Charlie's Tank

[Cjsanders757]

Just did the two ammonia tests today from my api kit. Weird results haha my salinity is 1.023

You don't test the two bottles in separate viles if that's what you did.

 

[Bectan01]

Are you sure you are doing the test correctly? How old is this test kit? Again I have never seen a ammonia test with results like that. Should be cloudy yellow or darker turning green. Certainly not blue! I use the API test kits but a lot of people think they are rubbish. Can you take a sample to your LFS an get them to test it?

 

[Bectan01]

Hang on, you say you did the two amm tests, there is only one ammonia test - you add drops from both bottles into the one test tube. Is that what's happening here?

 

[Charlie.636]

Oops lol yeah I was doing that wrong hahaha okay ill do another one and post it

 

[Charlie.636]

This one looks better

 

[Bectan01]

Ha! Yup that looks much better.

 

[Charlie.636]

Ha! Yup that looks much better.

So this is telling me that there is some ammonia? Yes?
Is my cycle started? Or to early to tell?

 

[Bectan01]

Yup looks like .50 maybe? What are you using to cycle? Hopefully it goes up to 4ppm

 

[Charlie.636]

Just LR from LFS tank. I was thinking about getting a piece of shrimp from grocery store

 

[Bectan01]

Yup go the shrimp and do it ASAP, you will have a much stronger cycle.

 

[Charlie.636]

You wouldn't recommend dosing ammonia? I've read that the shrimp way could take a very long time

 

[Bectan01]

Either way is good, I use shrimp but both methods will do the job

 

[egrape]

my tank just finished cycling and I only used live rock and sand. I probably wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

[Charlie.636]

So I put in a uncooked shrimp yesterday and my ammonia is after going up a bit already. Do I leave it in or take it out now?

 

[Bectan01]

Nope, just leave it in there and be patient!

 

[Charlie.636]

Nope, just leave it in there and be patient!

Thanks Bectan!

 

[Charlie.636]

How my tank is doing today.

My ammonia is up to 2.0 ppm
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0

And my shrimp is decaying really good parts floating around everywhere and outer skin gone haha

 

[Charlie.636]

Added a 9lb LR today. Now I'm having bit of trouble aquascaping. Any suggestions?

 

[obscurereef]

You could move the rock to one side like the left and have the rocks size decrease as you move across or could break up the big rock.

 

[Charlie.636]

Yeah I'm not liking it at all. The smaller pieces are annoying me I don't know where to put them. Would I be messing with it to beat up that big piece.