala,

Could I get a small amount of coralline encrusted liverock (Gulfview.com comes to mind) to bypass the 6-week cycle time and start out with a couple clownfish?

There isn't really any way to bypass a cycle. Your tank does need to establish sufficient denitrifying bacteria in order to be safe for fish or inverts. IMHO, the cycle with dead shrimp shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks. A piece or two of Live Rock wouldn't do any better though LR is a good thing.

I am concerned that a new plenum with no other filtration would be insufficient to support even a light bioload. It will take quite some time for the bacteria colonies in the plenum to multiply in sufficient numbers to handle the fish food and waste. Are you going to use a skimmer or any other supplemental filtration? I would wait a good while to add any fish and then, very slowly and incrementally.

I would also recommend reconsidering the Damsels as tankmates. They are highly territorial and usually harass the other fish in the tank, sometimes to the point of death of the other fish.

Here are some good FAQ's and sites that will give you some more good info:
http://faq.thekrib.com/sbegin.html
http://saltyzoo.com:8081/
Dick

[valawala]

FishDaddy, would the dead shrimp have "starter" bacteria colonies that would initiate the cycle or do they come from something else? Can I just go to the supermarket and pick up some fresh shrimp, cut them up and toss them in the tank to start the cycle off? If so, how much shrimp for a 120 gallon set-up?

Regarding the filtration, I was planning on getting a Seaclone hang-on skimmer but an unsure when to start using it.

Lastly, you mentioned that the damsels are territorial. Does this
apply to the clownfish as well?

Thanks again for your advice!

[FishDaddy]

Valawala,
A couple of nice sized fresh shrimp should begin the cycle. Just peel 'em and toss them in...no need to cut them up.
Nitrosomas and Nitrobacter bacteria that are the key players in the Nitrogen Cycle are present almost everywhere.....they will feed on the Ammonia, convert it to Nitrite, then to Nitrate. Of course, the initial populations of these beneficial bacteria will be small and it can help to jump start the colonies by using a small amount of sand from an established tank or some live rock. The commercial "starters" may or may not help. Most don't have sufficient numbers of the live bacteria cultures needed to effectively do the job.

The Seaclone skimmer is not well thought of, even for small aquariums. For a 120, you need the best hang-on you can get; either a Remora Pro; Red Sea Berlin; or Precision Marine HOT-1.
There is just no way to go inexpensive with a skimmer for this size tank.

Most plenum systems incorporate live rock, both as additional biofilter and as structure for corals and habitat for fish and inverts. I'm not exactly sure how the plenum supports the rock as I've never setup a plenum system, but I would surmise that supporting pvc rings may be located underneath to support the weight.

If you choose not to use live rock in sufficient quantities to support a bioload, I would think that a cannister filter or hang on Power filter of sufficient size for your tank would be almost necessary until the plenum is fully established.

Maybe some members who use plenums will chime in and help out here.fd

Clownfish are related to Damsels but territoriality and agression depends on the species. Percula and Ocellaris are generally very peaceful toward other fish. Maroon Clowns can be very territorial and are often the tank boss.

Dick

[valawala]

I guess I'll go ahead and get about 30 pounds of live rock. I currently have about 40 pounds of aragocrete and tufa that I want to eventually become live rock. Is 30 pounds enough to
support a couple of clowns until the remaining rock becomes "live?"

Out of the three skimmers you recommended, which do you recommend?

Lastly, when do you remove the shrimp once they have been
added to the tank?

Thanks again

[FishDaddy]

Valawala,
No set time on the shrimp but you can probably pull the shrimp once you see Nitrite levels; that tells you the bacteria is working on the Ammonia and multiplying.

30 lbs of live rock may not be enough but you can give it a try. Adding this much rock, even "fully cured", may also trigger another Ammonia spike as there is almost always some die off of organic matter on the rock.

I would seriously recommend adding any fish until you get the system stabilized, anywhere 6 to 8 weeks at least. During this time the bacteria should colonize enough to support a couple of small Perculas. Continue to monitor your Ammonia, Nitrites, and Nitrates after adding the Clowns to make sure your biofilter will handle it. You will also experience some algae blooms during this time and it's easier to cope with the algae without adding the extra nutrients of fish food and waste.

As to the three skimmers; I haven't personally used them. I do use a standard Remora on my 55 and like it. All the ones I mentioned have gotten good reports from other reefers.
You might call Jason or Melissa at Premium Aquatics and discuss it with them. They're good folks and won't try to sell you something that you don't need.
http://premiumaquatics.com/
Their site has specs on all these skimmers.
HTH,
Dick

[valawala]

Thanks for all your help FishDaddy!

[FishDaddy]

Your'e quite welcome! Ask away!
Dick