beginner need advice.

[Beengirl]

Oh, yeah; you're good on the ripples part! Lol

 

[Trueerfan]

It looks good.

 

[charlieweaver21]

So i got my test kit today and i meet a guy that's selling live rock for 3$ a pound so I'm going to pick up around 30 pounds i think. I did a test and everything was zero and ph was around 8.2.

 

[Beengirl]

Make sure you ask it the tank it was in was ever treated with copper. If he says yes, I wouldn't buy it.

 

[Dmann]

You can buy dry rock from bulk reef supply for around $3 lb shipped $4 lb for the nice pukani rock. its very porous and looks nice and treat it yourself.

 

[Dmann]

Also it's a little fast for your cycle to be finished and every thing at zero even if you added a instant cycle. You should be showing something on your test

 

[SaltwaterNuB]

How is the rock that reef rock supplies. I was going to look into purchasing 100 lbs. this week? Patience is the key when setting up a new tank. I have had mine up and running for 6 months and am still having to deal with my lack of patience. It'll all come together tho! Don't get discouraged.

 

[charlieweaver21]

So I suck at this testing I follow the instruction to the tee but I feel like some of the colors are so close I can't tell what's what.

By the way this is the live sand I got. 4 bags of those

 

[TommyP]

The pH looks a little low and it seems to show ammonia. You see, pH is weird because it gradually rises throughout the day when the lights are on so my recommendation is to check the level when the lights come on and again before they go off. Do this for about 3 days in a row and make sure it's constant. The BB in your tank will break the ammonia into nitrites and then excrete them to nitrates. Once this process happens within a day, your cycle is complete.

 

[TommyP]

Live rock will really help this process. What did you end up using as your ammonia source ?

 

[charlieweaver21]

Well I am doing a fish in cycle. I've don't this with all my freshwater tanks from 29 gallons to 75 and never lost a fish. I've actally only lost one fish and that's because I came home and found him on the floor Ive been seeing a lot if people dont like this way. But I'm a stay at home dad that babysittes some other kids so I amost never leave the house and an always watch the tank.

I will be getting another 35 pounds or so of live rock later today.

 

[Dmann]

It's hard to tell but almost looks like you have nitrates as well as ammonia. I have trouble in person with the colors myself. Lol but when you do a fish in cycle the fish suffer from the ammonia in the tank. It's like us breathing in nothing but smoke from a house fire.. Seems to be going well though

 

[charlieweaver21]

Yeah I thought the same thing seems to be nitrates and could be ammo too. But fish seek fine I went with 3 damsel. Very small and will make ammo levels go up very slow so I can keep up with everything for next few days Ill test 3 times a day will do this

 

[Trueerfan]

Hope you plan on keeping the damsels, they are almost impossible to catch and are one of the most aggressive fish out there. They limit what you can put in the tank.

 

[Trueerfan]

How is the rock that reef rock supplies. I was going to look into purchasing 100 lbs. this week? Patience is the key when setting up a new tank. I have had mine up and running for 6 months and am still having to deal with my lack of patience. It'll all come together tho! Don't get discouraged.

Reefrocks is pretty nice, I did 100#'s. Shipping is fast. You just need to rinse them off or you'll have a nice dusty film on the surface of the water. Very porous

 

[charlieweaver21]

So did another water test and still don't make since I gues it possible but I am seeing about 10ppm of nitrates and zero of everything else not sure if this is because of the live rock and live sand and luck lol or if I'm testing wrong. Or maybe there was bacteria transfer from the freshwater tank that I transfer out of it or maybe the caister filter that cam from the freshwater tank to. Is it the same bacteria in fresh and salt?

 

[TheTodd]

Its different bacteria, so it was not a transfer thing.

It's hard to tell from my phone, but that test you posted almost looked like all zeros to me. When did you add the damsels? It will take a while for the ammonia to rise.