Cycle question

[nawt2tawl1221]

Ok so I finally started my tank. I have a 45 gallon tank put in two bags of live sand and rodi water with salt. Have a wave maker and hob filter. I have been monitoring amonia but I have yet to see an amonia spike. The tank is hazy and cloudy. I’ve read that’s the bacteria bloom. I have 20lbs of base rock as well and getting about 15lb of live rock tomorrow. It’s been two days it’s still cloudy is this normal? Am I supposed to add a fish to get the ammonia to spike.

 

[Pistondog]

Did you rinse the sand or just put it in?

 

[Jedi1199]

Ok so I finally started my tank. I have a 45 gallon tank put in two bags of live sand and rodi water with salt. Have a wave maker and hob filter. I have been monitoring amonia but I have yet to see an amonia spike. The tank is hazy and cloudy. I’ve read that’s the bacteria bloom. I have 20lbs of base rock as well and getting about 15lb of live rock tomorrow. It’s been two days it’s still cloudy is this normal? Am I supposed to add a fish to get the ammonia to spike.

It is not bacterial bloom. The most likely issue is that your HOB filter simply cannot process enough water to remove the cloudiness efficiently. Remove and thoroughly rinse out the filter cartridge twice a day if possible.

You can add a fish if you like. I personally would not. Ghost feed your tank a cube of frozen brine shrimp 2 time a week and that will create all of the ammonia you will need to cycle the tank without causing any harm to fish.

Did you rinse the sand or just put it in?

Live sand should NOT be rinsed.

Caribsea includes a packet of a chemical solution in every bag to accelerate the "Settling" of the fine particulate matter

 

[nawt2tawl1221]

It is not bacterial bloom. The most likely issue is that your HOB filter simply cannot process enough water to remove the cloudiness efficiently. Remove and thoroughly rinse out the filter cartridge twice a day if possible.

You can add a fish if you like. I personally would not. Ghost feed your tank a cube of frozen brine shrimp 2 time a week and that will create all of the ammonia you will need to cycle the tank without causing any harm to fish.



Live sand should NOT be rinsed.

Caribsea includes a packet of a chemical solution in every bag to accelerate the "Settling" of the fine particulate matter

Yes that’s what it was the Caribsea sand. I have heard that. Now is it a packet in the sand? I did not see any packets in my pack of sand.

 

[nawt2tawl1221]

It is not bacterial bloom. The most likely issue is that your HOB filter simply cannot process enough water to remove the cloudiness efficiently. Remove and thoroughly rinse out the filter cartridge twice a day if possible.

You can add a fish if you like. I personally would not. Ghost feed your tank a cube of frozen brine shrimp 2 time a week and that will create all of the ammonia you will need to cycle the tank without causing any harm to fish.



Live sand should NOT be rinsed.

Caribsea includes a packet of a chemical solution in every bag to accelerate the "Settling" of the fine particulate matter

As far as the hob filter. If I am rinsing the cartridges I would assume I would do rodi water to rinse them not tap correct?

 

[nawt2tawl1221]

So I came down today and it’s less cloudy. I forgot to mention I moved my wave maker up since it looked like it was blowing some sand around. The wave maker is 1650 GPH. Think this is too much for my tank? Lol.

 

[Jedi1199]

Yes that’s what it was the Caribsea sand. I have heard that. Now is it a packet in the sand? I did not see any packets in my pack of sand.

It was in there... If you are lucky, it is right on top so you can take it out easy. If you are like me, you realize it about 3 weeks later and end up having to find it inside the tank under all of the rocks..

 

[brandon429]

Live sand should be rinsed

Official Sand Rinse and Tank Transfer thread

If you are reading this thread to cure a tank invasion from a link I sent you, we do not need to identify your type of invasion here we do not need you to test anything at anytime regarding nitrate, phosphate etc Above all, we do not need to see a microscope slide picture of your invasion at...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Jedi1199]

As far as the hob filter. If I am rinsing the cartridges I would assume I would do rodi water to rinse them not tap correct?

I use tap water to clean all of my filters. Never had a problem doing that... If you are concerned, you can give it a final rinse with RODI.

 

[brandon429]

post pics of the tank

it will still clear in time, what we study is the optionality of this first clouding run.

 

[Jedi1199]

Live sand should be rinsed, to claim it shouldnt be has no threads for proof of benefit, you should recommend what the work shows

Official Sand Rinse and Tank Transfer thread

If you are reading this thread to cure a tank invasion from a link I sent you, we do not need to identify your type of invasion here we do not need you to test anything at anytime regarding nitrate, phosphate etc Above all, we do not need to see a microscope slide picture of your invasion at...

www.reef2reef.com

for example, make that but by not rinsing.

That is an interesting read Brandon. I know you are the expert on tank cycling so I will defer to your experience.

That said.. I set up ALL of my tanks using either used unrinsed sand, or new unrinsed live sand. I have never had any issues at all with the sand. Perhaps I am just lucky? Cause I know I am not that good.. lol

 

[nawt2tawl1221]

Here it is I have 20lbs base rock and got 15lb live today to help with cycle. I do think the flow is too much. 1540gph. I’m adding a clarifier to see if that helps.

 

[Garf]

Here it is I have 20lbs base rock and got 15lb live today to help with cycle. I do think the flow is too much. 1540gph. I’m adding a clarifier to see if that helps.

Blooms are somewhat expected in new tanks. Sometimes they clear in a day or two, sometimes they are annoyingly persistent. Does it clear up in the morning and get progressively worse during the day?

 

[nawt2tawl1221]

Yes it was fine in morning. Then I come home and it’s cloudy again.

 

[Garf]

Yes it was fine in morning. Then I come home and it’s cloudy again.

If you got your lights on on during the day it’s photosynthetic. Either a phyto bloom or a photosynthetic Dino of some sort. I had the same. UV sterilizer will sort it within 24 hrs.

Edit - I did wait a few weeks though as sometimes these blooms just burn out.

Edit 2 - the bloom actually made my baby yellow tang constipated, who’d of thought.

 

[nawt2tawl1221]

I was told to use this but it says it will make it cloudy as well. Has anyone used this or recommend it?

 

[Garf]

I was told to use this but it says it will make it cloudy as well. Has anyone used this or recommend it?

Well, if you’ve already bought it, why not. If you haven’t bought it, I wouldn’t bother.