Newbie to saltwater

[Precious_Scarface]

I did put more food after the 2nd test then i waited it went up again hopefully it doesnt go lower if not ill need help

Today 1st

Salinity- 1.023
Ammonia- 2.0ppm
Ph- 8.2
Nitrites-0
Nitrates-0

2nd

Salinity- 1.023
Ammonia-0.50ppm
Ph-8.4
Nitrites-0
Nitrates-0

3rd

Salinity-1.023
Ammonia-0.50ppm
Ph-8.4
Nitrites-0
Nitrates-0

Oups 3rd
Salinity-1.023
Ammonia-2.0ppm
Ph-8.4
Nitrites-0
Nitrates-0

 

[Precious_Scarface]

Cn somebody help me out ??

 

[Beengirl]

Help you with what? The cycle is going to take a while, like weeks. Patience is the key. It's only been a few days.

 

[Precious_Scarface]

I just wonder why the ammonia is going up instead of going down

 

[Beengirl]

The ammonia is supposed to go up during the cycle. It will reach a max, hopefully at 4 or more, then it will slowly drop. Then nitrites will rise and drop;the nitrites drop slower than the ammonia, though. When you're back to zero for ammo and Trites, then you'll probably have high Trates. At that point you're cycled and you do a PWC to get Trates as close to zero as possible. Then you add fish. . All of this will probably take at least a couple of weeks, though.

 

[Precious_Scarface]

Lol i meant why were they going down instead of going up lol cause itwas at 2.0 ppm then within the night it was at .50ppm

 

[Beengirl]

Lol i meant why were they going down instead of going up lol cause itwas at 2.0 ppm then within the night it was at .50ppm

That just mean star you have some ammonia-eating bacteria present already. The ammonia eating bacteria grows relatively fast. Most of the cycle is spent waiting for the nitrite-eating bacteria to grow cuz they multiply at a slower rate. Keep adding an ammonia source to keep that bacteria alive while the other one grows. Don't want them to die off.

 

[Precious_Scarface]

Good ill keep an eye on my nitrites !! And ill keep adding some food in there

 

[Precious_Scarface]

Ok now i got myself a good power head aqueon 500 good for 20-40 gallon circulates 500 gph now my water is actualy clearing up from that cloudiness !! I heard that hang on back motors can be damaged from the sand being filtered ect and could get in between the magnet and the fan or whatever so i made a cheap trick for that and clears my water faster .. I bougth this cut-to-fit filter pad

 

[Precious_Scarface]

Cut-to-fit pad filter and tied it around the bottom of the filter input and it filters the sand great

 

[Precious_Scarface]

Alright now its been about 2 days that my ammonia is between 4.0 - 8.0ppm shouldnt be too long before i see changes right ?? I got the tank finally and i got myself a molly its in my fresh water for now cause once my tank is cycled i can test it out with a molly which can go in both fresh and salt water if the tank is good enough ill tranfers the molly bCk to my freshwater and can get the nemo fish

 

[Beengirl]

Alright now its been about 2 days that my ammonia is between 4.0 - 8.0ppm shouldnt be too long before i see changes right ?? I got the tank finally and i got myself a molly its in my fresh water for now cause once my tank is cycled i can test it out with a molly which can go in both fresh and salt water if the tank is good enough ill tranfers the molly bCk to my freshwater and can get the nemo fish

The ammonia should start to drop soon. Then nitrites will rise, and that's a lot longer to come down then the ammonia. It's still exciting tho!!

 

[MacDracor]

While mollies are saltwater/brackish fish that have been acclimated to fresh for the aquarium trade, switching back and forth would be stressful. Rather than using a fish to see if its ready, just keep watching the levels. When ammonia and nitrite are zero and nitrate is high (and added ammonia converts quickly) do a large pwc and add the clown. No need to confuse that poor Molly. Lol

 

[Precious_Scarface]

I wasnt gonna make sudden changes i wont be like ah its put her back in there i was gonna put her in there for a week until shes settled down a bit then switch her back .. Cause you must say youd rather loose a 4.99 fish than a 49.99$ of course i dont want it to die i love my fishes but money wise ..

 

[MacDracor]

Well, what I mean is that if the water tests are good, there's no reason why the clown would have a problem. And if they're not, even a Molly will. Clowns are pretty hardy, so as long as everything tests ok, it's a good first fish. And jeebus, what kind of clown are you buying for forty bucks??

 

[Precious_Scarface]

Clownfish are just that expensive over here

 

[MacDracor]

Well, still... It's not my tank or my money, but it is my 'personal' belief that using fish instead if test kits to determine water quality is unethical. Just me.

 

[Precious_Scarface]

I do agree with you i do use the tests and make sure everything is alright but im gonna keep the molly in there until i get the clownfish and if it does die well there might be something wrong if not im probably gonna keep it in the saltwater

 

[Precious_Scarface]

Nitrite spike !! now for the wait

 

[bavass]

That is probably the most unreliable test kit out there. Eventually if I would try and get some of the Red Sea Pro or Salifert kits. Once you start testing for Nitrates, Phosphates, Calcium, Magnesium, etc... you will want better kits.

Just be patient and nitrites will start to come down, can take 6-8 weeks