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- Jul 26, 2018
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So i should run my wavemaker continuously??Completely agree with this. You want flow over and through the rock since that is where the nitrifying bacteria will live.
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So i should run my wavemaker continuously??Completely agree with this. You want flow over and through the rock since that is where the nitrifying bacteria will live.
Thanks [emoji4]You do not need to run your skimmer because there is nothing to skim out.
You so not need to run the wavemaker 24/7 . 12 hours a day will be fine if you are looking to save money or something. 24/7 would be best.
And yes do run your sponge filter to get it loaded with bacteria.
I don't disagree with any of this, you can do it and be just fine.You do not need to run your skimmer because there is nothing to skim out.
You so not need to run the wavemaker 24/7 . 12 hours a day will be fine if you are looking to save money or something. 24/7 would be best.
And yes do run your sponge filter to get it loaded with bacteria.
Welcome to Reef2Reef! Glad to have you here!Literally just made this account
Yup, it is cycling fast, but not crazy fast. That is the entire reason to add Dr Tims. You can pretty much skip the cycle completely.Is my tank cycling really fast and well?
Nope, but I do feel you are adding way more ammonia than you should!Am I an idiot?
Stop adding ammonia, you are good there. Wait for your nitrites to go away and then test your nitrates. Nitrate tests work by breaking down nitrates into nitrites and measuring them. They are only accurate in a system with no nitrites. Give that part of it time. Since you have added so much ammonia, a water change wouldn't hurt, but it doesn't have to be a massive one.Do I need to change out most the water to get rid of the enormous amount of nitrates?
Do I need to change out most the water to get rid of the enormous amount of nitrates? . My goal is for FOWLR with capabilities of adding coral with minimal work. Just want it fish safe for now till I know I can keep them alive.A little more info on reef water chemistry.
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/
good and easy to understand article, i didn't see it until now. thanks @lapinWelcome
If I had to guess, you are only needing to add a very small amount of ammonia to maintain 2ppm. Personally, I would stop trying to maintain it.Hello Reefkeepers,
May I ask your advice regarding cycling my first saltwater tank?
I've started a nano-tank (20gal) with a setup described below on July 13. On August 8 I see strange tests readings (ammonia 2ppm, nitrite 0.2 (never spiked), nitrate 10-20 ppm (grew fast over the night) - see a tab below with historical data). This is not a reason to panic, but I would like to understand the cycle better. I used a fishless method by adding ammonia up to 2ppm (Q: how long shall I keep this level?).
The thing is nitrite never showed up above 0.2 ppm or spiked and I kept maintaining the level of 2ppm for ammonia and somehow nitrate appeared at the level of 10-20ppm. Based on the theory, nitrite must show up in higher levels, I need to reduce ammonia before nitrates appear, is it correct?
Historical readings (see Stats.png)
Setup:
1. 20gal (glass)
2. Dry Atlantic coral rocks with pores for bacteria and polished pebbles, no sand (30-40% of tank's volume)
3. Canister filter - SunSun 4-Stage External Canister Filter with 9-Watt UV Sterilizer for Aquarium, 370 GPH
4. Lights 30W LED (7500 kelvin) - turned off
5. Skimmer Hydor Slim Skim Nano Internal Skimmer for Mini Aquariums and Reefs 23-35 gal
6. Powerhead - Hydor Koralia Nano 565 GPH
7. Heater Cobalt Aquatics Neo-Therm Heater, 150 watt
Pump, skimmer, heater, powerhead are always ON
UV, Lights are OFF
Canister media (from bottom to the top):
1. Ceramic rings (put them to the floor, I heard it works great to crush stuff before mesh/pads)
2. Mech Media - Cotton Mesh / Canister White and Coarse Filter Pads
3. Bio Media - Bioballs, Ceramic rings, Pebbles (if I have rocks, do I need this in the canister filter?)
4. Chem Media - not using (after the cycle I plan to add a little bit of activated carbon)
Algae is absent, water is crystal clear
Known mistakes / issues:
75gal is better than 20gal, but I can't afford it in a rented appartment
During first 2 weeks I used lights, then discovered that Nitrosomonas is a photophobic microbe, so I turned it off and cycled the tank without lights. Maybe that's why it took longer to cycle the tank.
UV and lights are off
I use a water conditioner to remove chlorine and chloramine, no RO/DI filter
Using Fluval Sea Marine Salt for Aquarium, salinity may jump due to water evaporation, small tanks evaporates faster.
Increased the temperature from 80 to 83 to accelerate the process, I heard it helps
Please share your best guess what's happening in my tank and what will be next. Thank you!
The big concern is ammonia. If the ammonia in the water is too high it can cause damage the gills and prevent them from obtaining oxygen properly.What happens if the tank is not cycled properly?
Is it fuzzy or stringy? They way you describe it, it almost sounds like green coraline algae.First time here but been lurking for a bit. Been cycling for awhile now and wondering if I should be concerned with faint little green algae spots starting to appear. Never had an issue before.
Is it fuzzy or stringy? They way you describe it, it almost sounds like green coraline algae.
Is my tank cycled??Nitrites 0
Nitrates 0
Ammonia 0
Ph 7.8-8.0
In my opinion, it is only cycled if you have visible algae. Otherwise you should have nitrates. It looks like you didn't add a large enough ammonia source.Is my tank cycled??