redsea's 29g BioCube Build #1

[Hondatek]

Won't really make much of a difference . It is up to you really.

 

[redsea]

Great, thank you. I think I will let the tank cycle through this small amount and add more. That way I will have a better idea of how things are progressing. I really hope this tank will be all set with it's cycle by January. That may be a bit of a lofty goal, but we shall see. It has had ammonia for maybe a week and a half.

Thanks a lot everyone for posting in my thread! I really appreciate everyone taking the time to read!

 

[redsea]

I tested again today and found that my water looks like it still hasn't changed at all.

 

[carey]

Hang in there Red, it will happen. I'm sure you know the drill by now, patience is key.

In a month we'll be discussing your newest fish most likely. LOL

 

[redsea]

Hang in there Red, it will happen. I'm sure you know the drill by now, patience is key. In a month we'll be discussing your newest fish most likely. LOL

Thanks! Definitely, patience is very important.

The funny thing is, I never really had to wait out a true cycle before! With my first saltwater tank (December 2007, I believe), the 34g, I had bought LR and sand for it. In fact, there may have been spikes, but back then I just listened to what the pet shop told me. It did seem to work out just fine though.

For the 55g, I bought that with the fish and love rock already in it! And for the 125g, I bought LR from LiveAquaria, and put LR from the 55g in there. I did use pure ammonia and I beleive the cycle happened very quickly! I suppose it is time I need to experience the "true" cycle, lol.

It is somewhat normal though for it to take about two weeks to kick in, right?

 

[carey]

That seems like an unusually long time to get any real ammonia, but that might be screwed up because of the bacteria in the bottle thing you added.
I've had great luck cycling with pure ammonia though, that way you get immediate gratification as far as ammonia levels.
lol

 

[redsea]

That seems like an unusually long time to get any real ammonia, but that might be screwed up because of the bacteria in the bottle thing you added. I've had great luck cycling with pure ammonia though, that way you get immediate gratification as far as ammonia levels. lol

Maybe!

I suppose it is also possible that some of my levels are messed up. Unfortunately, I have my refractometer, but no longer have the calibration fluid or the little dropper. Therefore, I have just been resorting to the trusty old hydrometer, which I thought would be okay since I am just trying to get a somewhat general reading at this point.

The other thing I could think of when setting up the tank was the way I added salt. When setting up the tank about three weeks ago, I filled it up with mostly freshwater, sand, and rock; and then made a highly salty solution to try and raise the salinity in an attempt to raise the salinity. It seemed to have been working just fine, but maybe for some reason it didn't fully dissolve......(but you would think that by now it would have dissolved if that really did happen).

Sorry for my ramble!

 

[carey]

No rambling, youre good. lol

The salt mixing method is just fine, I always add my salt to a new tank after the water is in and sometimes adjust it.
You have an ro/di right? You can calibrate it pretty well using that water, the refractometer that is.

 

[redsea]

No rambling, youre good. lol The salt mixing method is just fine, I always add my salt to a new tank after the water is in and sometimes adjust it. You have an ro/di right? You can calibrate it pretty well using that water, the refractometer that is.

Yes, indeed, the pure water club one.

That sounds good (using it to calibrate). It has been so long since I have done refractometer stuff. About a year and a half. What are the steps to calibrating again? Don't you just place some RODI water on first? Thanks!

 

[Hondatek]

Yes just place ro di on the lens then adjust the reading to 1.000.

 

[redsea]

What do you guys think? I added more ammonia tonight.....

 

[redsea]

Here is the updated photo from today! This is the first time testing since I posted last, and it is starting to look like I will be testing more often! I love seeing the progress!

Merry Christmas everyone! Enjoy!

 

[redsea]

Since adding more ammonia on Christmas, I just tested a few hours ago. It appears that there is still some left, but not a lot. I upped the ammonia back up, and hope that this tank will be cycled soon.

 

[Katy410]

Hi! I just got my Coralife Biocube 29g on Christmas, and have not removed it from the box yet. I plan to when I come back from vacation sometime in January. I like how your tank's coming along! This will be my first tank, and saltwater, too. Sorry to sound a bit pushy, but do you have any tips? ;D

 

[redsea]

Hi! I just got my Coralife Biocube 29g on Christmas, and have not removed it from the box yet. I plan to when I come back from vacation sometime in January. I like how your tank's coming along! This will be my first tank, and saltwater, too. Sorry to sound a bit pushy, but do you have any tips? ;D

Hello! Thanks for the compliment!

There is a lot to saltwater, and I will mention somethings that I believe are important below.

1. Research is important when it comes to selecting creatures for the tank. For instance, you don't want to go the fish fish store and purchase a fish, later finding out that it will grow a foot long! Research is also important because it lets you know what fish are comparable and which ones are not, as not all fish will get along with each other. There are also cases where only certain numbers of fish should be kept together. Take Clownfish, for example. It is sometimes recommended to keep no more than two in the same aquarium.

2. Also, on the topic of selecting fish, it is important to note amount. It is vital not to overstock your aquarium, as it can lead to inadequate water conditions.


I hope tees tips are useful!

 

[Katy410]

They are very useful, thanks!
I had an idea for stocking before, with a bunch of small fish, and to crowd a bit, but that would not work. Corals help water quality, correct?

 

[redsea]

To my knowledge, corals do not help water quality. I can see how someone may think that though since freshwater plants help keep water clean.

 

[Katy410]

To my knowledge, corals do not help water quality. I can see how someone may think that though since freshwater plants help keep water clean.

Oh That just changed a lot. For the Biocube, would I need a heater? Since the lights are so strong, I was afraid that with a heater I would boil my fish.

 

[carey]

Depends on where you live., I live in florida and have not had a use for a heater. I actually keep the back door flap open to keep the temp stable.

 

[redsea]

Hi everyone! I figured that I would post an update, as one is overdue.

For those not aware, I have been having some issues with my filter piece, where the water level becomes a bit too high for my liking. My tank is basically ready for fish at this point, so I am curious as to if I can place the media in the back of the tank not in the filter chamber I bought for now.

My aquarium came with a little rack to hold up the bio-balls, so I figured I could simply place my media right on that. I figured that water flow would be good as it has to move through that chamber to get to the return pump. Additionally, I may have a little waterfall like structure due to the lack of the bio-balls, lol.

Thanks for viewing my thoughts! I am really excited to get some living stuff in here, hopefully this weekend if I can figure out this predicament.