But really, is it COMPLETELY necessary to have something as small as a 34gallon aquarium cycle for 2months before you put hermit crabs in?
I think that is a bit too long.
>> The only real way to tell if your aquarium is cycled is by doing daily water testing. Testing the water when there is nothing but water in it, does not mean it is cycled. There must be an ammonia source in the tank (something alive that is eating and producing waste, or preferably, live rock or live sand with critters that will do the same. Decaying matter also works, and I have read of people adding fish food or cut up shrimp to their tanks to kick start the cycling process. What they are trying to do is build up ammonia and nitrite levels to feed the Nitrifying bacteria in their tanks. These are the good bacteria that break down harmful nitrites and turn them into less harmful nitrates. When there is a balance between the amount of ammonia and nitrites in a tank, in relation to the amount of beneficial bacteria, then one can call a tank cycled. Aside from directly testing the water, other signs to look for are diatom growth, and other algae growth. Algae uses nitrates as a food source. However, direct testing is the only sure way to know if your ammonia and nitrite levels are at ZERO. Corals are also sensitive to nitrate levels, so these must be kept in check also. Many people grow macro-algae to help with its removal from the water, or they use some sort of chemical removal system.
The reason so many people have suggested that you go slowly when stocking your tank is because, as you add new life to it, the balance between ammonia/nitrite and the beneficial nitrite eating bacteria is thrown off. It takes time for the beneficial bacteria to build up higher populations to take care of the increased ammonia/nitrite levels. If you throw in a bunch of animals and feed them, or they eat algae and then start producing waste, the ammonia/nitrite levels will become so high as to kill the inhabitants of the tank because there is not enough bacteria to take care of all that waste. If you have ever smelled a bottle of ammonia, you will understand why it is so toxic to sea life. (It is actually toxic to almost all life- I am allergic to ammonia and can not use any cleaners which contain it.)
And Lyn, do you mean my aquarium won't be suitable to house a rose anemone or are you just using that as a random example?
>> As far as I understand, anemones in general require high lighting conditions. The only tank I have with a Metal Halide is too small for an anemone. Anemones can grow quite large, roam around the tank if they don't like one spot, and can sting and kill other corals as well as eat your fish and shrimp. I have never had the desire to keep one, although I believe them to be interesting and quite beautiful. Here is a more informative site: http://www.karensroseanemones.com/
And this is kinda off topic, but I have about five frags I'm brining to the frag swap. Does it matter how small they are? I fragged some different thing that were given to me. I tried fragging xenia, colt coral, and anthelia polyps, but the glue wouldn't hold them down and the floated away... (BTW, this is in my 14gal not my 34.)
The snails in the 34 are doing good at keeping algae and waste down and the hermits really helped on the hair algae that appeared while cycling (not the hair algae in the 14. I mean the hair algae in the 34) and they are doing fine. I haven't had anything die yet so I guess that is good. Also, is it bad to add too much sand? I have about 4" of sand in there because I thought I might get a Jaw fish.
>> You should try to take frags that will stick to a plug or rubble, and be big enough so it doesn't float away or get lost. You don't want to give something to someone that will die or get lost, just as you would not want to receive a coral from someone which would die or get lost in your tank. Try to make sure the frag is growing before you give it away. Fragging now in preparation for the Feb swap is a very good idea.
Try to understand what you are fragging and their growth patterns. You might have to cut the entire base of what the coral is attached to. In the case of the anthelia (I assume it is the one I gave you), use your fragging tools and cut the shell with the coral attached. Normally I let the creeping corals attach on their own to other rubble by putting rocks or shells next to it. As they grow, they will move on to the neighboring rock, plug, or shell. This, of course, takes time and patience. Once they are attached and growing well on the new perch, you can separate them with a blade of some sort. Many creeping type polyps can be propagated this way, with very little stress to the coral.
Another way is to gently pull a loose pad of the coral up and cut away at it, then attach it to another surface with Icegel or something similar. However, corals produce mucus, and sometimes they may over produce if they do not like being stuck to something, like Icegel. if you run into problems fragging and mounting a particular coral, go ahead and post a question to the group. There are many experienced people in BAR who would be willing to give you advice on how they have successfully done it.
>> The depth of the sand is up to you. It is what you like aesthetically speaking. When you put in 4+ inches of sand, the sand can act as a place for nitrifying bacteria to grow. Anything less than this, and I have read that it is ineffective as a denitrifying source. In fact, it becomes a place for waste to collect. Many people who want the look of sand, but don't want four inches of it, keep one inch or less in their tanks. There are fish that require a deep sand bed like the jawfish and some wrasses. Most people who keep smaller tanks do not have deep sandbeds though because it takes up so much of the usable space.
Hope this helps.
