Cycling Help

[BeanAnimal]

So 25 years ago when you initially set your tank up you didn’t check your PH?

No a chance
I don't think I tested pH until a few years later when I built a controller and thought it would be cool to log pH.

You filled it, put in salt monitored the cycle ( key 3 parameters) and when cycle was complete you added livestock?

For that particular tank? I put in water and salt and a dead shrimp and waited a month or so and started adding livestock. I don't remember testing anything at all. I may have, but doubt it.

That said, in many ways we approach the hobby similarly.

I would not doubt that.

unless I notice my livestock is not acting normally or something is off.

That is about the only time anymore that I test for Ca, Mg.
I used ReefBot to test for N and P for a few months, but it was a waste of time because the readings were not reliable and I didn't care about the values anyway.

Yes ph fluctuations...
...but generally within the safe zones. Th OP’er did not state or show what the current PH was at.

I have honestly never seen a pH of any reasonable system out of range enough to matter. That's why I don't advise new aquarist to even bother.

I believe in keeping things as simple as possible for cycling advice. Everyone in this threads has good intentions, but the overlapping broad advice becomes confusing.

Some will argue that testing everything, doing that first water change and learning the details are what sets up success and good habits. I am not so sure, I think it is more like pointing two or three firehoses at somebody and asking them to figure out how not to drown before they have a chance to even realize what is going on.

Thank you for the response. I was just trying to understand where you advice was coming from... and you explained it.

 

[Privateye]

Yeah I'm familiar with NO3 vs. NO3-N. Like I said, the toxicity isn't really the concern. Definitely not the acute toxicity; if anything we'd look at the chronic toxicity values. It's more about impacting the endocrine system.

I've seen many FOWLR tanks up in that range. Usually when someone was seeking someone to take care of their aquarium. They rarely call when the tank is doing well, it's once they've neglected it for a while that they say "oh yeah, I need to call an aquarium service. It looks ugly."

I'm with you on the pH thing (from your other post) though. I haven't tested mine in many years. If the alkalinity is good then my pH should pretty much stay in an acceptable range. I don't keep a high density of fish so I'm not concerned about the CO2 depressing the pH. I don't dose any acid-based products to my knowledge either (e.g. liquid magnesium supplements).

At work pH pretty much just tells me whether the alkalinity might be getting low, or the CO2 might be getting high. Or that the meter needs calibration!

 

[Evil1]

No a chance
I don't think I tested pH until a few years later when I built a controller and thought it would be cool to log pH.


For that particular tank? I put in water and salt and a dead shrimp and waited a month or so and started adding livestock. I don't remember testing anything at all. I may have, but doubt it.


I would not doubt that.


That is about the only time anymore that I test for Ca, Mg.
I used ReefBot to test for N and P for a few months, but it was a waste of time because the readings were not reliable and I didn't care about the values anyway.


I have honestly never seen a pH of any reasonable system out of range enough to matter. That's why I don't advise new aquarist to even bother.

I believe in keeping things as simple as possible for cycling advice. Everyone in this threads has good intentions, but the overlapping broad advice becomes confusing.

Some will argue that testing everything, doing that first water change and learning the details are what sets up success and good habits. I am not so sure, I think it is more like pointing two or three firehoses at somebody and asking them to figure out how not to drown before they have a chance to even realize what is going on.

Thank you for the response. I was just trying to understand where you advice was coming from... and you explained it.

It’s all good!