fluval Chi to 10 gal upgrade

[Nu-Nu the eel]

Originally Posted by Bearchumjs

I'm not getting live rock though. I can just buy a shrimp I guess.

Just drop in some mysis shrimp and let it go

[Huffers]

Are you not planning on using live rock at all in your system? I'm confused

[Bearchumjs]

I've got a piece of base rock. It will turn live after it cycles. I have to add an ammonia source- I bought a raw shrimp and a hairnet. That will be my source of ammonia. I'll add more base rock later.

[Bearchumjs]

Originally Posted by Nu-Nu the eel

Just drop in some mysis shrimp and let it go

A raw shrimp from the super market will work right? I know it may get smelly but it will at least get it started.

[Nu-Nu the eel]

Originally Posted by Bearchumjs

I've got a piece of base rock. It will turn live after it cycles. I have to add an ammonia source- I bought a raw shrimp and a hairnet. That will be my source of ammonia. I'll add more base rock later.

True in a way, but without REAL live rock to seed the base rock your base rock will never really become live. It may have diatoms and algae, but it wont have coraline, feather dusters, etc.

[Bearchumjs]

Originally Posted by Nu-Nu the eel

True in a way, but without REAL live rock to seed the base rock your base rock will never really become live. It may have diatoms and algae, but it wont have coraline, feather dusters, etc.

I'm ok with that for now.

[Bearchumjs]

Mixed in salt and 4 gallons of water. Wanna see it? It's amazing. (you should be picking up the sarcasm...)

It looks like crap but I know it will settle down! Can't wait to turn on the filter!

I should maybe start working on my DIY lid here pretty soon too.

[Huffers]

I agree with nu-nu. It will take months before your base rock is filled with the kind of live organisms that are crucially beneficial to a marine aquarium. You ought to pick up a couple small pieces of live rock to go with your base rock.

[Bearchumjs]

So I have the filter turned on, the water is clearing up. How long do I need to wait to see if it needs more salt? Cause right now it looks like it needs some more. It's been about 35 minutes.

Also, my filter is a tetra whisper 5-10 and it's 90 GPH. Is that good for 4-5 gallons of water? I have a larger filter. It's an Marineland AquaTech for 20-40gal aquariums. I thought that might be too strong.

[Bearchumjs]

Originally Posted by Huffers

I agree with nu-nu. It will take months before your base rock is filled with the kind of live organisms that are crucially beneficial to a marine aquarium. You ought to pick up a couple small pieces of live rock to go with your base rock.

Well, since I am definitely going to need more rock anyway I'm going to follow y'alls advice and get some small pieces of live rock at some point before I put living things in my tank.

[Bearchumjs]

Here it is after about an hour. I'm going to go ahead and test for ammonia so I know what 0ppm looks like.

[Bearchumjs]

I just emailed API so maybe they will mail me a saltwater test card. Anyway, here's my test result for low and high pH and ammonia.

The ammonia seems .... Well... Not zero.

The tank is still a little cloudy but it's looking better.

[Huffers]

Good idea. It's an essential part of any marine aquarium and for a 5 gallon tank it's really not even that big of a monetary commitment (should be less than $20).

As far as your filter I think it should be fine. 90 gph is more than adequate for a 5 gallon and going with a more powerful filter would prolly create too much water movement.

[Huffers]

Id wait at least 24 hours before you start testing to ensure accurate results. Also if your going to go with live rock don't add an additional ammonia source. The live rock will be more than enough in that small of a tank.

[Bearchumjs]

Originally Posted by Huffers

Id wait at least 24 hours before you start testing to ensure accurate results. Also if your going to go with live rock don't add an additional ammonia source. The live rock will be more than enough in that small of a tank.

Ok, because those results seemed odd to me.

I'll start with adding the shrimp and then when I do get live rock I'll remove the shrimp. I probably won't get any rock until next week or the week after, unless I find someone on Craigslist who has some they are selling for cheap.

[Bearchumjs]

When can I add my shrimp?

Water temp is 82 so I turned down the heater.

The water has cleared up nicely. I'm going to add a little more water so I'll have to add more salt. I'll get it figured out....

I have to mail API $2 and they will send me a card for my test kit.

[Bearchumjs]

Originally Posted by Bearchumjs

When can I add my shrimp?

Water temp is 82 so I turned down the heater.

The water has cleared up nicely. I'm going to add a little more water so I'll have to add more salt. I'll get it figured out....

I have to mail API $2 and they will send me a card for my test kit.

Add my raw shrimp for cycling. Thought I should clarify that.

[Huffers]

I'll be honest I wouldn't add a dead raw shrimp to start cycling. You could end up have so much ammonia in your tank (because it's so small) that youd essentially have to start over. If anything, maybe put a small amount of flake fish food or something of that nature. Putting a dead whole shrimp into your system and letting it rot to start ammonia cycle just doesn't sound like a good idea.

[Bearchumjs]

Originally Posted by Huffers

I'll be honest I wouldn't add a dead raw shrimp to start cycling. You could end up have so much ammonia in your tank (because it's so small) that youd essentially have to start over. If anything, maybe put a small amount of flake fish food or something of that nature. Putting a dead whole shrimp into your system and letting it rot to start ammonia cycle just doesn't sound like a good idea.

I only have freshwater fish food. I could cut a little tiny piece of the shrimp maybe?

I have some frozen blood worms. Could I use those?

[needmorecowbell]

Originally Posted by Huffers

I'll be honest I wouldn't add a dead raw shrimp to start cycling. You could end up have so much ammonia in your tank (because it's so small) that youd essentially have to start over. If anything, maybe put a small amount of flake fish food or something of that nature. Putting a dead whole shrimp into your system and letting it rot to start ammonia cycle just doesn't sound like a good idea.

I agree, but how about instead of putting the whole shrimp in, proportion it? Maybe a quarter or less of it will do, you just want it to show that you have ammo.