Chicken or the egg. What was first in reef?

[Davidl919]

I had to breakdown my previous build due to moving and have now rebuilt my set -up. Now I have all the time in the world ( yeah watching paint dry can be amusing to me if the right music is playing in the background.) Everything is cycled and all the initial leaks fixed and the skimmer has relaxed. Now I have a completely new tank. Other than the algea which is obviously the first sign of life in a tank but I don't even have that either I have nothing but the bacteria from curing in my tank.
Now my question is I want to start my life introduction as closely replicated to big scheme of life as possible. At first I wanted to introduce live pods but then I thought to myself wouldn't they need detritus to feed on and I don't have that yet. Then I thought well let me get a clean up crew but I don't want to deliberately grow algea and my last choice is my first introduction of fish. Chromis, anthias and a pair of clowns. Now what are your suggestions as to what I should introduce first and reason. Setup is a 140 gallon Oceanic with 40 gallon Sump. Also I plan on stocking this tank as slowly as possible to prevent introducing a high bioload and reduce my chances of losses. So far my tank has a complete stock date of Nov 2009. Thanks For your suggestions in advanced.

[username in use]

add a small clean up crew that will grow as the rest of the stock does. They will start to clean the algaes and whatnot as they appear. I think that trying to do it the other way is kind of like spinning your wheels. And as for trying to replicate the natural reefs in how they're built, theres no real way to do it as our tanks are anything but natural and need to be approached in a different way than a natural reef would be approached if building one in the wild.

[ctenophors rule]

so..... do you mean that you want to add cyanobacteria, then protozoans, then copepods, amphipods isopods, oscilipods, and worms. then a clean up crew, then the fish, and then the corals?

it seems like an awful lot of unnescecary work to me!:rollface:

i would just set it up, and get some PREMIUM quality live sand and live rock, with all the meiofauna and microorganisms and forams, and byrozoans, and hydroids, andworms, and snail, and all kinds of other goodies you could ever want.

but it has to be the good stuff, no cheapy cheapy.

but, before you add anything, i think you should do a super cycle, so you can add everything at once. (safer for fish, and better on patience)

[Davidl919]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15230338#post15230338 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ctenophors rule
so..... do you mean that you want to add cyanobacteria, then protozoans, then copepods, amphipods isopods, oscilipods, and worms. then a clean up crew, then the fish, and then the corals?

it seems like an awful lot of unnescecary work to me!:rollface:

i would just set it up, and get some PREMIUM quality live sand and live rock, with all the meiofauna and microorganisms and forams, and byrozoans, and hydroids, andworms, and snail, and all kinds of other goodies you could ever want.

but it has to be the good stuff, no cheapy cheapy.

but, before you add anything, i think you should do a super cycle, so you can add everything at once. (safer for fish, and better on patience)
Did you read my post? I already cycled and regardless of how many things (uncheap) I have to help me in the counteracting of a bioload I seriously doubt that stocking a tank with 15 - 20 fishes, a clam or 2, Invertebrates, and corals at once is a wise thing to do, but to each his own. Thanks for your advice I already considered it.:rolleyes:

[eyesinthedrk]

if i was to restart my tank i think i would go with pods and and phyto with some snails for maintenance for a couple of months with a few pod piles built into the system from the get go,

i dont think any tank can be worse for allowing pods to get a good head start

[ctenophors rule]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15232887#post15232887 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Davidl919
Did you read my post? I already cycled and regardless of how many things (uncheap) I have to help me in the counteracting of a bioload I seriously doubt that stocking a tank with 15 - 20 fishes, a clam or 2, Invertebrates, and corals at once is a wise thing to do, but to each his own. Thanks for your advice I already considered it.:rolleyes:

lol i think i was buit unclear. i mean i would add some good premium live sand plus rock, fresh from the ocean, to add the little organisms that you dont find on week old rock, then maybe do a super cycle, and add all the fish at one time.

the slow stocking method means that your fish will be intorduced to a new minicycle with each addition, meaning small levels of ammonia with each addition.

but good luck.

sorry if i was unclear, i was realy tired.:sleep:

lol these are hillarious!:uzi: :blown: :hammer:

[NyReefNoob]

ctenophors rule how do you figure he will have a mini cycle each time he add's a fish or coral, david you forgot to mention your not new at all to the hobby :) personally id start stock piling pods and mysis if i was to do over again, even though you dont have fish you will still get debris from rock, and add sme nas snails to get the sand stirred, dont think i will ever add hermits to a tank again, eventually them make meals out of snails, once rdy swing by i am sure ill have a frag or so from ya, is david holding anything for ya now ?

[Davidl919]

Thanks Rick and everyone else that has responded to the thread. I eventually started with the snails and Crabs yesterday. I will be adding pods on friday to the display and will start a husbandry for pods in my sump. I have the sump setup in a way that a certain section will have good water flow but it is baffled in such a way that I can use it to house livestock.
As far as the post I can only assume that life starts at the micro organism level with the bacteria of curing and the next cycle if you wanted to replicate in the home enviroment would be pods and mysis I know in between there I am missing a link, like possibly the creation of algae, but that is why I started the thread to see what others opinions are and truths.

[EvilMel]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15230338#post15230338 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ctenophors rule
i would just set it up, and get some PREMIUM quality live sand and live rock, with all the meiofauna and microorganisms and forams, and byrozoans, and hydroids, andworms, and snail, and all kinds of other goodies you could ever want.

Did you seriously just call hydroids a goodie?

As far as I'm concerned they're satan's spawn.