Filled and circulating...now what?

[we4wieners]

I have my tank filled with water, live rock, and my aquafuge w/ skimmer is attached.
The refugium has 2-3" of sand with rubble rock. I am getting chaeto tomorrow. I have a powerhead in there running now. Should I crank on the refug/skimmer now? Here are some pics.

 

[Curehead]

Nice set up so far.

I would set up your lights on a timer and leave it alone.
No need to set your skimmer going yet. (You'll just be using electricity).

Concentrate on your salinity for the next few days as that will
change as things settle down. (Plus this will get you used to the concept of mixing salt in small amounts and how quickly your salt brand clears before you panic about cloudy water). No need to worry about water changes unless something nasty has hitchhiked on your rock and insists on spawning before your happy bacteria is established enough to handle the die off from it.

You could add a cap of a biological culture every two days to get things speeding along.

You could start testing for Nitrates and PH weekly to get used to doing the tests.

Also start writing down your temperature readings every couple of days to see how your house and heater are working together, (There is a link at the bottom of my signature which is a free website that lets you enter your tests and keep track of your progress)

Use the energy and excitement you have got now to start reading as much as you can and drawing up dream lists of what you want in your tank and researching that they are reef safe and how you can make them happy and if indeed they are compatible. (I found a great really cheap APP for my Iphone which is a huge library of all things marine and reef)

After a couple more weeks you can start testing daily to look for your ni/trate/trite spikes to indicate that your tank is cycling.
(other things to watch out for are diatomes which are browinsh powder coating your sand..they are harmless at this stage and will go away on their own after a few days or you could start to add your cleaning crew at this point).

Things that will keep you interested now are staring at your rock for hours on end and seeing tiny critters running over the glass and rock. They are 'pods' and show that your water is heading in the right direction. Your fish will love to eat them. Also you may see worms or shrimp emerge from the rock. You can have hours of fun posting on here and asking people to help you identify what you got for free. Infact i still love watching my live rock really closely to see what's going on at a macro level.

Once your water is ready add one or two small hardy fish (chroms or clowns)
(your local fish shop guy will probably try to sell you a damsel to test your water...take these guys at your own risk as they are pretty and colourful but are territorial and a pain in the bum later on).

...slowly slowly catchy monkey....is the key.

I hope that helps. I'm only 4 months into my reef and what I put here is pretty much what people here advised as I went along. While it's still fresh in my mind I hope that it helps you enjoy it as much as I have so far.

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

great advice ^

Here a good :read: pretty rock & rockscape !
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/fish-diseases-treatments/29836-mature-aquarium.html

 

[we4wieners]

Curehead...thank you. As of know my salinity is 1.024 and the temp is 77'F. The tank is clear and the refugium is loaded with live rubble rock, sand, and chaeto.

 

[imsobored152]

if your cycling your tank you don't need the lights on either. Unless you want to look at your tank. I used a raw shrimp to start my cycle. Worked like a charm

 

[Curehead]

if your cycling your tank you don't need the lights on either. Unless you want to look at your tank. I used a raw shrimp to start my cycle. Worked like a charm

I would put the lights on to encourage the growth of anything photosynthetic that might be attached to your live rock.

 

[we4wieners]

There is so much life on my rocks...its crazy. I keep the lights on an hour or two a day. Not even gonna' bother with testin' for another week or so. Checked my ammonia the other day it was .25, pH was about 8.1...I need a high range chart. Just have my freshwater kit.

 

[InLimbo87]

I've cycled a few tanks now, here's a couple "tips":

1. Lights off - unless you want to be fighting all of the nuisance algae that will bloom during your cycle, keeping the lights off will allow the tank to cycle without an algae nightmare

2. No skimmer - it won't be doing much for you, the refugium might not be a bad idea though

3. Time - a bit on accident (I was busy), I cycled my current tank for almost 3 months. I know this is extreme, but the more patient you are the easier the transition to stocking will be. Give it at least 2-3 weeks and watch your parameters (this is the most important!)

Good luck with your new tank! I like the rockwork, looks like you're off to a nice start

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

I would put the lights on to encourage the growth of anything photosynthetic that might be attached to your live rock.

Like hair algae, diatoms and slime algae?

I agree with Imsobored. You aren't going to kill anything by leaving the lights off during the cycle, and at the same time the only thing you're going to "grow" is nuisance algae. Your tank is a cesspool during the curing process, and you're likely to get all the nasties we so despise in this hobby if you give them light during this time. I think the main reason people want the lights on during the cycle is for the coralline algae.. don't worry, if you even have a tiny bit of coralline on your rocks, it will be fine in the dark for a month or so. Having your rocks covered with nuisance algae actually inhibits coralline from spreading more than anything else. My pico is living proof of that right now, the spots where my snails have cleaned off are sprouting the bright purple stuff while the rest is a drab brown from the algae :maddown:

I would, however, run the light in your fuge in a reverse-daylight schedule (on at night, off during the day). This will help keep combat the common pH swing that occurs when the photosynthetic beings in the display don't get light and aren't producing oxygen.

You may also have to start the cycle with a shrimp or something similar. Sometimes live rock die off isn't enough.

EDIT:

I keep the lights on an hour or two a day.

This is fine. I wouldn't have them on a whole lot more than that.