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View Full Version : Cycling question, no skimming yet?


bigchimp
04/20/2006, 08:50 PM
New 46 gallon bowfront with newly added 50 pds of live rock and 40 pds of live sand - fiji import. BAck pak style protien skimmer...Eheim or whatever canister filter , 2 aqua clear powerheads on wavemaker system.

Guy at LFS said not to run the protien skimmer for 3 months because it only sucks nutrtients out......is this true?? It seems to defy logic in my mind since im supposed to be making a full effort to reduce toxins in the tank now in the early stages right? When i do run it it definatly collects green smelly liquid. But the nitrite levels are still off the chart on the test scale.

I used to use this biozyme stuff on my last tanks years back that worked well to keep nitrites down and the tank stable.

Any idea how long before nitrite levels stabalize?

Also noticed some rust colored algea growing on the live rock.

Any help would be appreciated

Kurt03
04/20/2006, 08:54 PM
i think you would run the skimmer while curing the rock, i would expect 3weeks or so till nitrites finally dissapear. They will build up and build up then drop off and within a day or so they will be to 0.

Recife
04/20/2006, 08:58 PM
You want to run the skimmer exactly to control the level of nutrients in the tank. If ammonia and nitrites get too high you will kill all the good stuff on the rock.
The amount of scum produced by the skimmer will also give you an idea of where in the cycle you are. It will be filthy in the beginning and less bad with time.
The timing varies, but you should start seeing the nitrites go down by day 25. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't mean anything is wrong. Sometimes it takes a bit longer.

aquawolf
04/20/2006, 09:00 PM
Your tank is going through the normal cycling process.

I would run your skimmer so that it goes through its necessary break-in period and begins working efficiently. Yes, it removes some nutrients and that is exactly what you want to remove.

The cycle duration is going to depend on a number of factors. Was the rock fully cured, was the live sand still wet, the lenght of your light cycle, amount of flow, are you feeding the tank and so on.

The rust color is Cyano bacteria and will eventually begin to clear up as the cycle progresses further and your nutrient levels go down.

bigchimp
04/20/2006, 09:03 PM
Yea last weekend the same LFS guy recomended this Bio spira stuff thats suposed to majically cycle the tank in 24 hrs...but the levels are still crazy high... I dont think it did much and cost a bunch....but its supposed to help overall in producing good bacteria...i dont know....

bigchimp
04/20/2006, 09:05 PM
Wow man thanks...highly knowlegable...no the live rock was shipped in from fiji to los angelos and then onto Brooklyn where i am now in like a 48 hr trip. WWW.Live Aquaria.com is where i got it so during the trip i imagine there was some die back....i mean i dont know how they handle thier goods at point of origin but regardless the trip over here would have killed off some stuff which would result in higher levels of nitrite until we start growing back right?

bigchimp
04/20/2006, 09:14 PM
not feeding it...there is nothing but live rock and sand in the tank...temp at 76 salt at .24 or whatever...sand was still wet when i got it. Coralife power compact on a 10hr cycle

flow is rediculas...2 aqua clear 50s and the return from the canister with the wavemaker on a 30 second on/ off cycle plus the return from the skimmer - its making the sand at the bottom "dune" so im going to try and move them around a little to keep the aqua scape a little more stable...any ideas? the P heads are on opposite sides of the tank blowing across the face of the rock sort of at eachother...pretty turbulant

aquawolf
04/20/2006, 09:45 PM
Everything sounds fairly good there.

What are you using to check your salinity? I keep the salinity in my reef at 1.026, according to my temperature correcting refractometer. If you are using a hydrometer your level may be there already, or may actually be a little lower, but I would shoot for that.

You may want to reduce your lighting cycle to 8 hours for a little while, but that still may not do you any good at this point.

Now is the time for patience, eventually it will begin clearing up on its own once the good bacteria and possibly other algae start out competing it for nutrients.

aquawolf
04/20/2006, 09:47 PM
You also might want to offset your powerheads, place one high and the other one low so that blow towards each other but on different levels. That may help stop the creation of dunes a little.

bertoni
04/20/2006, 09:51 PM
I would skip the BioSpira, since I'm not convinced it does anything even in the short term.

76 seems fairly low to me. I target 82. This article talks about all the water parameters:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

I think all you need to do is relax and wait. Some water changes might help, too, if you have the time and energy.

bigchimp
04/21/2006, 10:21 PM
niiice , i love info..i kicked up salinity...shifted powerheads... i already ran the bio spira...it did nothing by my test results in a true cycle tank,...everything brand new...added live rock and sand.....it didnt do much.


Im using a seatest specific gravity meter...plastic box 4 x .5 with a plastic thing that moves when u fill the water to the line

bigchimp
04/22/2006, 09:21 AM
Do you guys think hydrometers are inaccurate in measuring salinity?

Recife
04/22/2006, 11:40 AM
I think they are pretty accurate. But if you get the tiniest little crack on it replace it right away as it won't measure salinity right.
They are pretty cheap, so get a second one and use both to measure the salinity to make sure the result is right.

bertoni
04/22/2006, 02:55 PM
If you mean the floating type, they can be quite accurate, but need to be calibrated for use, in practice. The swing-arms don't have generated a lot of complaints, and mine was awful.

bigchimp
04/22/2006, 04:26 PM
naw it doesnt float...its this exact thing here.....

www.petco.com/assets/product_images/5/5137802502B.jpg

Another questiojn...i just ran out of my coralife brand sea salt...is it bad to mix different brands together like say instant ocean and coralife?? Should a reef hobbyist only stick to one brand throught the life of the tank?

Marinemom
04/22/2006, 04:29 PM
For the most part, hydrometers (swing arm type) tend to be inaccurate. I find that putting your money into a good refractometer is better.

Marinemom

bertoni
04/22/2006, 09:37 PM
You shouldn't have any trouble mixing that salt with another.