View Full Version : Cycling
Rickinferno
12/30/2008, 08:03 PM
Cycling
My Biocube 8G has been cycling for the past 7 days and I am starting to get Diatom Algea and my Ammonia is down also is my nitirite, I tested the water tonight and here are the results:
TEMP: 78
PH: 8.4
SALT: 1.023 ( need to go up to 1.025)
KH: 268.5 (needs to come down)
Calcium: 380 (need to go up to 420)
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 40
Phosphate: 0
My question is this; is it O.K. to do a water change 25%, this way I can play with the Salt to bring it up, the Calcium also and try to bring the KH down.
I know that when I had my FO tank once the ammonia and nitrite transformed to nitrate I would do a WC of about 25%, since I will be keeping soft corals and one small fish with a few CUC, do I proceed the same way?
When is it safe to add soft corals? When do you need to start adding supplements to the tank for the corals to thrive?
Reading and researching alot, my head is full of info just not processed yet :confused:
Here are a few pictures of my tank after 7 days of cycling:
http://cid-5b45f37ef5fc4f42.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/September%2007/%7C_MG%7C_6038.jpg
http://cid-5b45f37ef5fc4f42.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/September%2007/%7C_MG%7C_6041.jpg
Cant seem to be able to paste my pictures sorry! Is the light green algea in the second picture good or bad?
Thanks
MrsHaggis
12/30/2008, 08:21 PM
What water are you using?
If you can use RO/DI water.
Test your tap water (if you are using that) for nitrates - I know mine is really high.
It is only safe to add any coral when your tank has finished it's cycle. Your nitrates should be zero before even thinking about coral. A 7-Day tank is very young. Patience, wait for about another 21 days taking water tests every few days to see where you are.
I would change the water only if I knew the new source had no nitrates.....
killarsox
12/30/2008, 08:25 PM
I believe you could go to Walmart and buy RO water. It's about 60 cents a gallon, has a purple cap on it. If you dont want to invest in an RO/DI unit it's an alternative.
Posidion
12/30/2008, 08:32 PM
patience "daniel son"
1st lesson-- all good things come to thost who wait.
2nd less is more you can do water changes but i recomend several small ones over the course of a month vs. one large one 3rd i wouldnt recomend adding thing to a 7 day old tank and beyond that i would hold off on corals till the water parameters fall into more acceptable levels. There are some hobbiests out there who have never had a tank complete the cycle, they just cant keep their hands out.:rollface:
Posidion
12/30/2008, 08:40 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14045905#post14045905 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by killarsox
I believe you could go to Walmart and buy RO water. It's about 60 cents a gallon, has a purple cap on it. If you dont want to invest in an RO/DI unit it's an alternative.
be care ful here ro/di and distilled water are not the same!!
most LFS will sell ro water at ardund 30-40 cents per gal, try there first.
Rickinferno
12/30/2008, 08:48 PM
I use Labrador water(bottled water), when I tested the water it showed 0 Nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, Phosphate. I did have the ammonia and nitrite go up for a few days having the nitrate at 0, but it all started to go down and my nitrate stated to go up, you can see that today only my nitrate is up everything else is pretty good exept for the KH!
Posidion
12/30/2008, 09:02 PM
Thats the way its supposed to go. You dont really have to worry about the alkalinity now. KH should be 3 to 4 meq or 10 to 11 Dkh I dont know where you got that eratically high # in the first post. 268.5??
Rickinferno
12/30/2008, 09:07 PM
That crazy number means 15 Dkh :), I ll do a small 5% WC tomorrow, this way I'll be able to bring the salt to 1.025. After that I ll let it run for another week while testing every other day the water, I was thinking of adding 2 CUC for the diatom algea I m getting any suggestions on the best kind for this type of algea?
Posidion
12/30/2008, 09:46 PM
Cucumbers will do the job but they make a mess when they croak I never had much luck with em. I just stick to cheap blue leg hermit crabs and snails. then theres the old tooth brush and elbow grease method. just scrub it off You could reduce the light schedule or leave them off completely for awhile this will help. also wont hurt fish they dont care.
Rickinferno
12/30/2008, 09:54 PM
I ll try the old tooth brush and elbow grease method and will turn the light on for less hours.
Dont want to add anything alive in the tanks yet.
Posidion
12/30/2008, 10:04 PM
thats the best call
Rickinferno
12/31/2008, 08:36 AM
I woke up this morning to find a part of my LR was cleaner then the rest of the LR, I had a closer look at all the rocks and found this little guy feeding like crazy on the back of one of my LR!!!
http://cid-5b45f37ef5fc4f42.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/September%2007/TurboBottom.jpg
Guess he came with the live rock, since it was cured rock and from a friends 8year old reef. I will leave the Diatom algea there to feed him but will do a 5% WC this morning to bring my SALT to 1.025.
I have bought PURIGEN to add to the filtration but was waiting to put it in till I MOD my 2nd chamber into a FUGE, can I put it in today? It will be in the 3rd chamber right before the pump so that the water flows trew it before going back in the tank.
Thanks
Michael
12/31/2008, 08:46 AM
hi-rick, id let the tank cycle until ammonia and nitrite have been 0 for 2-3 days then do a 20% water change and add some cuc a day or so after when its settled down, id forget corals for at least a week or 2 after that as well, personally i waited 4 months before adding corals, only start with soft corals like a toadie or shrooms to start and keep an eye on nitrate, and i sugest you take the mag float out and only put it in the tank when you want to clean the glass, oh and
[welcome]
WaterKeeper
12/31/2008, 09:12 AM
Hi Rick,
My, my a whole seven days into a new tank and you have diatoms. Most people don't see those for two to three weeks after setting up a new tank. ;)
The diatoms are perfectly normal and are just one stage in cycling a new tank. They go away on their own but snails help speed the process (you already have one judging by that picture). Be prepared for green algae to take their place and it usually arrives with a vengeance. It too will go away on its own as a nutrient balance is achieved. I'd do the 25% water changes you planned as it will help remove both nitrate and nutrients. Nitrate too will decline on its own but that takes a month or two. Adding a fish next week is probably OK but I'd hold off on coral for some time yet.
Rickinferno
12/31/2008, 09:44 AM
Thanks for the great info Michael and Waterkeeper, I do plan on taking it very very slow. I did some research on the bottled water I used to start the tank and found that it is iodized water, is this good for the tank? If not I did call some of the LFS around here and they do not sell RO/di water. Will eventually seek to buy a RO/DI system but not for this 8 gallon tank!
Thanks again for all the good info everyone.
WaterKeeper
12/31/2008, 09:49 AM
That means they used iodine to disinfect the water. Iodine at the level used is fine for a reef tank but in may just be carbon filtered tap water. Use distilled water rather than bottled drinking water (spring water) for your tank. It is nearly as good as RO/DI and is cheaper than what they usually sell at the LFS.
Rickinferno
12/31/2008, 11:22 AM
Thanks Waterkeeper, I have just noticed a store that sells all types of bottled water but they were closed today, I ll go see them on Friday see if they sell RO/DI water or Distilled water, I am sure they sell Distilled water.
WaterKeeper
12/31/2008, 11:32 AM
For a small tank like yours distilled is fine. When you move up in size then an RO/DI make economic sense as it costs less to make than store bought.
Rickinferno
12/31/2008, 01:23 PM
I m sure I ll find some at the water store near my house. I did a 20% WC just now and also cleaned up the Diatom of most of the LR, left some on one LR for the Turbo Snail. Tested my water 30 minutes after the WC and here are my results
TEMP: 79
SALT: 1.026
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 20
Phosphate: 0
KH: 15
Calcium: 440
PH: 8.4
Will let it cycle for another 7 days before doing another WC, also waiting for some Cheato from my LFS to MOD the 2nd chamber into a FUGE.
I'll post when I get more to share :)
Thanks
WaterKeeper
12/31/2008, 01:30 PM
Was that cured LR you used. I notice that nitrates dropped by half and that can't all be due to the water change. You may be already getting some biological denitrification. That would be great in so new a tank.
Rickinferno
12/31/2008, 01:37 PM
The LR came from a friend who had it for the past 8 years in his FOWLR tank. I ll re test the Nitrate just to make sure it went down by half and let you know the results.
Rickinferno
01/01/2009, 11:11 AM
Here are the results of my water this morning :
PH: 8.4
KH: 13
Calcium: 460
Ammonia: 0.25
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 20
Salt: 1.026
Phosphate: 0.5
Temp: 79
I did remove the crushed coral that was used for the bed and replaced it with RedSea ReefBase. My kids are starting to ask me when will we put a fish in the tank!!! I told them maybe next week a little Damsel, I ll keep it for 1 or 2 months then I ll ship it to my friends aquarium.
WaterKeeper
01/01/2009, 12:31 PM
Rick,
That analysis tells me that you are indeed getting some nitrate reduction in the tank already. Not bad for a week old tank. It probably can handle a fish in very short order but I'm not so sure I select a damsel. How about a nice colorful wrasse? A more peaceful fish, that is sure to please the kids, and will not need to be sent into exile. :D
Rickinferno
01/01/2009, 01:26 PM
LOL Waterkeeper...it is notme who picked the Damsel but them, they saw one at my friends house and said "THATS WHAT WE WANT DAD" I did speak to my friend and he is willing to lend me his Damsel but only if my Nitrite, ammonia and nitriate are suitable for fish.
Here is a picture of the Damsel :
http://cid-5b45f37ef5fc4f42.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/September%2007/%7C_MG%7C_5323.jpg
WaterKeeper
01/01/2009, 01:33 PM
I don't know Rick, you really want a convict in the house with kids around? ;)
Rickinferno
01/01/2009, 08:37 PM
CRAP i did not see it that way :):)
Rickinferno
01/02/2009, 07:15 PM
I want to take the Bioballs out of the second chamber to build my Fuge in it. Now do I remove all the bioballs at once or a few every day? I do have LR and have been cycling my tanks for the past 9 days, will removing all the bioballs at once take the bacteria out of the tank or do I have enough in the LR ?
WaterKeeper
01/02/2009, 07:42 PM
Until you add the LR to the tank only remove a few bioballs at a time. Once the LR is in the tank you can remove them all.
Rickinferno
01/02/2009, 09:36 PM
I did put the LR in the tank when I first started the cycling it has been in there for the past 9 days. So it is safe for me to remove the Bioballs from that 2nd chamber and setup my FUGE ?
WaterKeeper
01/03/2009, 05:58 AM
I see no probem with that.
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