No cycling occuring in my new reef tank...

[mrvincent]

Wow, I didn't imagined I would go for a mini high tech aquarium like this... I'm at 1000$ with the skimmer on my 20gal... Very expensive hobby !

Does anybody know if it's ok if my KH is out of range with API test ?
Ph between 8 and 8.4. (Is it possible it vary depending light is on or off ?)

I removed the shrimp, the water smell bad. No ammonia, trites/ntrates ...

 

[z_dano]

The api tests are often inaccurate. I use red sea's reef test kit.

Is your kh high? Could be from your buffer.

 

[mrvincent]

Yeah, I added a lot of buffer since the beginning to raise PH, it was always dropping at 8... If the PH is in good range, does it mean the KH is in range ?

RODI water + Fluval Sea Salt + Seachem Marine Buffer. I added nothing else (auto and heterotrophics bacterias with fish food)

I would like to ajust everything before I put fish in there, so I'll like to start on a good water parameters basis... I will say I added 100g of my 500g buffer bottle since the begining. I'm reading "out of range" with my API test.


I don't want my clownfish to die from high KH while acclimating

 

[z_dano]

High kh will make your calcium precipitate out of the water column. Agitate the surface with a powerhead, that will help you keep ph stable.
Buffer usually raises kh along with ph.

 

[mrvincent]

Powerhead is already agitating water surface... I have a HOB filter 2, and I'll add HOB skimmer this afternoon. May a 20% WC be good before I introduce fish ?

 

[z_dano]

I'm not an expert by any means but I do not think high kh is harmful to fish. Hopefully someone else will come in and confirm or deny this. I would wait though until you have your ph stabilized. If your certain you are cycled then a pwc is ok to do. This will lower your kh a little. What is your reading?

 

[mrvincent]

What is your reading?

Out of range (>13dKH°)

Anyway, if this don't hurt fishs, I'll wait minimum 1 month after I purchased 2 clowns before I put any corals...

I'll buy those fishs to somebody on kijiji (quebec auction like website), all fishs at the reef store have white spots... They seems to have community sump...

 

[z_dano]

Oh by the way, my ph is constantly around 8.0...



This is an older pic..

 

[mrvincent]

Wooooah Really not bad !!!! How do you clean the rear glass ?

 

[z_dano]

Out of range (>13dKH°)

Water changes can't hurt if your cycled, if you're not cycled it will prolong how long it takes to fully establish the bb in your tank.

 

[mrvincent]

Water changes can't hurt if your cycled, if you're not cycled it will prolong how long it takes to fully establish the bb in your tank.

I'm almost sure it's cycled, the guy at the LFS told my thoses live rocks were pricy because they're already cycled (7$/pounds). I've did the dead shrimp tricks for 16hrs, no ammonia/trites, but the waster smell nasty.


I've done my aquascape so I can clean my rear glass with a sponge:

 

[z_dano]

I wish I did that, I didn't think of cleaning when originally setting up. In hind sight I wish I had

 

[mrvincent]

I've think about everything but not about corals placements... Du you think I can make something gorgeous with this arrangement ?

So you just don't clean behind your rock structure ? And the glass too ? Must be nasty?

 

[z_dano]

I don't clean back there much. I do try to get the regular algae as much as I can, I just leave the coraline (on the back glass). I like the look of it kinda, but scrape the rest.

 

[z_dano]

For some reason I can't see your pictures.. could be my phone

 

[mrvincent]

It's your phone because I see them. I used Hostingpics. I did a 20% WC, now ph is at 8.2, look perfect for introducing my FIRST two sw fishs. I found somebody selling me 2 clownfish for 20$ each. They look heatly, I saw them, they fed them in front of me, they dynamics, perfects !

I already love them. I go pay them in 1 hrs

I installed the skimmer. The only thing it do is noise, bubbles... Normal for the first few days ?

 

[mrvincent]

Dahhh Me and the girls that was supposed to sell me the clowns didn't found the way how to catch them

She have too much live rock, and they hidding deep in them

 

[Fishman007]

Dahhh Me and the girls that was supposed to sell me the clowns didn't found the way how to catch them

She have too much live rock, and they hidding deep in them

Why not ask them to take it out? Whenever i catch a fish from my tank i set the net in the tank for 30 minutes to make make them be used to it and then i feed them, when they come up to feed, i swoop up and catch them, with the net of course

 

[mrvincent]

I told her via SMS

 

[mrvincent]

Do you know why the skimmer need to "break in" ?