Beginner to saltwater aquariums

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I'm still registering zero on ammonia. Iv been dry feeding brine shrimp and haven't changed out the filter sock since the cloudiness went away after adding sand. I even cut a piece of turkey and put in the tank a few days ago to get some bioload in it. I figured I would be showing some ammonia by now. Guess it's going to take longer than expected. Did any add crabs and snails prior to the tank cycling? I know that would be a good way to add some
Bioload to the tank to get it going but not sure if they will survive
 
You don't want to add turkey and you don't want to add livestock if the system is still cycling. Get a cocktail shrimp and throw it into some old pantyhose and step away from the system for a couple of days. Stop adding flake food, it's just going to fill your system with phosphates and isn't getting enough to decompose to create an ammonia source large enough to start the cycling process off. Nature will take its course.
 
Yeah, I know not to add livestock until my cycle is over. I had planned to use shrimp but organic matter is organic matter lol I had a piece of turkey off a fresh one I harvested "turkey season in KY". And I was never adding flake food but frozen brine shrimp. I know majority of that was going into the sump, but I have a filter sock in it and I haven't changed it so that "bioload" is still in the water column per say. I'm waiting
For nature to take its course but for nature to take its course the bacteria need a media. They have the area but need the media to allow them to do their thing. Anyways, ammonia registered at 0.25 ppm today woo woop!
 
Well, I started adding water April 12th and got the lights up the 18th. Since then the tank has been in full operation. White light on from 8am- noon and blues on the remainder of the time. Looked like ammonia was registering at .25 last week but now zero again and zero nitrites. I think I might have misread it since color is so close. The kits are new and used them in freshwater without any issues reading accurate.

I tested nitrate today just to make sure I didn't miss the cycle or that my test kits for ammonia and nitrite were bad. Like everything else zero.

Here is the strange part. I'm seeing some diatom growth??? Isn't that usually after the tank is cycled?

Really confused!
 
You are just fine seeing diatoms. It doesn't have to wait for the cycle to end.
I'd turn the lights off as well. No reason to promote algae growth when you are force feeding nutrients to cycle the system.
 
Def good advice on the lights. Not sure what I was thinking there.

I ordered some of the Dr Tims ammonium chloride to try to get things going.
 
The ammonium chloride has been in the tank for 4 days now. I added as the labeled stated and got the level to about 2ppm. Iv tested ammonia and nitrite everyday and nothing has changed [emoji37]. I turned my heater up to 80. Warm water should certainly help the bacterial growth. I might have to guy some of the dang live bacteria. I'm an extremely patient person but it's getting overwhelming at this point. lol might get some hardy fish and just do a fish cycle and monitor the Chen good and do water changes as needed so I don't torture the fish to bad.
 
No, the levels has not changed. I tested again lastnight and it's starting FINALLY. Went from 2ppm ammonia to 1 and now reading nitrites.
 
Sniperhank said:
Well that's interesting. Wonder why it took so long to get up. How much rock is in the system now? Is it 1 lbs per gallon? How about sand?
Click to expand...
100lb dry rock and 40lb agronite. Sand around 3-4in deep.

Never had heater installed. Water was around 68, prob had a lot to do with it taking longer.

It's underway now though [emoji16]
 
The temp could have played a part. At least we're chugging a long now. Just make sure you keep on top of that ammonia level being at 2 ppm if it hits 0. You want to keep feeding the bacteria so it can populate the rock and sand.
Make sure you keep the lights off, polluting the water column like we are doing is a good way to start off with an algae issue. Cut the light source and it should stem this.
May I ask why there isn't as much sand in the system?
 
Sniperhank said:
The temp could have played a part. At least we're chugging a long now. Just make sure you keep on top of that ammonia level being at 2 ppm if it hits 0. You want to keep feeding the bacteria so it can populate the rock and sand.
Make sure you keep the lights off, polluting the water column like we are doing is a good way to start off with an algae issue. Cut the light source and it should stem this.
May I ask why there isn't as much sand in the system?
Click to expand...



Yep, iv cut the lights. Iv got the timers set and they been coming on while I was at work and didn't realize it until earlier. Got that nipped in the bud now though.

I really
Didn't want to make the sand bed to deep as the tank is only 18" deep. I didn't want to take up to much of my water Column. I will follow up with a pic give u an idea of the sand.
 
1494893504984.jpg
Turned lights on for pic. The one spot the sand is blew out from the powerhead. Iv got to get a second one and adjust them as needed.
 
Finally got it cycled. Added a sailfin tang and royal gamma yesterday. So far they are happy.

I'm looking for a light to add inside the stand for my refugium. I'm wanting to do some Cheato algae in my refugium. Everything iv read is saying I need something around 5k for best growth. Anyone have any advice on a brand of light to get. Also, will need the stuff to mount it.
 
1496328837474.jpg

I decided I wanted to house some pods in my refugium, as I'm looking into a mandarin in the future. Also, I wanted to do a deep sand bed in the fug to help with denitrification. However, bc I had my first baffle of bubbke trap raised off the bottom I could do it.

I ended up apply a small baffle about 3 inch away from first bubble trap baffle and put some egg crate between the two to prevent chaeto from.being pulling into my return chamber. Added 30lb of live fine sand then capped with course agronite. Should create anoxic conditions within the fine sand hopefully. Also, the way it's set up the water will be pulling from the bottom as compared to the usual overflow over a high baffle. Should really help with pods into the return chamber bc it can pull from underneath structure.

Got some chaeto macoalgae ordered and the light looked up. I got a 5000 Kelvin LEO PAR38 flood light over the fug, so hoping for some good growth.

Just an update. The sailfin tang and royal gramma are doing great.

Chem is ammonia 0, nitrite 0, and my nitrate is consistently at 10 ppm. Once I get the fug up and running, I'm hoping to get that to zero.

Seeded the dry rock with a few pieces of live rock to get things rolling.
 
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