classroom setting up 10 gal. QT this afternoon

[rdnelson99]

Here is a good link to an article that explains the conversion cycle from ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrate. It is going to take a while for the tank to cycle so these article are good to read in the meantime. Helped me tremendously. Might be a bit over the heads of the younger students but the older ones should get some good out of it. Wow, this is fun.

Ammonia conversion to nitrate

Several years ago, I taught a class for electrical apprentices. It was second year which is very heavy on math and electrical theory. I had no idea how much I would enjoy watching the faces of the young (and not so young) men and women when they had that moment of understanding. Have fun.

 

[themartins]

Thank you for the link. I'll print it off. This is going to be great
hands on science, not to mention fun! The children will be charting the
tanks progress through the cycle, and coming here with any questions they
may have. It's nice to have a community of friendly hobbyists that can
answer any questions.

 

[themartins]

What should the pH be?

 

[rdnelson99]

It should be around 8. What test kits are you using?

 

[themartins]

They are API test kits. How can we bring up the pH?

 

[rdnelson99]

Not entirely sure but if you are just cycling, I wouldn't worry about PH too much. Wait it out until you are getting closer to completing the cycle. One thing I do know is that the PH will start out low after the lights have been off for a while but will be higher after the lights have been on for a while. The API are the ones I use but I have been told they are not the best. But I think they will be fine for you. Once in a while, run your own test and also have a local fish store (LFS) test the same sample. That way you can see how close you are to their readings.

 

[paulweck]

a good way to raise the ph is by adding a powerhead and pointing it at the surface of the water to aerate the water raise your ph, also gives the tank some water flow witch is needed.

 

[themartins]

Thank you. We'll put in a powerhead this morning. We may pick up a small bag of crushed coral to have on hand as well. We read an article last night that said that crushed coral can add KH to help prevent a pH crash at the end of the cycle.

 

[themartins]

Should I remove the carbon cartridge while cycling the aquarium? The filter has a "bio sponge" for bacteria to live and grow on as well.

 

[rdnelson99]

I have heard that the crushed coral can give you nitrate problems down the road. I went with sand (at the time because I liked how it looked). If I were you, I would also get a piece of live rock and put in. It will hold a lot more Beneficial Bacteria (BB) then the filter media. Never hurts to have lots of BB.

Here is another article that gives a good explanation of Live Rock, Base Rock, Cured Rock and Uncured Rock. When I set up my tank I did it with 1/3 base rock and 2/3 Live Rock. A lot of people will use mostly base rock and just one piece of live rock. That is much cheaper but takes a while before it really starts to look nice.

Curing live rock? I didn't even know it was sick!

 

[zacheyp]

gboy and green turtule, what grade are u guys in?

 

[themartins]

Update: We purchased 4 pounds of live rock yesterday from lfs. We want to add in about 10 pounds of base rock when we can.

Any suggestions for aquascaping?

 

[rdnelson99]

Update: We purchased 4 pounds of live rock yesterday from lfs. We want to add in about 10 pounds of base rock when we can.

Any suggestions for aquascaping?

Make sure it is set in a way that it wont topple and gives lots of tunnels and hiding places for the fish. They will love it. I used the base rock to form the base (imagine that), then used the live rock that was a pretty purple color to cover the white base rock.

 

[themartins]

Just tested the ammonia - .05 ppm. Cycle has begun, Yeah!

 

[rdnelson99]

You are on you way. Just remember, it takes time for the BB to establish a good colony. Be patient. This is fun, almost like starting my own tank over again.

 

[themartins]

Update: the ammonia was up to 1.0 yesterday.

We got the 30 gallon set up and running yesterday; the sand is mostly settled this morning. We also purchased 50 pounds of base rock from Reef Cleaners along with a few pieces of live rock from the lfs. We're planning on adding our ammonia source this morning.

 

[themartins]

update:
10 gallon
pH 8.2
ammonia 0.5 (down from Saturday, but only spiked to 1ppm)
nitrite between 0 and .25 ppm (so starting to show up)
salinity .028?

Questions: Is 1 ppm enough of an ammonia spike or should we see more like 4 ppm?

 

[themartins]

The earlier test results were for yesterday; here are todays for the 10 gal.
pH 8.2
ammonia 1.5
Nitrite between 0 and .25
Nitrate 5 ppm (starting to show up)
Salinity .030 (high)
Temp. 72

Questions:

Why is the salinity rising?
The temperature is lower than it should be and the Visitherm heater is turned up as far as it can be. How can I increase the temperature?

 

[rdnelson99]

Questions:

Why is the salinity rising?

Are you getting much evaporation? If so, when the water evaporates it leaves the salt behind. If you are adding back salt water it will bring more salt into the system. To replace evaporated water use regular RO/DI water with no salt. When you do partial water changes (PWC) you will use saltwater because when you remove water you are taking the salt with it.

 

[ShadoeFox]

If your h heater hasn't brought you up to temp at max the tank is either in a cool place or the heater is not working right