Recent content by dave333539

I wouldn't just dump the old water in. It won't really do much as far as cycling goes. The bacteria that create the cycle don't really live in the water column in any significant numbers. The bacteria need a surface to grow on. That is why we use live rock; it is very porous (has a large surface...

Has anything changed or been added recently? It sounds like diatoms.

You should wait until the ammonia and then the nitrite is at 0 before adding anything. Invertebrates especially are sensitive to these compounds.

A good way that I've found to do it is to feed the tank as you would the fish you want to put in it. By feeding every day there is a constant source of food for the bacteria instead of just a single feeding. This will allow both types of bacteria (ammonia->nitrite and nitrite->nitrate) to grow...

The only filtration needed as the others have said is live rock and a good protein skimmer. The skimmer should be oversized if keeping a high bio load (lots of fish). Filters commonly used in freshwater tanks such as HOB and canister filters can become nitrate traps if not cleaned very often...

The best way to do it as long as it's not way off. I try to keep mine between 1.024 and 1.025

The red sea kits especially the "pro" ones are better as are the salifert (*spelling?) test kits.

Should be ok for softies and some/most lps. As for sps, I would say probably not for all, but maybe some lower light sps (such as birds nest) as long as they are towards the top.

Usually it is a chamber. It may take a cartridge though, but either way, it's filled with resin (small beads). They may be brown or blue and white.