My 1st Build (65 Gallon)

60 days in and the tank is fully cycled. I have a small CUC and have added a few corals that my LFS has given me for free!!!!! Now it is time for the nitty gritty. What fish to add.
Is it too early to throw in a bubble tip to go with a pair of clowns?
I also would like to throw in a goby with a ship mate.
Any advice on what fish to start with would be appreciated. Let me know your thoughts. ;D

 

Have you been ghost feeding the tank? How did you cycle it?

 

I used a couple pieces of live rock and used Seachem Stability for the first 7 days to jump start it. It has probably been totally cycled for a while now but I just wanted to be extra sure before I jumped into the next step. It is booming with life (copepods and amphipods) plus has tons of other helpful hitchhikers that came with the live rock and chaeto I bought from my LFS.

 

This is my opinion based on your picture and what you've told me, but I doubt you have went through a cycle. Those rocks look spotless. Live rock will not initiate a cycle, and Seachem Stability is supposed to add the bacteria to your tank, but I highly doubt it did much of anything. The live rock had established bacteria in it when you put it in the tank, and that has kept up with what little waste you have in there most likely. If you didnt start it by throwing fish food, or some pieces of shrimp in there, then you haven't had enough waste in there to breakdown and force bacteria to colonize in all of your dry rock. If you add fish now and start feeding, you will likely see a small cycle while the bacteria is established in the rest of your rock. Did you do any testing? Your dry rock should have been covered in brown diatom algae during the cycle.

 

Let me give you the whole story. I have not posted updates along the way because I have been very busy with work and travel. I started my tank with some dry rock and seeded with 20 pounds of live rock. I dosed with Stability starting day 7 for seven straight days from advice from my LFS. I had an ammonia spike day 12 and saw it disappear day 15. I got a little nitrate and nitrite spike shortly after and then all perams leveled out. Day 24 I saw a huge diatom bloom and that is when I added a small CUC to help clear it up. I have tested the tank every three days since the original ammonia spike and see zero nitrate and nitrates and barely detectable ammonia numbers. I have had my LFS test for me along the way and have confirmed my test numbers. I am currently at zero ammonia, nitrate and nitrites. Day 35 I stocked my refugium with chaeto and saw life explode before my eyes. The chaeto has tripled in size since and has helped keep my water perams in check. My CUC is the hardest working crew on the planet and cleared up the diatom bloom with ease. They have also made my tank sparkle and kept any and all algae away from taking over the tank. I am also getting coraline algae to start to spread slowly but surely on the back of my tank and a few spots on the dry rock I have. I have feed my tank PE mysis shrimp ever since I had the CUC in there as a special treat to them. There were some Zoa hitchhikers on some of my live rock and they are multiplying like crazy. I have introduced an Eagle eye frag and a green war coral and both of those are growing and feeding like crazy even after two weeks. I know it sounded like I didn't have a clue on knowing if my tank was cycled but assure you it is. I have been a long time lurker on this site and have done tons of research to make sure I started this tank off on the right foot. I appreciate you being concerned that my tank was not ready but it is.
What I am looking for now is some basic advice on fish stocking ideas so I can proceed with the next step in my tanks life.

 

Now that's detail! Lol. I wasn't trying to imply you didn't know what you were doing, just didn't have much info. Sounds like you are cycled and know what your doing. But if your rocks are that clean then you must have a CUC on steroids! My diatoms didn't wanna go away for nothing and my CUC just put a small dent in it. I lived with brown rock for probably a month. A pair of clowns would look nice, and are a nice hardy fish to start with.

 

No worries. Just wanted to give you the whole story so you had more info on the progression of my tank.

 

Everything looks very nice, especially for your very first build.

I would hold off on the bubble tip. Anemone's are very tricky creatures to keep alive in an established tank, yet alone a new one. I got one thinking it would host my clown and he never took to it. Everything else in my tank was thriving, but the anemone still slowly died.

The clowns don't require the anemone to live and vice versa.

The goby and pistol shrimp pair are always fun to watch. I have one in my tank and love them.

 

New additions today. First fish. Added two O. Clowns today, a frogspawn, and a war coral. ;D

 

Frogspawn