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- May 3, 2018
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Hello Everyone,
Well as you guessed it, I am new to the SW side of keeping these amazing little critters and little chunks of the ocean! As much as I loved having FW fish I always hoped that I could be in a good of place in my life to even to have a small SW Tank. Well here I am, 15 Years after my first tank. I always have loved watching fish swim along my 55 Gallon Tank and hosted them with the same respects to my Dogs. So after getting in and out of the hobby several times over the last 15 years, this time I decided I was going to Dive into the SW world as I always Dreamed of!
Well......
This is where the story only begins for me, I have had a lot of bumps along the way. Not so much in regards to critters life, but instead to my ego and morel. I am a stubborn German but i have thought about throwing in the towel several times now. I am her to document my dumping of the 2nd tank and to witness the 3rd (and possibly the last attempt) cycle and attempt to keep my little slice of the ocean. Again, I truly care and want to make sure everything in the tank is thriving. So With all of that said, and probably more then anyone cares but either way is my back story and how I ended up with this post. Now for the info for the last two cycles.... And why I am starting over for the 3rd time.
NEW TANK!!!
Well here we were just a couple months ago when I decided I was going to start up my Nano Tank but set it up like a large tank with all the goodies. I really didn't spare much expense (Of course I was on a budget) because I wanted this to be a long term fixture in my office. I don't have a ton of space but enough to go vertical then more horizontal so I went out and snatched up a 29 Gallon for my display Tank and threw a custom made 10 Gallon Sump below it. After the install I was all set to get things started and at least get the Cycle started!!! Whoohoo, This will be so much fun!! (So I thought)
MY SETUP:
RO/DI System
APEX Controller
Clearly I have made a million mistakes but really need all your help on my next step. What should I do now? I am pretty much feel scared to move in any direction as I feel like it will be wrong...
Any and all help would be great from the info I provided... I am sure I missed a million details and can answer just about any question to help me solve my instant death issue and what I should be doing. I am so lost and getting very discouraged (mainly from my own misdoings and ignorance I assume) but really do want to succeed.
Pictures of what I came home (Above) to and now after I have mixed up my sand and cleaned the glass on the front. Water change and vacuum will happen in the morning.
Much love, and I hope to wake up with a new enthusiasm for draining and recycling my tank again.
Well as you guessed it, I am new to the SW side of keeping these amazing little critters and little chunks of the ocean! As much as I loved having FW fish I always hoped that I could be in a good of place in my life to even to have a small SW Tank. Well here I am, 15 Years after my first tank. I always have loved watching fish swim along my 55 Gallon Tank and hosted them with the same respects to my Dogs. So after getting in and out of the hobby several times over the last 15 years, this time I decided I was going to Dive into the SW world as I always Dreamed of!
Well......
This is where the story only begins for me, I have had a lot of bumps along the way. Not so much in regards to critters life, but instead to my ego and morel. I am a stubborn German but i have thought about throwing in the towel several times now. I am her to document my dumping of the 2nd tank and to witness the 3rd (and possibly the last attempt) cycle and attempt to keep my little slice of the ocean. Again, I truly care and want to make sure everything in the tank is thriving. So With all of that said, and probably more then anyone cares but either way is my back story and how I ended up with this post. Now for the info for the last two cycles.... And why I am starting over for the 3rd time.
NEW TANK!!!
Well here we were just a couple months ago when I decided I was going to start up my Nano Tank but set it up like a large tank with all the goodies. I really didn't spare much expense (Of course I was on a budget) because I wanted this to be a long term fixture in my office. I don't have a ton of space but enough to go vertical then more horizontal so I went out and snatched up a 29 Gallon for my display Tank and threw a custom made 10 Gallon Sump below it. After the install I was all set to get things started and at least get the Cycle started!!! Whoohoo, This will be so much fun!! (So I thought)
MY SETUP:
RO/DI System
APEX Controller
- Classic Black Style
- VDM
- Jebao Powerhead Controller
- DOS System
- 2 PH / 1 Temp Probe
- 1" Sand Bottom Bed
- Dry Rock Start
- 30 lbs Craigslist Rock
- I did a Muriatic Acid Bath after my "1st Cycle" on these as they were nasty and had sat in a dry tub for 8 months after just being pulled from the tank and being thrown into mine (I was new be nice)
- 30 lbs Craigslist Rock
- 2 Jebao PP-4's
- Total flow in the tank is 800-1500 gph
- Controlled by Apex for different flow rates
- 1.5" in Skimmer
- .75" Return
- 60% Flow to Algae Skrubber - Waterfall Style (9" x4" Screen)
- 40% Flow to Chamber One (Apex probes)
- Chamber 2 - Tunze DOC Skimmer 9001
- Return Pump - Lifegard Aquatics Quiet One Pro Series Aquarium Pump 1200 (221 gph Return)
- I started My first Cycle new to the hobby and simply not clear headed wrapped up in having a new tank and reading all about the fish and not about the cycle and how I needed to approach my new tank. I was going to have the coolest tank anyone ever seen I though!!! Well needless to say I simply cured my rocks more then anything. They simply sat in my heated tank with no lights on and everything running with the exception of my skimmer. the good part was everything was starting to get broke in at least.
- Well at that time, I though I started my cycle... I hadn't... I never put anything in my tank to get it going!! So soon I realized I have to actually do something to help this tank along, like maybe ghost feeding the tank, shrimp method, store bought items... ANYTHING, well duh I should probably do that!
- As you can see in my Document below I didn't start testing until 4/13 - So about 10 days after I started the tank up. I was getting equipment and Test kits as the days went past. I though I was going to have my tank cycled in a week so when i started testing I thought i was coming out of my cycle like a lot of new folks to the hobby from what I am reading.
- My whole history is laid out in front of you for my 2nd cycle so again I understand my mistakes to a limited knowledge as I can have after only being in the hobby for 2 months...
- I dumped the whole tank and decide it would be best to start fresh with everything dying withing 24 hours and the crabs almost instant death when they hit the tank... So on 4/23 I did that as I figured there had to be something seriously wrong here.
- I decided I was going to do the shrimp method.. As you can see in my documents below I started the cycle up in a good fashion this time. Felt like after spending Hours of reading I had it now under control, had a good idea of what to expect and where I was heading this time!
- Everything went just to plan is what I thought, as you can see I had a "perfect Cycle" My Ammonia did what it should, Nitrates to the rescue and then of course my Nitrate cleaned it all up! Yes it was happening (An maybe still is...) But... again I put in a critter and instant death.
- Soooo.... Here we are a week ago, I have no idea what I am doing wrong. I got so desperate that I called the salt company I am using asking if there was any way I could have a bad bucket of salt that could cause instant death like that, as everything looked really good in my tests. So they asked me to sent in my water for Tests, YES there may be light at the end of the tunnel!! Some help!!
- I just got my water Tests back two days ago (While I was in CA, Just getting back today) and here is what they found!!
- My Alk was at 14!!! I clearly have a bad test Kit, I will be getting a new one tomorrow/today, I also will be doing a large water change as well Today
- My Calcium was at 800 - This is high but not the end of the world, I hope with the water change it will come down. I clearly need a new test kit for this as well.
- My Magnesium was Low at 800 -
- Again my test show other results, another new test kit?? How could all these be bad? Or how could I be this bad at testing for them? I read the directions EVERY TIME! I can't be that stupid....
- Everything else they said looked good. They tested my Tap Water, RO/DI Water and Tank water and it was they could come up with.
- They also are sending me a new bucket of Salt, to keep me interested and going in the hobby is what they said. I really think that is extremely kind of them, and they said they tested their batch number to my batch with nothing being out of whack. They have told me I need to drain my whole tank, pitch my old bucket and use the new bucket to start over.
- I did find an issue with my setup, I found a hose ring that I used to clamp the outside of the hose to the input of the return. It was over the sump and was rusted pretty bad! My thought was that maybe tiny droplets would pop up from chamber 3 and eventually build up and drop a droplet of water into the sump of super concentrated metal. I keep going back to this as I know crabs a re sensitive to this, but maybe not fish as much. Maybe if it was made of Nickle? it was this type of ring.
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- I did Treat for metals after the crabs died and before taking the test for the Salt Company... Clearly this could screw the results. yet when I told them they didn't think was it as they didn't think that could kill the fish that fast in my first Cycle.
- I came home today really bummed out and not motivated to start my tank over for the third time as every time I have to reset the tank up it's an entire day process. Even with a small tank like mine. i have a small RO/DI system and can only do it so fast. With my small of a setup it was hard to justify a large Gallon per hour system so mine is SLOW!!! Well needless to say I had a HUGE algae breakout while I was gone. See pics Below...
Clearly I have made a million mistakes but really need all your help on my next step. What should I do now? I am pretty much feel scared to move in any direction as I feel like it will be wrong...
Any and all help would be great from the info I provided... I am sure I missed a million details and can answer just about any question to help me solve my instant death issue and what I should be doing. I am so lost and getting very discouraged (mainly from my own misdoings and ignorance I assume) but really do want to succeed.
Pictures of what I came home (Above) to and now after I have mixed up my sand and cleaned the glass on the front. Water change and vacuum will happen in the morning.
Much love, and I hope to wake up with a new enthusiasm for draining and recycling my tank again.