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This is my first saltwater tank. It is a 30 gallon with 20 lbs. of live sand and 35 lbs. of live rock. I put the live rock and sand in 3 days ago and I have had no ammonia spikes or any nitrate, nitrite. The guy a the LFS said that has happened to him before and he just put in a damsel to start off with after a week. Is that a good idea? thanks for any help!

Only put fish into your tank that you want to keep long term. One damsel might be the end of your stocking in a 30G if he gets comfortable and becomes aggressive, which is most likely the case depending on the type of damsel. If your live rock is cured then no need to put a damsel in it, go ahead and start off with a clean up crew(if you plan on a tank with inverts) then later add the most sturdy fish you want to keep. Otherwise wait a week and then add the most sturdy fish you want to keep(test again first). If a week or two has gone by and you get no readings of ammonia or nitrite it's safe to assume your rock is cured. I would never add fish in the first week though. There hasn't been enough time for anything to happen. This all assumes you have a stocking list planned for this tank which is a MUST for saltwater tanks. It's a very bad idea to be whimsical and just add whatever fish you feel like or your lfs tells you is safe. Do some research and pick out the fish you want and in what order you want to add them, then be patient and wait for those fish to come in.

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Critical Fertilator: The Micromanager of Macronutrients