12g NC starter advice?

[XeniaGirl]

Good evening everyone,
I'm new to this forum but not necessarily new to reef tanks... my parents have a 12g Nano and a 135-gallon saltwater tank and I have always had an interest.
I'm starting up my new Christmas present tonight - the 12g NC. I have live sand, a few donated pieces of live rock (thanks Mom!), some holy rock that's been boiled, and all the necessary "stuff." My mom made me some RO saltwater to start with too.
My question is - how long should I let the tank sit with the filter on before I try to add something basic, like a blenny or some red-foot crabs? I definitely don't want to rush into this and kill everything.
Also - what would be some suggestions for good "guinea pig" additions to the tank? (basically sacrificed to get the bacteria going) - I was thinking either a few damsels, or a blenny or goby or something. Ideas?
Thanks in advance!

[dobejazz]

Welcome to TRT XeniaGirl ! you won't need any "guinea pigs" to start the cycle the live rock and sand will provide what you need to get started. I would let the tank run for at least 4 weeks but depending on how cured the live rock from Mom is you may not see much of an ammonia cycle.

[tsoperator]

It seems to be the consensus also that you ditch any filter pads and ceramic rings if it came with them. Maybe run some Chemipure in one of the chambers (carbon). I'd hold off on the fish also. Good chance it will die (unnecessarily) and if you get a Damsel that survives, there's a good chance he'll be a total jerk and harass anything else that you add later.
My 12g is about 10 months old right now and doing pretty well(due to the advice I've received here ).
Kelli ^ gave a lot of good advice when I started, so I'm just passing on some of what I learned here.