Saltwater Help?

Question

I just recently set up a new saltwater tank. The tank has running filter and correct salinity. How long should I let it sit before I can think about adding fish. I want a clown fish with just a few crabs and other inverts. I plan on putting bagged sand and fake coral in it. Is there anything else I need to do besides record testing for Nitrate, Nitrite, and Salinity? After 3 weeks I plan to do a 25% water change. If all is well after that is it ok to add my clown fish?

Answer 1

Hey, just answered your question about mollies a while back. If you're not using live rock in the tank and you're cycling it with a fish, you can add it once the temperature and salinity are where you want it.

If you're using live rock, you'll need to wait for the decay to finish and the ammonia and nitrite to go to 0. This can take about 3 weeks or more.

If you don't have live rock, you shouldn't have to test for ammonia, nitrite, or nitrates yet, unless you have these in your tap water. Although, I guess it couldn't hurt to check - any sand or fake corals for use in an aquarium shouldn't have anything on them, but you never know.

If after 3 weeks you don't have any of the things you're testing for (and you shouldn't, without animals), you shouldn't need to do a water change. Just keep the tank topped off with fresh water so your salinity doesn't change. You should be okay to add your molly, guppy, or clown at this point.

Also, your comment on yesyerday's question - it DOES make a difference when you add sand! If you have rocks or fake corals stacked in your tank, you want to put these in first so they're on the bottom. If you put the sand in first and put the rocks/corals on top (especially stacked in the background), the fish and crabs can burrow under them and cause the whole thing to topple into your glass - it's happened!