Water change.......

D

dolphins8426

Reefing newb
4 weeks of cycling just did my first big water change... I have a 55gallon tank and i just changed out 25 gallons of water with my r/o water and instant ocean salt.. How long do I have to let it run before I can go get some fish for it. I did the water change about an hour ago would it be save to give it 3-4 more hours and then go get fish today or do you I have to wait days before adding 1st clowns and some clean up crew....?
 
Yeah you should be fine if your cycle is over. Start out with one fish just to be safe, and if your wanting a pair of clowns get them a little later after the stabelizes itself from the one fish and add them at the same time. I would advise against buying one clown now and another later as there is a very good chance they will fight.
 
Yea I want to get 2 clowns today and possibly some clen up crews to get to work on my tank... Would that be fine. Or do I have to wait. I am deff going to get a pair of clowns and add them at the same time so they can go up and be friends. Ha
 
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I would wait on the two fish and add one fish of another choice and a few cleaners just to make sure your tank can handle the added bioload and then if all is good in two to three weeks get the two clowns. Thats just my 0.2 cents though. Better safe than sorry.
 
I know it's hard playing the waiting game, but you'll be happier and so will your tank in the long run. Also since you just did a very larger WC you dont want to add alot of bioload because you may have removed some of the bacteria. So just take it slow and look around for a hardy small fish that you like for now. Good luck and send some pics on the new stuff. You may be fine adding two clowns but it's a bigger chance adding two fish over one till your tank matures more.
 
Clowns are pretty hardy I hear and are a kind of damsels so I think I should be good. I had some stupid blue fin damsles in my tank for a fews weeks to help cycle and outa 5 only 1 dided i think he was sick.... I am gonna go for it... I clows are baby ones they so freakin small.... I think a small one would be able to handle it better than a bigger one would you think? How many clean up crew would i be able to add at once
 
As long as your water tests ok. I woudd just get a small fish and the cleaners . Here's a few fish I think would make good adds to a tank your size. Coral beauty . Fire fish goby . Bar goby good luck. Post pics
 
No offense but that is big negative. They need pods to eat and alot. The also need alot of rock in the tank for the pods to thrive and an older tank that is established with tons of pods. Id say wait 6 months or more and then if you have tons of pods try.
 
Two small clowns now will be okay,IMO.I think its okay for some cleaners too.Let your algae be your guide on what kinds to get.Maybe 5-10 Astreas for diatoms,one Mexican turbo if you have hair algae and 5-10 small nassarius or 2-3 of the larger Tongan Nassarius to clean the bed of leftovers.

Definitely wait at least 8 months or so on a Mandarin.They need lots of live rock to forage for copepods.There's a slim chance on finding one that is accepting mysis but its doubtful.

I do like to mention this,decide on your fish list.Start off with the passive choices first before adding more aggressive fish.I originally added two clowns as my first choice.Every fish I added afterwards were beat up badly.
 
Doh... Thanks for the info... Patience is the name of the game. I should know better than to jump the gun... Ill take to the guy at my aquarium store and see what they suggest...
 
thanks... I have another question..? Do pods shed their shells... I looks like I have some floating pod shells of some sort that look competly empy floating around in my tank. I just did a 25 gallon water change, hopefully i didnt kill em... Ahhhhh
 
Some typed of pod do molt.

You did mix the water and salt to the right salinity before you did the water change? Right?

Or did you mix it in the tank?
 
I would slow down on adding too much too fast. try a small cleaning crew to start. Maybe 5 snails and one fish. wait to see if it hangs on for a few weeks and then start adding more. I am a fan of planning your tank before you start adding fish. There are so many out there worth owning, but some are not good combinations. do the research for the kind of tank you want and the livestock you can and want to keep. That way, you will not be disapppointed or run into issues of incompatibility.

-Doc
 
No I deff mixed it before I added it.... Man o man thats saltwater 101 come on dude. I turned my lights on this morning and lil critters we crawling all over my rock... Woo Who... I didnt get any fish yet. But I am deff going to add 2 clowns and a clean up crew.
 
I agree. I added half my clean up crew 6 days before getting fish. I dropped in a tiny amount of food every three days for the crew. Then I got fish

-Doc
 
I don't think it matters if he gets the cleaner crew or the fish first, or at the same time.

I say, if you want a pair of clowns, go for it. I think they'd be fine to add right now, as well as the cleaner crew.
 

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