reef lobster
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good luck make sure to include all forms of filtration deemed important (skimmer, refugium)
Absolute newb
- Thread starter BigMike81
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BigMike81
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All right I got everything plumbed up and working. I glued my connections with pvc glue and now my only question is why does the pump, pump air with the water. The level in the refugium is low and if I add more water my tank is going to over flow, what should I do?
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BigMike81
Active Member
Yes and I found out they are a glue connection.
legacy2mj
Active Member
I too am a complete newb... For me i wanted to start from the ground up to say the tank from day 1 is completely mine. I bought a coralife 29 biocube and the live rock and sand. starting there I get to see the tank cycle and am very glad I did. I then learned about the different water perameters that happend during the cycle and I think that helped some. After the cycle I found it enjoyabe watching the CUC do its thing.
basically what im saying is im glad i stared brand new rather then getting a used tank with all the necissary stuff inside. But thats just me. Enjoy!!
basically what im saying is im glad i stared brand new rather then getting a used tank with all the necissary stuff inside. But thats just me. Enjoy!!
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BigMike81
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I am almost ready to start cycling mine as I have let it run fresh water now for about 24hrs. My next step is to drain it now that everything has been rinsed inside and out, wipe it down again, and mix up some salt water, add my live sand, get some live rock, and start my nitrogen cycle.
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BigMike81
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Is prime good to use in a salt water tank. We use it as a dechlorinator in our fresh water tank, just wanted to know if it is safe to use on our salt water tank or if there is something better.
You won't want to use treated tap water in the salt tank. Look into rodi water or distilled from the grocery store instead. Prime will neutralize ammonia and cause your tank to not cycle.
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BigMike81
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Thanks Pete, I really appreciate the info. Now I know why it took us months to cycle our goldfish tank.
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BigMike81
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Thanks Pete, I really appreciate the info. Now I know why it took us months to cycle our goldfish tank.
Treated tap water can still contain lots of things you won't want in your tank like phosphates, heavy metals etc. With rodi or distilled no conditioner will be necessary. Some people think distilled is not good for tanks, but in my experience its just fine. I have used only distilled for long periods of time without issues.
I always use live rock in my tanks, so the cycle is started with the rock. I ghost feed the tank until the ammonia is completely gone and add a clean up crew. Once the nitrite start to fall I add fish. If you're using all dry rock the cycle will have to be started by adding an ammonia source. People use uncooked shrimp often. Really any kind of frozen fish food will work just fine like mysis, brine shrimp, rods food etc. You can even add pure ammonia bought at a hardware store. A search can tell you exactly how to go about cycling, and you can choose which method you prefer.
I always use live rock in my tanks, so the cycle is started with the rock. I ghost feed the tank until the ammonia is completely gone and add a clean up crew. Once the nitrite start to fall I add fish. If you're using all dry rock the cycle will have to be started by adding an ammonia source. People use uncooked shrimp often. Really any kind of frozen fish food will work just fine like mysis, brine shrimp, rods food etc. You can even add pure ammonia bought at a hardware store. A search can tell you exactly how to go about cycling, and you can choose which method you prefer.
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BigMike81
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Thanks again Pete. I just got my salt water mixed up for the first time and I just put live sand in it. It is a cloudy mess right now, but I hope it clears up overnight. I am not used to that as fresh water is less finicky and feeling nervous about doing it right. Any suggestions on mixing the salt please let me know. I got nervous mixing in the tank for the first time, I have no livestock yet so I wasn't as concerned about mixing in the tank but for the future I need to plan ahead and do a little pre-mixing.
It should clear up in a couple days depending on the filtration. I would check the salinity when it clears and start testing then as well. What are you using to check salinity?
Eienna
5000 Club Member
I want to clear something up. Prime (very specifically) changes the ammonia so that it's not harmful but is still available to the bacteria, so it does not prevent cycling.
I totally agree with the no tap water thing, though. I have had such a disaster due to tap water that I have sworn not to use it again, even in my freshwater tank.
I totally agree with the no tap water thing, though. I have had such a disaster due to tap water that I have sworn not to use it again, even in my freshwater tank.
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Do you have any reference that prime actually does that? I'm not trying to argue or anything of the sort. From my understanding seachem really has a grey area when it comes to product ingredients and actual processes that place. I'm curious.
Eienna
5000 Club Member
I know because I've used it while cycling my freshwater to no ill effect - it cycled perfectly, and it has been (in the freshwater forum I used to frequent, anyway) often recommended to take care of the fish during minicycles. 
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