Final bit of advice

[FloridaNewbie]

So i got my 29gal cycling right now, my first water test are

Temp - 79
Amonia .25
Nitrate - 0
Nitrite - 0
Salinity - forgot to write it down, but the hand on the hydrometer was right in the middle all 3 times i did it.

I have one concern, i got my sand from local lfs, he has his own live sand which is cheaper than the bag ones, and its actually alive( he scooped it off the tank "live sand" tank). Also i got 25lbs of lr from him. He said i may not see a HUGE cycle because the die off will be very small on the sand and rock. he says if everything remains the same withint the next 2 weeks i can maybe get a fish or 2. He advised me 2 do a water teste every other day for now. Any other advice ??

 

[Sadielynn]

Sounds like you are starting your cycle ... It is possible to not see a huge cycle... but you will see some .. as evident above ... I would only test 1 or 2 times a week more than that is wasting your testing supplies ... After your readings are all 0 I would recommend a water change and to wait 1 more week test and then look into fish

 

[roka64]

I agree, if you have sand and LR from an established tank, you could see a short cycle, this is evident in the ammonia reading.

 

[melosu58]

I do agree that that kind of LS is better than the bagged type. I have a feeling the bagged type is no longer "live".

 

[Sadielynn]

I have the live sand in the bag Mel I agree it is probably no longer "live" but it sure sinks easier and doesnt screw with the impellars

 

[melosu58]

I used it in my 125 when I set it up and I agree with you Sadie

 

[roka64]

I agree with you both. I spent a lot of the day on Saturday, rinsing 240Lbs of sand!

 

[Sadielynn]

I agree with you both. I spent a lot of the day on Saturday, rinsing 240Lbs of sand!

Quick tip , when using large amounts of sand that may require rinsing get a tote bin poke holes into the bags of sand place in water up to a month in advance, keep the water moving with a cheap power head this prewets it a bit and the loose silt can be washed "over " the side of the tote with a hose while you do other stuff

 

[roka64]

That's a pretty good idae. I just did 30Lbs at a time, my bucket has a straight edge so I was pretty easy, the hard part was lugging wet sand through the house and having to scoop it out, since I already hung my lights...ack! LOL! I'll take your advice on the next time, thanks again!

 

[FloridaNewbie]

hmmmm, did another test today(tuesday), my last one was saturday. all the same, the salinity was a bit higher, but i added cups of distilled water and back to the middle. Now the rest was the same, actually the amonia was more towards the 0 than the .25. Shrimp is starting to get a fuzz... Well we will see what happens, think i'll wait until friday night for another test!!

My ls was nice and stuck together 2, i had the water cloudy for like half a day.

 

[Sadielynn]

You can probably safely remove the shrimp now ....

 

[FloridaNewbie]

You can probably safely remove the shrimp now ....

Think so Sadie ?? it's been there since Saturday only. i am going to leave it until this saturday, to see if i see a different reading on my tests. If not then i'll remove it. After i do take it out, should i do a pwc ??? if so, how much ??

I am excited, if all stays good, maybe i'll get a Clown after Thanksgiving!

Thanks.
Leo

 

[roka64]

No, don't do a PWC, you want to see nitrItes spike and then nitrAtes.

 

[melosu58]

No, don't do a PWC, you want to see nitrItes spike and then nitrAtes.

 

[FloridaNewbie]

Ok, i did another test today. it has been a week since i had the live rock and live sand(not the bag stuff) in the tank.

amonia : 0
PH: 8.0
Nitrite: 5
Nitrate: 0

Well the shrimp that i put in was headless and shelless, so it's nothing but a fuzz ball right now. What are my next steps ??

Thanks guys
Leo