when should i start seeing life in my tank?

[xunknownx]

hi,

this is my first salt water tank. i have instant ocean live sand. i've added live rocks a week ago from various sources. i ordered 16 pounds of bali alor from online but it took a week to come so i dont expect there to be any more life in it but i also went to 2 different LFS to purchase some man made rocks + figi and tonga rocks live rocks. i dont see any critters crawling around, is it still too early? the owner at one of the LFS told me to raise the temperature up during cycling to speed up the process so i've been running my tank at around 84-85 degrees. now my mananger who is an experienced reefer told me to just run it at the normal 77-79 degrees. did i just kill all the life forms in my live rocks?

[sasharotty]

You didnt kill anything. As you have heard or read in numerous posts nothing comes quickly in this hobby. Since it sounds like your using mostly live rock you might not see a big cycle possibly just a "mini". Have patience and you will start to see life once it starts establishing.

[xunknownx]

well i'm using mostly live rocks and live sand. should i be using anything else? i dont think i need to put a dead shrimp since i have live rocks right?

[Reefmedic79]

How old is your tank?

Keep an eye on your water parameters to determine if your tank is cycling. A raw shrimp isn't necessary to start a cycle in your tank.

[Reefmedic79]

Oops

[xunknownx]

i posted my water parameters in the nano tank thread but i can post it here again.

i put in live rocks exactly 1 week ago and here are the parameters from last week.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i382/damonJ86/Aquarium/IMG_20121016_214648.jpg

i tested it again just now (exactly 1 week after my live rocks got put in) and it seems like my tank is cycled and all i need to do is do water changes to lower my nitrates then i can put in a clean up crew.
http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i382/damonJ86/Aquarium/IMG_20121022_215812.jpg

i find it odd that it took so fast to cycle so i have 2 possible theories. correct me if i'm wrong

1. i have instant ocean live sand cycling in the tank for 2 weeks prior to adding in the live rocks, this will be the 3rd week. (although i dont think theres actual live bacteria in packaged live sand so more than likely my cycle probavly just started last week when i added the live rocks?)

2. the owner at my LFS told me to raise my temperature while cycling to speed up the process, so i've been running the tank at 84-85F the entire time. i'm lowering the temperature back down now as we speak.

[stlcard]

dont rush it. i thought i was done at 2 weeks based off API test kits.... Little did i know i had another cycle ahead of me, (even though i did not add additional possible source). New tank syndrome/ that 2nd cycle killed a bunch of freebies i got from friends.

You should get at least 7 days of consistent testing at 0 nitrite, amonia, nitrate.

You should do a big water change to get that nitrate out. Are you using RO/DI water?

Do you have a diatom bloom yet? Looks like brown algae, but does not stick to anything, very powdery in appearance when disturbed. extremely common in new tanks (usually not until after the cycle, about 4-7 weeks into establishment)

You could possibly start adding CUC, but i wouldnt recommend any fish for another couple weeks and few more water changes.

Seachem "stability" could also be added to help boost bacteria development. It worked wonders for speeding up my cycle... (that is, after i failed the first time)

Other than that, just sit on your hands... only time will get your tank ready. Spend your cycle time researching EVERYTHING. Start with learning water parameters and WHY they are important. Pick out your planned stocking list (fish and type of corals) Having a prepared stock/interest list will not only give you time to understand the creatures and their needs, but what direction you want to take your tank. If youve noticed, the most successful reefers do their research, and have trends in the fish and type of coral they stock. Your stock list will also save you money in the long run by prepping you for what equipment you need. I spent alot of money moving up through equipment, if i could go back id easily have saved at least 1k in equipment and worthless supplements by doing my research and planning what fish and coral i wanted to keep.

[stlcard]

are you planning a reef tank or FOWLR? (Fish only with live rock)

Look into getting test kits for Alkalinity, Calcium, & Magnesium. Once you get going, API is not considered very reliable because they are color match testing (which is subjective to the ambient lighting your in) Salifert, Red sea, are more expensive but used by the big dogs around RC. Youd might as well invest in those if you plan to stay long in the hobby. (again, i wish i did this).

heres a list of the most commonly needed/ used test kits. ALL an absolute must if you want to be successful.

1. Alkalinty - kH scale
2. Calcium -
3. MAgneisum
4. nitrate
5. phosphate - crucial if algae becomes a problem... which it does... for every new tank
6. ammonia -

[xunknownx]

yea, i'm using ro/di water. i have a 28G, about how many gallons should i change? 50%? and because i have to make the ro/di water, takes a couple hours. can i change 5 gallons a day? or should i do it all at once?

no diatom bloom yet, i will continue to let the tank run and test my water daily now. probably wont add CUC until next week at earliest if i dont get any nitrite spikes.

i do plan to have a reef tank. i bought the redsea magnesium pro test kit, have the hanna calcium and alkainity digital tester. i havent tested those yet since theres no point if the tank is not done cycling and i wont be putting in corals until after the tank is fully cycled. didnt buy the phosphate tester yet.