neither, 3 bottle. i am using a Marine Lab Red Sea test kit
first saltwater tank
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neither, 3 bottle. i am using a Marine Lab Red Sea test kit
my cycle has been going on for over 3 months now and i am still getting the same test results.
ammonia-.25
nitrite-.1
nitrate-20-50
i know this is a huge learning curve for me but what do you guys suggest i do? i am getting a gut feeling that i am doing something wrong.
ammonia-.25
nitrite-.1
nitrate-20-50
i know this is a huge learning curve for me but what do you guys suggest i do? i am getting a gut feeling that i am doing something wrong.
Karlos69
Aquarium Advice Freak
How can your nitrates be 20-50? are you losing hermit crabs or snails? Kinda weird question have u tried another test kit get an api ammonia kit just a thought and have u done a pwc?
mr_X
Aquarium Advice Addict
i can't see how you could have so much die off and not see it. i mean actually see dead things on the rock. i have no answers for you at this time except to check your test kits against others.
i havent done a PCW in over a month, maybe 2. i havent tried another test kid.
i will go to my LFS and get some of there water, have them test it then ill go home and test there water with my kit and see if i get the same results.
i might try to start over again, ill change out my shell substrate with sand, PWC and put another shrimp in.
Kelso
Aquarium Advice Freak
ya I would not start over, that would only bring you through the same steps that got you here.
I would test your water, then bring a sample of yours to the store and compare your resuts to theres to find out about your kits.
How much live rock do you have in there? And what are you using as other filters, sorry thread too long to go back and look.
I would test your water, then bring a sample of yours to the store and compare your resuts to theres to find out about your kits.
How much live rock do you have in there? And what are you using as other filters, sorry thread too long to go back and look.
^^ it's ok, I don't like reading old posts from long back either.
25lbs liverock, I recently crushed up the most dense so I can maximize my surface area. I replaced my ceramic pieces with the crushed liverock
Fluval 305 canister filter
82 degrees F
1.023 specific gravity
While I put the liverock in my filter ( in 1.5/3 trays, the other 1.5 trays is the carbon material in the bags) I also did a 15% pwc.
What I mean for starting over, remove rock and replace shells with sand (figure its better to do this during the cycle rather than after), pwc of atleast 30-50%, than put another shrimp in.
Btw I use distilled water with red sea salt, distilled water is easy and most practical for me atm.
25lbs liverock, I recently crushed up the most dense so I can maximize my surface area. I replaced my ceramic pieces with the crushed liverock
Fluval 305 canister filter
82 degrees F
1.023 specific gravity
While I put the liverock in my filter ( in 1.5/3 trays, the other 1.5 trays is the carbon material in the bags) I also did a 15% pwc.
What I mean for starting over, remove rock and replace shells with sand (figure its better to do this during the cycle rather than after), pwc of atleast 30-50%, than put another shrimp in.
Btw I use distilled water with red sea salt, distilled water is easy and most practical for me atm.
I took some water samples to two different fish stores. One store used a API test kit and got the same results I did. The other store used the strips, which I don't prefer but still came up with the same results
Today's results where
Ammonia-.25
Nitrite- .1
Nitrate- 0-20
I guess getting rid of those ceramic balls/canister media helped lower nitrates, as well as the 15% PWC I did on monday
Today's results where
Ammonia-.25
Nitrite- .1
Nitrate- 0-20
I guess getting rid of those ceramic balls/canister media helped lower nitrates, as well as the 15% PWC I did on monday
PrettyFishies
Aquarium Advice Addict
What was the highest your ammonia got?
is there any food/shrimp left in the tank right now..?? if so, i would suggest u to remove it....i have the same problem before...the thing that i did was added some bioring inside my sump...after a week, my ammonia reads 0...then i did PWC and remove out the biorings...just from my experience...and i knew that u dont have sump...
I know your test kit is probably new but I am wondering after this length of time why it hasn't cycled or if the kit is bad. See if your LFS will test your water with a liquid kit. I know one of the ones in my area does but most use the strips.
abdhalim said:
There is no shrimp or food in the tank. About a month ago I put a very little bit of flake food in to try to jump start a bio load, but I don't think that did anything.
joy13 said:
Yea I have a new test kit, it is not expired.
I went to two local stores, one used an API liquid kit, and got the same readings I did.
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Perhaps my liverock wasn't as cured as the person I got it from claimed it was. I'm still new to this so at the time I didn't know any better. (3 months ago I got 25lbs)
I will take pics for you guys shortly of my rock so I can get everyone opinion. I put the most colorful and dense pieces of rock in my canister filter ( I broke up the most dense pieces to maximize surface area)
joy13 said:
Thank you! I tried to set it up so my fish will always have places to swim under/ hide
I put a BB size of flake food in,
I set my canister filter up in the beginning of January, just cleaned it for the first time on Monday when I took out the balls and put liverock in. I suppose I should have cleaned it earlier.
The day or two after u cleaned it my nitrates went down dramatically.
Kelso
Aquarium Advice Freak
I would take the live rock out of your canister filter. The colorful pieces may have been colorful because of light. I have had good results with Seachem - Matrix. Its a large gravel like substance, very pourus as well. I would jeep all the rock in the tank. Seachem makes a few different types of media, you should look into it, maybe try some combos. I do know though that the one called de-nitrate needs a very slow flow, less then 50 gph, so your canister is way too fast for that type. But there are a few others I know you can use. With time I'm sure that tank will be fine, it looks very nice as well good setup.
I wish I knew before hand, I feel all that rock I crushed up is a waste now. I read in the past that liverock in a canister filter is one of the best things to put in it.
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Would it be best to leave it in my canister until I can get the material you suggest? Or take it out asap and leave just the carbon in there?
