Brand New to SW and have questions

[pat8you]

What numbers did you get on your ammonia test?

Coralline is the purple stuff on the rock. More will grow soon enough so i wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Cylias]

Coralline is the purple stuff right? I do have some on my rocks, not alot tho. My photography leaves alot to be desired. I also got the last bits that the guy had, he had sold off the bulk already so I got what no one I guess wanted. :-(

Yes Coraline algae is the pink/purple/red stuff that encrusts your rocks. It adds a lot of color to the tank over time. I figured you probably got some rock that was under or behind the rock that was mostly showing but give it a few months and you will have tons. If you have enough calcium it will grow faster as well. It'll start out slow but once it gets going it grows everywhere!

 

[carey]

Just did a 50% water change and am now reading 4ppm on the ammonia. Now what? Do I wait for tomorrow or pwc again?

 

[pat8you]

Since you don't have anything in the tank you can just leave it. The ammonia will start to drop. Just keep an eye on it.

 

[Smitty]

Now that you are at 4 ppm I would leave the water alone. What is your tank temp at? Having it up to 80-82 could help as well. The ammonia that you purchased, did you shake the bottle to make sure no bubbles came up to verify it is pure ammonia?

What you will want to do is try and keep the ammonia at around the 4 ppm until it goes down to 0 overnight. Then add a bit more and make sure it goes back down to zero, then your cycle is complete. With live rock and live sand may not take all that long to get it cycled.

It is hard to just sit and look at an empty tank but patients is the key here for success in the long run. BTW: Good job on not getting the damsels.

 

[Cylias]

Its really not necessary to use ammonia to cycle the tank faster. I'd keep the tank at the usual 78 because algae will grow faster at warmer temps as well. Like smitty said its hard to keep a tank empty but its worth it for the first bit. Your tank is still very young and has a bit more till its ready for livestock. However you could add some Clean-up crew once your parameters are stable in the next week or so. This would help with cycling and your imminent war with algae.

 

[carey]

I'm currently at 79 degrees and holding steady at 4 ppm on the ammonia. I tried for nitrites but nothing so far.

So, if the ammonia drops in the AM I shouldn't dose it back up with ammonia? Or just leave it all alone and wait for nitrites and nitrates?

 

[Cylias]

I've never dosed ammonia in my tank and it cycled fine. Just leave it be and let nature do its thing. You can check the water parameters daily and if they stay stable for another week or so you could add some clean-up crew into the tank. You could start with 5 snails and 5 hermits and see how they do. If everything stays the same you could add another 5 of each a week later.

 

[PrettyFishies]

I would have to respectfully disagree. I do all my tanks with ammonia and shrimp. Once I remove the disintegrates shrimp, I switch to ammonia dosing.

You want to maintain 4ppm till it drops overnight. The bacteria are feeding and reproducing because of the ammonia. The more there is, the better your population will be. That said, maybe every other day is good for now instead of daily.

Try to keep the light away from the tank to prevent algae and you don't need the skimmer till the end.

 

[jenatron]

I would have to respectfully disagree. I do all my tanks with ammonia and shrimp. Once I remove the disintegrates shrimp, I switch to ammonia dosing.

You want to maintain 4ppm till it drops overnight. The bacteria are feeding and reproducing because of the ammonia. The more there is, the better your population will be. That said, maybe every other day is good for now instead of daily.

Try to keep the light away from the tank to prevent algae and you don't need the skimmer till the end.

+1
The bacteria need something to feed on: ammonia.

 

[carey]

Good Morning Folks.

Just did my readings and its: 4ppm ammonia, nitrites 0 and nitrates 0. Temp is at 79. Nothing has really changed since yesterday.

Any idea how long it could take til the ammonia goes down? I figure when nitrites start showing up the process is begun.

Right now the only thing I wanna put in is my cleanup crew. I'm in no rush for fish just yet if at all. Just wish I had something in the tank. I have been checking out the live rock in detail and there is ALOT of stuff growing on it. Theres little tentacles coming out of crevices and the such. And of course my teeny anemone is still alive. Theres that I guess. lol

Thanks guys, looking forward to replies.

 

[mr_X]

i have never used ammonia out of a bottle to cycle a tank. as a matter of fact, i've never used a cocktail shrimp either. i relied on the die off on the live rock to start the cycle, which it always did.
i waited for the ammonia to be converted, and then the nitrite. then i would add livestock slowly.
if you have a substantial ammonia reading in the beginning, i don't see the need to add more. it's inevitable that you will grow bacteria, once you see ammonia. the bacteria that you grow won't die in a few days either. no need to worry about a food source right away. you'll probably want to feed the crustaceans you add anyway. it doesn't look like there is a lot of food on that rock for them.

 

[pat8you]

I wouldn't add your clean up crew yet. They will have a hard time dealing with the ammonia just the same as fish. I know it is difficult to wait it out but i would leave the tank empty until you finish your cycle. It may be a little shorter for you since you already have some cycled rock.

 

[carey]

Woot! I think anyway..... I'm finally getting a nitrite reading, just .25 but its more than it was. Ammonia still at 4 tho. I'm encouraged....maybe this will work out OK after all lol

 

[carey]

Good Morning All! Did my daily readings and am at a crossroads of what to do.

My ammonia is at .5 ppm, nititres .25 and trates 0.

I would prefer not to add more straight amonia but I understand that the bacteria need something to live off of. Could I just rely on my LR now? Or should I dose back to 2 ppm and see what tomorrow brings?

Thanks! You guys ROCK!

 

[Smitty]

Since you still don't have a trace of trates I would say does more ammonia until you do. It is clear the cycle is proceeding just not done yet.

You can also try adding flakes or something instead of ammonia and see how that works.

 

[carey]

I added a pinch of flakes really pulverized. I'll check the readings later tonight and see if the ammonia goes back up. Still waiting for those darn nitrites to really kick in. Just wanna see some progress I guess. Doesn't mean livestock, just moving ahead would be great at this point.

 

[Smitty]

I can assure you that everyone feels the same way. The hardest part of getting the tank prepared is patients but it is worth it to avoid problems later on. I've heard a very valuable saying (in one form or another) from others on this site: Nothing good in a marine aquarium happens quickly. That is very true...

 

[carey]

The ammonia finally dropped to 0 this afternoon so I redosed a few ml of ammonia to get it back to 4ppm. I'm still reading just the slightest hint of nitrites and it looks like my nitrate test is showing a bit of orange. Not really very much tho.

I take it these are all good things? I posted in another thread about something I found when I moved a rock today. Not sure if its alive or not. I really hate to kill what I do have LOL

 

[carey]

Found this today on a rock