pH problem

[MT79]

You have to cycle the tank before you add any livestock. Here is an article about cycling an aquarium- http://www.aquariumadvice.com/article_view.php?faq=2&fldAuto=15

While cycling there is no need to worry about PH.

 

[Frogspawn]

some one said if i cured my LR right in the other tank i should not see a cycle in the new tank. if this is not true we got problems lol my girl friend was rying to be sweet and bought a star fish to put in the tank ths evening. i did not want to yell at her she said it was for my birthday lol so how should i go by doing this?

 

[MT79]

That is true. But if you have had the cured LR in the tank w/ no ammonia source, ie. fish, fish food, the bacteria will perish. If you have not had an ammonia source w/ the rock constantly since the cycle you will have to add one and cycle again.

 

[Frogspawn]

how long will the bacteria live without food?
i placed my rock in the sat. and i put a 1/2 tesp. of brineshrip in there. i had some left over from my trigger i had.

 

[MT79]

I'm not sure exactly how long the bacteria will live w/ out a food source, but it's not very long. I would add a pinch of ground up flake food to the tank. Test a few hours later to see if you have any ammonia or nitrite. Returning or placing the star in a QT until your sure the tank is cycled would be a good idea. Stock the tank very slowly so the bacteria can catch up w/ the bio-load.

 

[Frogspawn]

k can do i just added a little of food about 1 hr ago how long till i should check?
if it makes any difference i see 1000's of little white things crawling all over my live rocks. i guess those are pods right?

 

[MT79]

I think 6-8 hours would be enough to see a spike. If you see ammonia or nitrite, it would be best to re-cycle the tank IMO. If not, continue to feed the tank what you would feed a small fish, everyday to feed the bacteria. Get a small fish in there as soon as possible and monitor for stress and ammo/nitrite. Stock the tank very slowly so you don't overwhelm what's left of the bio-filter. Stock peaceful fish first, more aggressive last.

little white things crawling all over my live rocks. i guess those are pods right?

Sounds like it could be copepods. They are smaller than amphipods, about 1/2-2/3 the size of a (.) period. HTH

 

[Frogspawn]

those little white guys would not live if there was a ammo. in there right? or can they handle the stress of ammo. and nitrite?

 

[roka64]

those little white guys would not live if there was a ammo. in there right? or can they handle the stress of ammo. and nitrite?

Some won't make it, but you will be surprised how many will.

 

[MT79]

Some survived the initial cycle and curing of the tank and LR. As Roka said LR hitchhikers can be surprisingly resilient. Prolonged chemistry issues will take a toll on them though.