Cycling tank questions

[sewagner86]

There is so much information out there online plus getting information from a friend that has kept a tank before, and it really becomes confusing so I thought I would ask the questions I have swirling in my brain.

I started a small Nano tank 11/3. It's a 5 gallon tank. Before anyone says anything, yes, I know they are more difficult to keep, but i am up for the challenge and say if I can keep this one, I can do any tank.

Anyway....my friend help me set it up. We got a live, wet rock from the LFS. We put it in the tank and did ghost feedings 2 or 3 times. My friend advised me to stop then so I haven't ghost fed since. I sit and observe the tank daily looking for changes and do daily ammonia tests on it. My ammonia has been 0.5 ppm for a few days now and I have seen a slim build up on the dry rock that I put in the tank and the live rock went from having a green tint to it being brown and green . My friend said that's brown diatom and I should start weekly water changes. Another place says to leave it alone. Apparently my friend isn't super experienced with salt water tank and didnt know that right away. I know i should be patient which I really am trying to be. I just don't know what exactly I am looking for . Should I do a 10% water change? I did full set of tests on Friday to see if i have anything else building up and nitrates and nitrates are both 0 with a pH of 8.0 and a salinity of 1.022. Water Temps have been in the mid to high 70s. Any other guidance on what to do next? I do realize this process can take weeks, just want to know what else i should be looking for.

Next question. This 5 gallon tank has a 5 watt heater that my friend gave me. It's a glass build one and it's tiny. It took an entire week for it to actually reach 78-80. I keep my apartment cooler to keep expenses down. I talked about getting a higher watt heater and my friend is worried about cooking fish in the tank because it overheated or the fish getting too close to the heater and burning themselves. She originally placed the heater in the filter/pump but the tank neevr got warmer than 70 or so. I am a very mechanically minded person and know if you don't buy junk that's going to be a low chance of that (can't say never as it can happen at any point.) What are your alls recommendations for this? I was thinking a 25-50 watt heater and keeping a close eye on it before getting anything in the tank.

Any other advice would be helpful.....maybe a good recommendation for a YouTube channel to watch about this stuff would be nice. Thanks for listening to my ramblings and helping to guide me into a new hobby!!!

 

[sewagner86]

Also, one other question. Water flow seems pretty good. I have a tidal 35 on the tank. There is a small pump inside the tank with an air valve on it. I kind of want to take the small pump out. My friend has been insistent that tidal has enough flow for adding oxygen into the water, but I have had fish before and have always had a pump with a bubbler on it. Should I have one if I take this pump out?

 

[fishywishy]

Dont touch it. You just have to be patient, don't do any water changes or anything. the brown and green stuff on the rock is completely normal and you should be cycled very soon.

That salinity is fine but I prefer to keep mine at 34-35ppt.

That heater will work just fine. but if your worried about it i would get a 20-50w automatic heater from aqueon or tetra and a inkbird controller in case the heater fails.

The tidal has plenty of flow for oxygen, no pump needed.

BRS videos are good.

 

[Sinkers]

What did you use to ghost feed and how much? I'm very new myself and I'm using a start-up program by Dr Tims. I don't know how much ammonia needs to be added to kick start the cycle but are you sure what you fed was enough? Maybe someone more experienced could clarify.

 

[fishywishy]

What did you use to ghost feed and how much? I'm very new myself and I'm using a start-up program by Dr Tims. I don't know how much ammonia needs to be added to kick start the cycle but are you sure what you fed was enough? Maybe someone more experienced could clarify.

Dr Tim’s ammonia and bacteria is the way to go, ghost feeding takes way too long.

He has a very small tank and he used wet live rock so what he used was enough.

On the bottle of the dr Tim’s ammonia it tells you how much to add, but i thinks its like 4 or 5 drops per gallon.

 

[Sinkers]

Dr Tim’s ammonia and bacteria is the way to go, ghost feeding takes way too long.

He has a very small tank and he used wet live rock so what he used was enough.

On the bottle of the dr Tim’s ammonia it tells you how much to add, but i thinks its like 4 or 5 drops per gallon.

Does it matter what was used to ghost feed? I've seen on the BRS beginner tutorials that adding a piece of shrimp is one method.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Welcome to the salty side, this is my 2 cents:
- Do you own research, this is a research heavy hobby, you have to do your own due diligence and not just listen to other people, do some reading.

-5 gallon tank, the heater rule is 3-5 watts per gallon, so you should have 15-25 watt heater, 25 watts is better. Use an 'inkbird' controllers to make sure the heater does not malfunction and cook the livestock.

-What type of filtration and flow will you have on this tank? What do you plan to keep in this tank? Should not be any fish in such a small tank. Can we see a tank pic? This will really help to show us what's going on, and see what kind of algae that is.

-There is no timeline in your post, how long has the tank been going? Why is the salinity so low? What type of test kits are you using? Should not use API. What kind of water are you using? Not tap water hopefully....

This is a good introductory article:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/

 

[sewagner86]

What did you use to ghost feed and how much? I'm very new myself and I'm using a start-up program by Dr Tims. I don't know how much ammonia needs to be added to kick start the cycle but are you sure what you fed was enough? Maybe someone more experienced could clarify.

I used some freeze dried bloodworms.

 

[sewagner86]

Welcome to the salty side, this is my 2 cents:
- Do you own research, this is a research heavy hobby, you have to do your own due diligence and not just listen to other people, do some reading.

-5 gallon tank, the heater rule is 3-5 watts per gallon, so you should have 15-25 watt heater, 25 watts is better. Use an 'inkbird' controllers to make sure the heater does not malfunction and cook the livestock.

-What type of filtration and flow will you have on this tank? What do you plan to keep in this tank? Should not be any fish in such a small tank. Can we see a tank pic? This will really help to show us what's going on, and see what kind of algae that is.

-There is no timeline in your post, how long has the tank been going? Why is the salinity so low? What type of test kits are you using? Should not use API. What kind of water are you using? Not tap water hopefully....

This is a good introductory article:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/

Actually, many of the questions you have asked are answered in the post, but I will answer again.

-I have a tidal 35 running at the highest flow it will run. I believe there is sponge and ceramic rings in there. I was planning on a baby clownfish, maybe a pistol shrimp and some snails and coral at first and then hopefully in August or so upgrading to a larger tank. My space is limited so I plan on moving in August. I will be adding slowly so as not to overwhelm the system.

-I started the tank on 11/3. So it's been running 1 week. I used instant ocean and followed instructions adding the salt to bottled spring and distilled water (I know better than using tap water.....that stuff gross). I have slowly increased salinity. It was lower. I will be working on increasing further. I am currently using API because that's what I had available in a pinch. I am working on getting something better. I also have a refractometer. The LFS told me before they would sell me anything to live in the tank, they want a water sample to test. I know it will be a while until that happens though.

I have been researching for about a month now.....thats about how long I have had the tank for waiting to set it up. With the internet, you have good information, bad information, and in between information. I want to make sure I am getting the right information. I also keep orchids and have been for 4 or 5 years now. I can tell you that it's the same way with that. There is some really bad information out there. Sometimes it is just easier to ask on forums like this for places to go. That is why I asked.

Thanks for you help!!!

 

[sewagner86]

Here are tank pics from yesterday

 

[Fish Fan]

Do you own research, this is a research heavy hobby, you have to do your own due diligence and not just listen to other people, do some reading.

^This (and the whole original post) is extremely sound advice. There's always more than one way to go, and even here on R2R you're going to get very well meaning reefers often advising different approaches. You'll need some time to do your own research, try to understand the processes in your tank, and figure out the best way that works for you to manage your tank.

I get blasted here for suggesting these videos ALL THE TIME lol! But I'm not going to stop, because I (and at least some other reefers here at R2R) see a great value in the information they present. Yes, at the end of the day these people are trying to sell you things, and often things you don't need, but I still believe the information is very good. I also like that this is a series going from topic to topic in a logical order, you're not just finding bits and pieces of info randomly. In my opinion, most R2R members that hate on these videos haven't watched them:

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/cont...brs-tv/beginners-guide-to-saltwater-aquariums
I believe your SeaChem Tidal 35 HOB is all the circ and air your tank needs. I'd remove the bubbler thing.

What do you havein your SeaChem Tidal for media? I'd be running mostly mechanical like filter floss, and maybe some extra bio media, and carbon isn't a bad idea. I'd remove anything that says it removes ammonia; you want your rock and sand to be your ammonia removing biofilter in these tanks.

An easy way to manage a tank that size is with consistent, large water changes. You can change out nearly 100% of the water each week, you just want to pre-mix and pre-heat your water so that it matches the temp, salinity, and ideally pH of your tank, which will minimize stress to your livestock. An easy way to do this is to get a 5 gallon food-grade bucket and lid (about $5), a small heater (~25 watt, $25), and a small circ pump (about $20 (possibly your bubbler pump may work??)), mix your saltwater the night (or week) before and let it circulate and come to temp. Then use that prepared water for your changes.

If your room is a bit cooler, then the 25 watt heater would be best. As mentioned previously, get an inexpensive InkBird heater controller. These will save your tank from overheating (heaters tend to break in the "on" position and it happens all the time!):

https://inkbird.com/products/aquari...yz3xp1ZKWFfGN5t7WXRU8udKkKHsUnnMaAj5bEALw_wcB
I'm going to suggest you look into an Auto Top Off (ATO) system for your tank. Small tanks evaporate quickly, and you'll be topping off manually all the time, though you can top off manually if you don't mind keeping up with it.

Unfortunately, in my very non-expert opinion, you won't be able to keep much at all for fish in a 5 gallon tank. I'm sorry to say that even a baby Clownfish is out. Those tiny fish grow very quickly, and they really need more room. 10 or even 15 gallons for one Clownfish is to me about the very bare minimum, larger is better, and Clowns are at least semi-aggressive, so I stock them with caution.

You can do a small Goby type fish. You mentioned a pistol shrimp, have you seen a pistol/Goby pair? And you can embrace a wide variety of cool critter likes snails, crabs, and shrimp. Take a look at Sexy Shrimp (no joke!), for example. Tiny shrimp or a pistol/goby pair can be a real show stopper in a smaller tank, where they simply get lost in a larger tank.

Sorry for the long post, but I hope that helped! Good luck with your tank!

 

[Fish Fan]

Does it matter what was used to ghost feed? I've seen on the BRS beginner tutorials that adding a piece of shrimp is one method.

If you're still having trouble cycling your tank, please start your own post as you'll get more detailed help for your system. If you're starting with dry rock and sand, and you're using Dr. Tim's One and Only, just use his bottled Ammonium Chloride as your ammonia source - no ghost feeding or dead shrimp needed.

https://www.drtimsaquatics.com/resources/fishless-cycling/
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/content/post/brstv-product-spotlight-dr-tims-one-and-only
Good luck!

 

[Sinkers]

If you're still having trouble cycling your tank, please start your own post as you'll get more detailed help for your system. If you're starting with dry rock and sand, and you're using Dr. Tim's One and Only, just use his bottled Ammonium Chloride as your ammonia source - no ghost feeding or dead shrimp needed.

https://www.drtimsaquatics.com/resources/fishless-cycling/
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/content/post/brstv-product-spotlight-dr-tims-one-and-only
Good luck!

I'm good with my cycle. I was just curious about this method hence asking the questions.

 

[Sinkers]

Actually, many of the questions you have asked are answered in the post, but I will answer again.

-I have a tidal 35 running at the highest flow it will run. I believe there is sponge and ceramic rings in there. I was planning on a baby clownfish, maybe a pistol shrimp and some snails and coral at first and then hopefully in August or so upgrading to a larger tank. My space is limited so I plan on moving in August. I will be adding slowly so as not to overwhelm the system.

-I started the tank on 11/3. So it's been running 1 week. I used instant ocean and followed instructions adding the salt to bottled spring and distilled water (I know better than using tap water.....that stuff gross). I have slowly increased salinity. It was lower. I will be working on increasing further. I am currently using API because that's what I had available in a pinch. I am working on getting something better. I also have a refractometer. The LFS told me before they would sell me anything to live in the tank, they want a water sample to test. I know it will be a while until that happens though.

I have been researching for about a month now.....thats about how long I have had the tank for waiting to set it up. With the internet, you have good information, bad information, and in between information. I want to make sure I am getting the right information. I also keep orchids and have been for 4 or 5 years now. I can tell you that it's the same way with that. There is some really bad information out there. Sometimes it is just easier to ask on forums like this for places to go. That is why I asked.

Thanks for you help!!!

If you have sponge, floss or filter sock in at the moment, I believe it's best to remove it for the cycle period. Although not sure if it matters with the live wet rock?