Am i ready for a cleanup crew?

I started this tank Sunday morning. 45g with about 50 pound of live rock. I have read that starting with live rock helps reduce cycle time. I tested my High range ph (No clue what that is lol) Ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrite. The results are below. As far as my salinity, Iv gotten 3 readings dead center of 1.022 and 1.023. Im using a hydrometer.

Can I start introducing CUC and if so what do you recommend, I have Crushed Coral. (My biggest regret so far)

TIA

 

Is the rock cured? If it's not, it usually takes about a month before you can add any livestock. You'll see your ammonia spike, then nitrites, then nitrates and then you do a big water change.

 

Nope wait for the tank to cycle, at the very least you should give it two weeks and keep testing your water chemistry and challenge the tank by introducing some organic matter for decay. Allow the biological filter to grow, four days is really too early to consider introduction of any tank inhabitants.

Nothing good happens fast in this hobby. It's a hobby of patience initially.

More experienced hobbyist can soft cycle and use certain cycling products. Trying to rush your first will end up with dead inverts and fish covered in Marine Ich.

 

If you were to add live beneficial bacteria tomarrow. Then in about a week or so you could go about adding your clean up crew. If you don't use bacteria then I would wait 3 weeks to a month.

 

I forgot to mention that I did use quick start made by API

Does that change anything? LOL

 

Nope not really. You still can not by pass the tests for ammonia and nitrites....at this point in time you do not know if you introduced enough or the right kind of bacteria to efficiently complete the nitrogen cycle.

What would the CUC clean and eat? There is not enough algae to sustain the snails yet and you would have to feed the hermits there by adding organic matter to the tank without knowing if your biological filter can handle it.

What is the rush? The tank has bearely been set up 4 days.

Just because someone may come along and tell you it's ok to add live stock to a 4 day old tank with this being your first tank does not make it a good decision.

 

Like stated above 2-4 weeks. Throw a piece of shrimp in there to decay. And I agree on the crushed coral comment. When I first began dating my current girlfriend, she had a tank running with the stuff. After 2-3 months of trying to get her tank to reduce nutrients and nitrates in the tank, I decided to drain about 35/50 gallons, remove the crushed coral and then put in live sand. I personally recommend changing it to sand or it can be a nightmare.Although I have seen successful tanks with it.

 

+1 to all the above.

Drop a raw table shrimp into your tank and monitor the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels. After ammonia and nitrite have spiked and dropped back to zero (or if nitrate starts climbing without said spikes), then and only then will your tank be capable of sustaining life.

As for the CuC, I prefer to wait until I have visible algae. As has also already been mentioned, They need something to feed on.

Crushed coral can be used, but requires more maintenance than a sandbed. You'll need to vacuum frequently to keep it clean.

 

I just added a CUC and my Urchin is all over my hermits like white on rice!

 

congrats on the new tank! I was recently in the same position as you are as I just started up my tank about 2 months ago. Just give it some time. The waiting is really hard. Use that time to do research and figure out what exactly you want to do with the tank. There is tons of information to absorb.

Also if you are already having second thoughts about the crushed coral then why not remove it and put in sand or go bare bottom?

I used one of those fast cycle products. Mine took about 3 and a half weeks to complete.