Are my levels ok?

[Antonio718]

Been cycling my tank now for 2 weeks and 5 days, i tested my water last night and it read

Ph-7.8-8.0
Ammonia-0
Nitrites-0
Nitrates-5.0ppm
Salinity-1.019

Is my cycling doin good so far?

 

[Beengirl]

Did you have any kind of a ammo is spike during the cycle?

 

[Antonio718]

Truthfully i dont kno, at the end of the first cycle i took it to a lfs and they tested it and it was ok, this week that past i baught my own kit and everything is fine and ammonia was at 0 and last night i checked and it was at 0

 

[ccCapt]

What do you mean by "at the end of the first cycle"?
Any reason in particular you have your salinity so low? Natural seawater is 1.026 and that is what you should target.

 

[Antonio718]

Sorry i meant to write at the end of the first week of my cycle, and about my salinity, i had it real high at first where it was at 1.030, so i took out 5 gallons and put 5 gallons of fresh water, and it went down to about 1.021, then i recently did another little water change this time only two gallons and it went down to 1.019, i read in a few diff sites that 1.019 isnt bad if its just fowlr tank and theres no corals, but besides that my other levels are good right? And do i have to have my nitrates at 0 before i add fish or would they be ok with 5.0ppm, im not gonna put anything in yet, im gonna wait another week just to make sure, thanks for your feedback

 

[Beengirl]

As long as nitrates are under 40 it won't hurt your fish. Obviously, as close to 0 as you can keep them is better. I would add an ammonia source to the tank if you're gonna let it sit another week and there's nothing in it. The BB that you have might die off if they have nothing to eat. Just drop in some fish food every couple days and that'll break down and keep them fed.

 

[Antonio718]

As long as nitrates are under 40 it won't hurt your fish. Obviously, as close to 0 as you can keep them is better. I would add an ammonia source to the tank if you're gonna let it sit another week and there's nothing in it. The BB that you have might die off if they have nothing to eat. Just drop in some fish food every couple days and that'll break down and keep them fed.

Whats bb? Im sorry im tryin to learn all the codes lol, and i have live rocks and live sand in there, can i put in the fish now?and what ammonia sourse would u recommend? Thanks

 

[TheTodd]

I always thought it was .023-.025 for salinity.

 

[ccCapt]

...i read in a few diff sites that 1.019 isnt bad if its just fowlr tank and theres no corals, ...

I always thought it was .023-.025 for salinity.

Ron Shimek's Website...Critters
Coral reefs are generally located in areas that have salinities in the range of 35 ppt (1.026 SG) to 38 ppt (1.029 SG). Most of our corals, and the associated fauna including fishes, will live best at those conditions (Weber and White 1976). Most organisms, even osmoconformers, can survive for brief periods in salinities well outside their normal range. But if maintained for longer period outside of that range they will be stressed and eventually will become so damaged that they will die even if returned to their normal salinity. Higher salinity is slightly more tolerable to these animals than is lower salinity, and adult animals are more able to withstand the extremes than are the juveniles or larvae.

The bottom line for salinities is simple. There is simply no reason at all to maintain the salinities of our systems below normal reef conditions. All reef inhabitants will suffer damage from prolonged exposure to lowered salinities. Invertebrates kept at low salinities often die within a few days to a few months. Given that corals, sea anemones, sponges and some other invertebrates have no old age or senescence (or to put it another way, they are immortal), low salinities result in a quick death. Some mollusks, crustaceans, and most fish kept at low salinities die of kidney failure; it just takes them longer. A fish which dies in a couple of years in a hyposaline aquarium may have had the potential to live more than 20 years had the salinity been appropriate.

 

[Beengirl]

Whats bb? Im sorry im tryin to learn all the codes lol, and i have live rocks and live sand in there, can i put in the fish now?and what ammonia sourse would u recommend? Thanks

BB=Beneficial Bacteria. The stuff that you need to process the ammonia and nitrite. Any ammonia source will work-If you're thinking of adding something live to the tank next week (as long as your levels are okay), then just throw in a pinch of food every couple days. That'll break down into ammonia and keep the BB alive til you add fish.

 

[Antonio718]

BB=Beneficial Bacteria. The stuff that you need to process the ammonia and nitrite. Any ammonia source will work-If you're thinking of adding something live to the tank next week (as long as your levels are okay), then just throw in a pinch of food every couple days. That'll break down into ammonia and keep the BB alive til you add fish.

I was thinking about getting a pair of clown fish as my first fish, can i also get some snails in the same day?

 

[Antonio718]

I forgot to mention i also just recenty been using nutrafin cycle since saturday and stress coat for about a week now, and ive used prime

 

[TheTodd]

I'm not doubting the qoute for higher salinity, that is just a lot higher than I've ever seen at various sites (live aquaria, etc) or seen in books that give ideal parameters. Most LFSs that I've gone to over the years run their FOWLR tanks at .023.

IMO the .019 seems too low.

Is everyone else running levels that high?

 

[ccCapt]

The quote I posted is from Ron Skimek, PhD in Marine Biology.
Here is another by Randy Holmes-Farley, PhD.
Reef Aquarium Water Parameters by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
For reference, natural ocean water has a salinity of about 35 ppt, corresponding to a specific gravity of about 1.0264 and a conductivity of 53 mS/cm.
As far as I know, there is little real evidence that keeping a coral reef aquarium at anything other than natural levels is preferable.

As both have said, there is no reason to keep your tank at anything other than the salinity of natural seawater. With that being said, 1.026 isn't too high. The question should be why would anyone keep it lower?

 

[Antonio718]

Ive also read that lower salt levels dont stress the fish as much

 

[TheTodd]

So if stores usually run tanks at around .023 and I wanted to run mine at .026, is that jump going to hurt/stress the fish that I bring home? The higher salinity sure makes sense, just wonder why stores/suppliers don't go with that.

 

[Starchar]

So if stores usually run tanks at around .023 and I wanted to run mine at .026, is that jump going to hurt/stress the fish that I bring home? The higher salinity sure makes sense, just wonder why stores/suppliers don't go with that.

You will want to ensure that you provide an appropriate acclimation period so the animal can adjust to the change in salinity.

 

[nikki_kaiser]

Was reading this thread and I agree with the above. Your salinity levels should be in a higher range. I find it irritating that most fish stores keep their salinity at .021-.022 and lead people to believe that this is the normal accepted perimeter for keeping saltwater fish. I think they do this in hopes of thwarting off any parasites however it's not something you would want to do within your own tank. As mentioned before, the idea is to create a smaller ecosystem that resembles their real ecosystem as close as possible. You should shoot for perfect water all the time as well as the salinity levels. Consistency is important. (not lecturing you! I'm scolding most of the LFS out there!)

If you slowly acclimate over a period of time they will not have an issue. I use drip acclimation not only for inverts but for fish because it's not as stressful or sudden. Don't forget to QT your new fish when you add them for parasites.

 

[Jimbo7]

So if stores usually run tanks at around .023 and I wanted to run mine at .026, is that jump going to hurt/stress the fish that I bring home? The higher salinity sure makes sense, just wonder why stores/suppliers don't go with that.

The short answer? Higher salt levels means more salt, more salt means more money. They are trying to keep costs down. As long as they have good practices of acclimation from their vendor, and you acclimate correctly when you get the fish home, there shouldn't be problems.

 

[nikki_kaiser]

The short answer? Higher salt levels means more salt, more salt means more money. They are trying to keep costs down. As long as they have good practices of acclimation from their vendor, and you acclimate correctly when you get the fish home, there shouldn't be problems.

+1-^^^ agrees with this statement completely! In addition, always double check what you hear at your LFS. This is going to sound terrible BUT, anytime I go into a new store, I will purposely ask a question regarding a fish etc. that I already know the answer to. I can't tell you how many ignorant (lack of knowledge) and crazy answers I've gotten. They are in it because they enjoy the hobby I'm sure however you have to remember that it's a business and is there to make money. I just recently had a friend go to one that told her not to worry about the cycle to much...ummm..WHAT??? (sighs)