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PrettyFishies

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
Mar 7, 2003
Messages
1,689
Location
Durham, NC
Hello alll.

I''ve been asking questions in her for a couple of weeks deciding on filtration, equipment, supplies, etc. THANK YOU to all who have given me such good advice. Now...The tank has arrived and I'm underway...

On Tuesday night I drained and refilled the tank with saltwater.

After 24 hours... the parameters are as follows:
PH - 8.26
Temp: 78.1 - raised from 77.2 after adding the Mag7 Pump for Skimmer
Salinity - Seatest - 1.025, Deep Six 1.022

Questions:

1) Is 78.1 too high?
2) What do I trust about salinity with two different readings?
3) Is the liquid in the skimmer supposed to look white in the chamber?
4) Is it too early to add live rock ?
 
The temp is not too high. Some of us actually keep it more around 80. Personal belief system....I do not think it is too early to add liverock. It will help cycle the tank. Toss in a fresh raw shrimp to get the ammonia going. Turn the skimmer off for now, but keep a nice flow of water around your rock.
 
Where both of the hydrometers clean? I know sometimes if you don't rinse them out after you use them they can show false readings. I never thought of using 2 to check it. I only use the Deep Six.
 
Turn off the Skimmer? But...I read in the New Aquarium by Micahel Paletta....that you are supposed to skim out the decaying matter of the LR while it's curing...

And by fresh raw shrimp you mean...go to the market and get a dead shrimp, right?

Rthoman - I got two to be safe...I also got a Pinpoint PH monitor...1 less test...but I do have to calibrate once a month..
 
I keep all my tanks @ 80* F. Like Hara said add the rock and shut down the skimmer for now. The skimmer, when you start it up, will probably require a break in period before it will really start to work well. If you can, take a water sample to a LFS that has a way to accurately check the salinity. Either a refractometer or an electronic salinity tester. I try to keep mine @ 1.025 although I don't have any way to check my hydrometers. I have two that agree so, for now, I go with that. Remember that the hydrometer is temp sensitive and will give different readings at different temperatures. Get your water to the temp that you will keep the tank and check it again just to be sure.
Logan J
 
Logan: Thanks... I guess I'll keep my tank at 78 as that seems to be where it wants to stay because of the Mag7.

Can you further elaborate about curing the live rock? I thought you are supposed to skim off the dead matter... What process do YOU use? And how do you know it's cured?
 
well, it may be precured, but as you most likely know, some of the organisms will die off in shipping. I think you should throw it into the tank, and so weekly water changes, and big ones. After a week or two you can turn on the skimmer, that is what i would do.
 
Yes, the shrimp is just like what you would buy raw at the meat department. That, along with the curing of the liverock, will give the ammonia a nice spike to get the good bacteria started on your rock.

The only thing I would have done differently, is maybe not filled the tank completely until the rock was cured. You only need enough water to cover the rock and circulate until it is cured, then you can add the rest of the saltwater. Just saves you a little money so that you are not wasting as much when you do the water change before adding fish.
 
Here's my line of thinking on this. Put in the rock and don't bother with the skimmer right now. Test for ammonia and when you start seeing some ammonia in the water, start up the skimmer. May take a few days. If the rock has a significant amount of die off, I don't see where you'll need to add the shrimp. Let it all run until the nitrites drop. JMHO.
Logan J
 
HARA: Thanks... but one more question... How many shrimp? And... I have a R/R tank with the corner over flow...so unless the goal is just circulating the water...It has to be full to get to the sump and the heaters...

So it seems the concensus is no skimmer for a while...

Next question. I'm using a Mag7 for my skimmer... since I added it... the temp has risen about 2.2 degrees to what seems...a stable 79.4 ....I guess that's nothing to worry about since most of you guys keep yours at 80. But here's the real question for anyone with a pump that's pretty powerful and has no adjustment...Is it absolutely neccesary to install a valve to slow the flow down on the pump's output? I want the skimmer running as efficiently as possible when I do turn it back on..

LATEST UPDATE: PH 8.35, Temp 79.4, Salinity - 1.022(Deep6)-1.025(SeaTest), 132# of LR has arrived
 
I would only add one big shrimp for a 90, especially as the rock will be adding to the die off. We did not have water in the sump until we were ready for the fish. The 175 had about 1/3 of a tank full of water for 3 weeks. Just cycling the rock. We periodically changed a little of the water out while the cycling was going on. Then we added the sand, added enough water to make a half tank, let the dust settle, then moved the water,rock,corals and fish from the 150 to the 175. That
was the first time the sump had water.
 
Here's an update:

I added the live rock on Friday night... I've been adjusting the PH with buffer to keep it between 8.20-8.35 It consistently goes down just hours after adding the buffer.

I've also had temperature problems. With the Mag7 in the sump, the temp reached 82.4 degrees... I removed the Mag7 and re-plumbed everything to operate externally... Now the temp is about 80.8, the skimmer still seems to work fine... Boy does that Mag7 generate heat...

I also did my first water change yesterday... 20gals... about 23%

How do you know the live rock is cured? I know it's way too early...but I'm curious... I use the baster to blow off material...and plan on changing the water again on wednesday... But, I think I'm beginning to notice some algae growth... but, the ammonia has yet to register.
 
How do you know the live rock is cured?

It will stink terribly when not cured if i remember correctly. When it is cured i guess it smells like normal rock (nothing?).
 
Well...I purchased it pre-cured and had it overnighted... There's still a lot of matter coming off when I use the baster...And it does smell...but not a stench... just an "unsightly odor" :wink: But there seems to be some green in spots there was nothing before...

Does healthy rock have a coating all over?
 
When bought precured, then shipped, some matter will die off, that is most likely the stench. I dont think your rock would have coating all over. Not such young stuff.
 
Does healthy rock have a coating all over?

IMO the answer to that question would no doubt be yes.

My LR has stuff all over it in different quantities and specie. Coralline algae, barnacles, sponge, etc..

There would be no purpose in buying LR if it didn't have growth on it of some sort.

I dont think your rock would have coating all over. Not such young stuff.


Really now,,,,,, there really is no way to tell how old the rock is that she purchased...or where it actually came from.
 
I
that she purchased

i think it is a man according to the picture of him next to his 55 gallon tank, if i remember. I said that because it was shipped, and i was told most things die, not all, most.
 
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