corals and inverts

[stevej]

hey i want to get some corals and some shrimp in and i dont know how long i should wait. i hve about 30 lbs of live rock in their now and im still going to be putting more in to finish my reef. can i put one or two soft corals in now on that rock or should i wait until i am done putting rock in. also i have three fish in now, a yellow tang, a one spot foxface and a clarkii clownfish, can i put a shrimp in there? thanks

 

[Lotus]

Once you have any form of life (fish, corals, shrimp) you should not put in any rock that you haven't cured yourself. Adding new rock will cause an ammonia spike, killing fish, shrimp and corals.

If you want to add more rock, buy it and cycle it in a bucket with a powerhead and heater.

 

[stevej]

ok well wat kind of water? and do i hve to change the water every now and then?

 

[Fishmonger70]

You would cycle it just like you would your main display tank, only in a separate tank or bucket. Once your cycle is over, you can slowy add it to your main tank. Also I hope you have a plan down the road to upgrade your display tank. You have got quite a bit in it right now. That Tang is going to get stressed in that small of a tank. I wouldn't add any more rock if I were you. He needs his swimming space.

 

[Lorna]

all three of those fish are quite large and need space, the clarkii maybe not as much but as the other two definitely will the stressors on these in a limited space will no doubt lead to aggressive behaviour by all three......with the foxface no doubt taking the brunt of it. This sounds like an ich tank waiting to happen.....

 

[Lorna]

also, what happened to the blue hippo tang?