adding "what?" of iron? Sorry, I just can't figure out what you said...
Cycle question..
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adding "what?" of iron? Sorry, I just can't figure out what you said...
ITreeferVA
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I'm thinking a uv sterilizer is in need! I had this same issue after my first tank start up and added a uv sterilizer for a few days and took it out and never came back. Just think it way to much bacteria in there and no where else to go. Sterilize the water leaving just the bacteria in the water I have the one I took off my tank still in storage I am coming your way not week you can see if that helps
a lot, stupid autocorrect and guy who cant use it. silt works too.
I dunno man.
Seems like technology is failing here.
It was live sand with "rock" that was seeded with bacteria, so live.
So both had already begun cycling. (you at that point could have stopped)
Ya added Dr tims bacteria and ammonia that either killed some bacteria or supercharged it.
Your running Ferric oxide in a reactor (turbocharger) to strip something that you dont have in the tank yet. (its fake rock)
And activated carbon (in a turbocharger) that is taking out the ammonia (and possibly has now been saturated), and things you probably want to keep in there to esatablish the bacterial colonies.
IMO and research GFO and carbon are to take out the EXCESS of what is being produced by the tank that the bacteria and macro and BTW Micro algaes cant process. (carbon does allow bacerial colonies to procreate on its surface Thats why you shouldn't really take out all your carbon on a change)
I think Brandon was correct earlier. Drain it rinse it fill it back up. a piece of good clean LIVE rock from a friend or trusted fish store will give you a diversity of natural bacteria )and macro algaes that dont come in a bottle.
Seems like technology is failing here.
It was live sand with "rock" that was seeded with bacteria, so live.
So both had already begun cycling. (you at that point could have stopped)
Ya added Dr tims bacteria and ammonia that either killed some bacteria or supercharged it.
Your running Ferric oxide in a reactor (turbocharger) to strip something that you dont have in the tank yet. (its fake rock)
And activated carbon (in a turbocharger) that is taking out the ammonia (and possibly has now been saturated), and things you probably want to keep in there to esatablish the bacterial colonies.
IMO and research GFO and carbon are to take out the EXCESS of what is being produced by the tank that the bacteria and macro and BTW Micro algaes cant process. (carbon does allow bacerial colonies to procreate on its surface Thats why you shouldn't really take out all your carbon on a change)
I think Brandon was correct earlier. Drain it rinse it fill it back up. a piece of good clean LIVE rock from a friend or trusted fish store will give you a diversity of natural bacteria )and macro algaes that dont come in a bottle.
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GOSKN5
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I don't want to sound like i am arguing since I'm asking for advice.. but it's barebottom.. the rock isn't man made its mined rock that is coated and seeded with a dry bacteria (??) It wasn't live at all...
If I didn't add ammonia it couldn't have cycled... I should have skipped the Dr tims but that was recommended by some folks I trust...
Unfortunately I don't have the capacity to change it all out... I did about 50% and will do another 50% this week... just have to wait on nitrites I guess...
Again not arguing at all... just trying to eliminate variables etc... all I have read says no harm in GFO or carbon during cycle??
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"arguments should not be approached to win but to grow"
Last post was perhaps pointed, but I think, factual. And keep in mind Im feeling for ya, and if I was in your living room Id say the same **** but we'd have a beer, printed words have little inferred intonation.
And once I too I followed what seemed like good advice(really really well researched) dumping 40lb of dry rock in my new tank with my live sand and live rock . Sweet old live rock. 7 weeks that took. "tested" fine, "Killed" my favorite snails, (Clark Conch) And took me 2 months to figure out what went wrong.
But, Thats how gfo works. Thats how carbon works. The rock was seeded. Ammonia may have killed or overfed the bacteria.
I missed the bare bottom with the haze thought it was shallow sand. Also only glanced at the rock stuff. figured it was wet seeded. IMO even dry it should have only needed to get wet.
Im still gonna stay with rule one of reefing. Patience.
Critique. With no sand you have no place for dentrification(the place the cycle happens) but the rock . (never gonna use that now)
I dont know if you have any real rock in the sump or sand or fuge, you never said and never mentioned the reactors either. Important factors.
Red stuff is either GFO rust or the only place bacteria can currently settle, multiply and finish their meal.
Running reactors is doing little. A bag of carbon would be better but would be the only other place the bacteria could colonize.
Summary and solution; Cured or dry rock in the sump, if you have a fuge area add a DSB and rock.
Live rock will add natural bacterials, nitrifing and cyano and micro algaes and reduce the NO PO and A.
(theres no escaping Cyano sorry theres a lot more than red in you tank if you didnt know) red just gets fat quicker. Lately Ive gotten lime green. Cool right?
The clouds in the water is bacteria with no place to go.
Add PRIME maybe STABILITY, adding competing bacteria will more rapidly deplete the food source. Im assuming the dry seed also contained food.
Water changes, dont have to crazy at this point and your money may be netter spent eleswhere than salt and ro.
And Patience man.
Last post was perhaps pointed, but I think, factual. And keep in mind Im feeling for ya, and if I was in your living room Id say the same **** but we'd have a beer, printed words have little inferred intonation.
And once I too I followed what seemed like good advice(really really well researched) dumping 40lb of dry rock in my new tank with my live sand and live rock . Sweet old live rock. 7 weeks that took. "tested" fine, "Killed" my favorite snails, (Clark Conch) And took me 2 months to figure out what went wrong.
But, Thats how gfo works. Thats how carbon works. The rock was seeded. Ammonia may have killed or overfed the bacteria.
I missed the bare bottom with the haze thought it was shallow sand. Also only glanced at the rock stuff. figured it was wet seeded. IMO even dry it should have only needed to get wet.
Im still gonna stay with rule one of reefing. Patience.
Critique. With no sand you have no place for dentrification(the place the cycle happens) but the rock . (never gonna use that now)
I dont know if you have any real rock in the sump or sand or fuge, you never said and never mentioned the reactors either. Important factors.
Red stuff is either GFO rust or the only place bacteria can currently settle, multiply and finish their meal.
Running reactors is doing little. A bag of carbon would be better but would be the only other place the bacteria could colonize.
Summary and solution; Cured or dry rock in the sump, if you have a fuge area add a DSB and rock.
Live rock will add natural bacterials, nitrifing and cyano and micro algaes and reduce the NO PO and A.
(theres no escaping Cyano sorry theres a lot more than red in you tank if you didnt know) red just gets fat quicker. Lately Ive gotten lime green. Cool right?
The clouds in the water is bacteria with no place to go.
Add PRIME maybe STABILITY, adding competing bacteria will more rapidly deplete the food source. Im assuming the dry seed also contained food.
Water changes, dont have to crazy at this point and your money may be netter spent eleswhere than salt and ro.
And Patience man.
On Dr. Tims site, you need to keep ammonia and nitrite under 5 ppm. If its over, from my own experience, this inhibits the bacteria's growth and development. I hit 6 ppm with nitrite and my cycle stalled. I did water changes to bring it back down. I played it safe and brought it down to 3 ppm of nitrite and the cycle resumed.
Also you need to make sure you PH stays above 7 as well. If your PH is below 7 constantly, your cycle also stalls. Do water changes to bring your PH back up. You aren't suppose to add ammonia reducers as well at this time as this will stall the cycle as well.
Once I made sure my cycle was within these parameters, it was very easy.
You can also find these tips directly from Dr.Tim's site.
The product isn't hard to use but people forget to read the tips section which should actually be more of a required section. If you keep everything in those parameters during your cycle, it works very well. I've used the product a few times now.
Also you need to make sure you PH stays above 7 as well. If your PH is below 7 constantly, your cycle also stalls. Do water changes to bring your PH back up. You aren't suppose to add ammonia reducers as well at this time as this will stall the cycle as well.
Once I made sure my cycle was within these parameters, it was very easy.
You can also find these tips directly from Dr.Tim's site.
The product isn't hard to use but people forget to read the tips section which should actually be more of a required section. If you keep everything in those parameters during your cycle, it works very well. I've used the product a few times now.
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GOSKN5
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Do you think adding some well established bio balls from a friends tank would help/hurt? Any concerns with this introducing anything negative?
I don't have an LFS closer than an hour... my friend has been running bio balls for years in his tank... and could give me some.. any thoughts??
I don't have an LFS closer than an hour... my friend has been running bio balls for years in his tank... and could give me some.. any thoughts??
Adding established bioballs is like adding live rock I'd say. There shouldn't be anything negative at the bacterial level but you may pick up your friends unwanted tank pests, lol.
However, your cycle, unless its in those parameters I just mentioned your cycle probably will continue to stall until you fix that first cause that is what is inhibiting your bacteria from further development. Adding more bacteria into that environment would more than likely just cause them to be inhibited from growth and development as well.
However, your cycle, unless its in those parameters I just mentioned your cycle probably will continue to stall until you fix that first cause that is what is inhibiting your bacteria from further development. Adding more bacteria into that environment would more than likely just cause them to be inhibited from growth and development as well.
Do you think the clouding is bacterial overload or die off.?
(and thanks for the input on the other thread btw)
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GOSKN5
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I can't seem to get nitrites down.. I just did a 50% water change and the purple was slightly lighter haha... I am making more water... I just don't have the capacity to do more than 50% at a time...
that means begin, we already covered the nitrite isn't needed and its doing what it does, hold up a cycle, seemingly. reading error cannot be ruled out per threads, and addition of these cycling chems present a nitrite loading that a small initial bioload wont provide, nix the nitrite hold up, change the water out is my reco. nitrate presence, and ammonia to zero within 24 hours is all we needed it was prob ready a while ago. if your tank was mine:
take gfo offline go normal reefing until its needed, with bare bottom and a low fish load, currently a hindrance/risk to overstripping.
do a full water change and scrub off all the rocks of any slimes if applicable. if no giant water change, do a large wc, employ some carbon instead of that gfo, and run the uv, as soon as your water is made clean naturally or unnaturally you can simply begin reefing off the ammonia digestion, and nitrate presence, alone. reef lightly w fish, initially, and begin!!
the full water change is ideal, it sets your params back to not crazy and there is no ammonia being presented in a few corals and feeding that this demonstrated 24 hour digester cant handle.
consistently, these tanks using raw ammonia not shrimp, and dr tims, are hitting 3 weeks avg cycle for the ability to simply begin lightly, we're there/ this is where you tell a test kit what to do, not the other way around. trust has to begin on your tank now, instead of more waiting. time to party but only with odouls.
take gfo offline go normal reefing until its needed, with bare bottom and a low fish load, currently a hindrance/risk to overstripping.
do a full water change and scrub off all the rocks of any slimes if applicable. if no giant water change, do a large wc, employ some carbon instead of that gfo, and run the uv, as soon as your water is made clean naturally or unnaturally you can simply begin reefing off the ammonia digestion, and nitrate presence, alone. reef lightly w fish, initially, and begin!!
the full water change is ideal, it sets your params back to not crazy and there is no ammonia being presented in a few corals and feeding that this demonstrated 24 hour digester cant handle.
consistently, these tanks using raw ammonia not shrimp, and dr tims, are hitting 3 weeks avg cycle for the ability to simply begin lightly, we're there/ this is where you tell a test kit what to do, not the other way around. trust has to begin on your tank now, instead of more waiting. time to party but only with odouls.
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nervousmonkey
LPS Lover, SPS Enabler
+1 to what brandon said. I have done it many times and it works 100%. Take that GFO offline for now, put it back when it's really needed, when you have corals and are trying to get your phosphates down for them. Take the rocks out and scrub those nasty suckers in saltwater, the algae and other stuff growing on it is going to compete for space for eventual coralline. Do as large a WC as you can; I know it's a pain, but it's pretty cheap to buy a 30 gallon Rubbermaid. Once you get that bacterial bloom out (you can wait and it'll go away, but better to get rid of it now), get your rocks cleaned off and looking like new again, you can just start reefing. It's easy now, it'll get a lot harder later. Carbon will go a long way at this point in keeping your tank clean, skim super wet, and just start. You have cycled your tank; you are just seeing a lot of other crap that will go away if you force your tank into compliance!!
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