Didn't expect that!

I normally wait until month 3 ,water is matured by then and parameters will become constant in the early weeks they can fluctuate

some may add earlier ?

Steve

 

As usual, great advise. The only thing I would add is favoring false percs over true percs. True percs tend to swim the top of the tank. Annoying. False percs populate mid-tank. Much nicer. Put the maroon out of your mind for now. They get too big. But the percs are great. Lots of personality and friendly as well. I have a female that will let me pet her head if she is in the mood. It is rare, but there are times she is Uber cool.

It really depends on the shrimp. Steve has great advise with waiting until month three. These type of inverts tend to fare not so well in young tanks. The exception to the rule would be the Coral Banded Shrimp. These are tough little buggers. With attitude. More bark than bite IMO, and amusing to watch. I would have no problem adding them while the tank is cycling (although I would not recommend it, just because the ammonia would make the little guy feel waaaay uncomfortable). Kind of a cruelty to animals thang.

But I had a CBS that survived a tank full of death (my 29g crashed) at a temperature of 60 degrees. For three days (I was out of the apartment). He was a little sluggish, but alive. And that tank always had ammonia and nitrites. I had no clue what I was doing. At one point I had a Yellow Tang, a moon wrasse and a maroon clown. Good Lord I was clueless. But the LFS kept selling me the fish.................So I blame them!!!!

 

Say what, is this were i am going wrong. I feed my fish two to three times a day, i monitor how much they eat so as there is no uneaten food in the tank.

Welcome to three reef.

 

WoW - Great start!
And Welcome !