cycling with uncured live rock

[brandon429]

I have none to spare. if I used a clean up crew then I couldn't attribute all my algae wins to thick coralline and loads of perox

plus, a snail will specifically choose to die when Im 5 hours from home in the mountains. will be good up till then, then pico reef jerky when gone never fails. this wouldn't affect a normal reef tank, mine might be killed by a single snails death bc its small stature pico reef

it would take a margarita snail to harm my sys, ive already input a couple ceriths I never saw again/rip cleans probably but they disappeared

 

[Dave1993]

i ordered a snail its fine the amount this tank has cost me whats a extra £15

 

[brandon429]

Dave a handy acclimation trick since its your first animal, with others in there already wouldn't work but can start that snail this way for sure success:

take a salinity reading from his shipping bag, then add freshwater or denser saltwater to yours to match it, that is the biggest thing you're acclimating is the salinity shift.

make sure the temps of the bag and the water have equalized, before evaluating salinity between the two. still gradually increase your tank water into his bag but do it with matched temps first and salinity

If there's is some horrible low or high mark don't make your tank follow it all the way, stay within a reasonable reef range for salt levels.

 

[Dave1993]

Alright will do the snail wont arrive till next wednesday

 

[Cell]

I've taken to John at Reefcleaners advice for acclimating inverts that avoids any sort of prolonged drip acclimation in lieu of a just a temp acclimation with the understanding that ammonia levels build in the bag during shipping but the toxicity is offset by the pH drop. When you expose the bag to air and start adding your higher pH water, the toxicity of the ammonia rises again and can kill the livestock.

 

[LegendaryCG]

I've taken to John at Reefcleaners advice for acclimating inverts that avoids any sort of prolonged drip acclimation in lieu of a just a temp acclimation with the understanding that ammonia levels build in the bag during shipping but the toxicity is offset by the pH drop. When you expose the bag to air and start adding your higher pH water, the toxicity of the ammonia rises again and can kill the livestock.

Agree its better to get them into clean water than prolong exposure.

 

[brandon429]

nice to know very good.

 

[Dave1993]

so what you guys suggest just temperature acclimate then drop it in? for about 20-30 mins

 

[LegendaryCG]

so what you guys suggest just temperature acclimate then drop it in?

If shipped temp acclimate, if local then you can drip.

 

[Cell]

I float for 15 min and drop em.

 

[Dave1993]

i live in the uk so will be shipped from the bottom to the top pretty much not sure on how long they would be in the bag

 

[Dave1993]

Just added the snail its not moving but i can see its little tentacle things moving about hopefully it lives

 

[Garf]

Just added the snail its not moving but i can see its little tentacle things moving about hopefully it lives

Wow, that week went fast. Whats your ammonia and nitrate at now?

 

[ReefRusty]

Just added my snails too, hopefully they all survive haha

 

[brandon429]

entire fate of modern-day cycle biology rests on the shoulders of 'poda

 

[brandon429]

curious if the salinities were remotely similar bag/tank

for example lots of shipped animals are in .019 water but I run at .026

I wouldn't bring up snails instantly that fast but my corals have to, they just get added right in no matter where they came from. corals get a tough break in pico reefs.

 

[Dave1993]

i stopped testing the ammonia test kits seem sheet and salinity in the bag was 1.027 mine is 1.025 i plopped him in seems to be doing fine he has turned himself around a few times but not moved yet so he is 100% alive been in for 2 hours now and seems fine

 

[Dave1993]

also found 2 tiny fanworms in my tank

 

[brandon429]

that's safe salinity for sure. fanworms open vs closed are another great indicator of free ammonia

we've been using that small detail for years to discern actual ammonia status.

it also means at no time during transport did your ammonia hit dangerous levels, or they'd be dead.

 

[Dave1993]

Well thank you very much for your help Brandon going to see how the snail is in 24 hour and order a midas blenny hopefully he arrives as healthy as the snail did