First cycle Red Sea reef mature kit help.....

[Rscott]

Hi all,

So i keep asking questions in separate posts and that is getting annoying I’m sure so i am starting a cycling thread. I am only on day 3 and already confused.

I have a build thread if anyone is interested in the setup.


Tank is a Red Sea Reefer 450 116 gallons. 91 DT and 34 sump
Vectra M1 pump, Kessil A360X lights, no skimmer hooked up yet.
Apex installed

DAY 1

I got the tank wet on Friday. Per the instructions i let it settle until day 2.

 

[Rscott]

Day 2

First day of adding anything into the tank.

Strangely enough the kit calls for lights and a skimmer
10 hours of lights
I dont have a skimmer yet because i was confused when everyone told me i didnt need one for cycling.
Partly my fault because then i picked a different style of cycling which does need a skimmer. So i may need to order one real quick.

The kit does everything in 25 gallon amounts.
I have 116 gallons /25 = 4.64

So all the amounts are multiplied by 4.64

Water yesterday at the start had the following.

8.6 dkh
77-79 F dunno why my temp is going up and down
And 8.06 pH

I followed these instructions

My salinity seemed to be all over up and down somewhere between 34 and 36.5
I had not had the ATO setup so maybe that was why?
I got the ATO running today so maybe that will help with the salinity

 

[SPR1968]

It’s really just a matter of following the specific instructions for the method your using, and an ATO is essential really to keep your salinity stable and you now have that up and running so that should sort that out for you.

A good salinity target is 35ppm as a general rule

Get the skimmer up and running when you get it, and just remember this is a quicker cycling process that the standard (rotting shrimp type) and the skimmer will remove some of the nutrients being produced by the quick cycle. Otherwise I’m guessing these will start to build up.

I think this is also why they are advising you to dose Nopox as part of the reef care program to deal with potential nitrates and phosphate from the outset.

 

[Rscott]

Day 3 Morning Report

Got ups this morning and because I’m having a difficult time matching pump speed to overflow the pump was just barley exposed to a bit of air in the pump compartment. It was causing some bubble to get pushed into the tank and the tank was very aerated.

I have since got the ATO hooked up so that should not happen anymore. Tank is finally quite

I noticed it a few things this morning after I did the ATO setup.

To get the ATO setup i probably added about 1.5 gallons of RODI

Before i did the ATO things were a bit off

Salinity was 36.7 temp was ok at 77.8

When i did the ATO setup the salinity came down to 34.9
But my temp crept up. @ 79.3

Dont know why
I also noticed the tank was pretty cloudy.
On the day 3 instructions i am suppose to see 1ppm of ammonia and even some nitrate. I’m pretty surprised.

Now technically, its day day 3 until about 5 pm tonight so i will wait until 5 to be really worried.

However i did a test this morning for kicks. <.15 ammonia and for some reason my pH fell to 7.7???
Any ideas why this is?

I did a alkalinity test with my Hannah. Yesterday we went from 8.6 to this morning to 8.1.
Any ideas why? Is that normal

Thanks for the input

 

[SPR1968]

I wouldn’t worry to much about minor temperature fluctuations and you alkalinity and pH are fine, and whatever you do don’t chase numbers or it will send you mad! Lol

Also remember test kits have margins of error and from memory the Hanna is +/- 0.4 so you will get variations

It’s very early days at the moment so you will get changes as the system develops

After you start adding live stock, remember the key to keeping a reef tank is stability of the water chemistry and you can start to read up on this, dosing elements etc so your ready when it’s needed.

And anything else you need to ask, ask away.

 

[Rscott]

I wouldn’t worry to much about minor temperature fluctuations and you alkalinity and pH are fine, and whatever you do don’t chase numbers or it will send you mad! Lol

Also remember test kits have margins of error and from memory the Hanna is +/- 0.4 so you will get variations

It’s very early days at the moment so you will get changes as the system develops

After you start adding live stock, remember the key to keeping a reef tank is stability of the water chemistry and you can start to read up on this, dosing elements etc so your ready when it’s needed.

And anything else you need to ask, ask away.

You are awesome
Thank you for your support and help
Will update this at 5PM my time at the end of the real day 3.
Hopefully i will see what is expected in the manual and will see some ammonia on the card.
THANK YOU!!

 

[SPR1968]

You are awesome
Thank you for your support and help
Will update this at 5PM my time at the end of the real day 3.
Hopefully i will see what is expected in the manual and will see some ammonia on the card.
THANK YOU!!

I know I know, I tell myself all the time!! Lol

Your more than welcome, and anything else just ask

 

[Rscott]

Day 3

So i am slightly concerned. As of 5 pm tonight i am in Day 3 by the book.

According to the sheet. I am suppose to have 1.o of ammonia and 10-15 Nitrate

I see zero ammonia in the tank.

Nitrates appear to be between 2 and 5

How can i have nitrate with no ammonia ?
I doubt the bacteria ate all the ammonia in 18 hours.
Also given this morning i had zero ammonia also?

Pretty confused

 

[OutsideBrian]

Remember, don’t chase numbers.
The tank cannot tell time or use a calendar.
Just let the tank run its course.

 

[Rscott]

Remember, don’t chase numbers.
The tank cannot tell time or use a calendar.
Just let the tank run its course.

Thanks

So even if the number are not correct should i continue dosing as the book recommends or wait until they are what they are suppose to be according to the book?

 

[denniscahill]

One thing to note on this particular set of chemicals.... is that there are actually 2 sets of instructions. One set in the pamphlet, and another set on the bottles. I messed my cycle up by just following the instructions in the pamphlet, and did not read the bottles.

Pamphlet tells you to add the bacteria spores on a seven day cycle. If you read the bottle, you need to add the spores every day. I think that the instructions in the pamphlet assume you read the bottles and will follow those instructions too.

You need to follow both sets of instructions and just be very patient.

Red Sea also assumes you have live rock at the start of the cycle. If you started with dry rock, you need to just about double the suggested timeline to see results that match what the pamphlet says you are supposed to see in test results.

 

[Rscott]

Well that is a significant problem

The cost would double also making there statements false advertising

In my pamphlet it says dry rock specifically

 

[denniscahill]

Don't get me wrong, This is a great product and it works. Just takes a bit longer than the 21 days listed in the pamphlet. I also did not add any of their suggested clean up crew or fish. I still have not added anything but that is primarily due to my current work schedule and a recent move of the tank onti its permanent stand I just finished building.

Wait until day 30, test what you have going on in the tank, and then start to add crew and fish.

 

[Rscott]

K, I made a mistake earlier also

You are correct it does say “cure live rock”

I just did the dose for day 3 a moment ago

Also the chdcmicals seem a little skimpy for the amount of water they suggest. I got 2 kits at $30... something each for a total of 500L

Will see I will continue to update daily.

Did you use your skimmer? Apparently I’m suppose to which may force me to buy sooner then later

The tank got very cloudy today

I am using Carib Sea live sand and Carib Sea life rock

 

[denniscahill]

That cloud is the bacteria bloom and it is exactly what you want. I t will clear up in a few hours, or at longest, a day or so.

I don't have a skimmer on my tank.

I had a pretty big diatom bloom, looked like brown/green mold on the rocks and glass, until I got the right type of lighting and only turned the light on for 8 hours a day.

I changed lights from a light that was meant for a freshwater planted tank to a AquaIlumination Prime (http://www.aquaillumination.com/lighting/prime/) .

Also, my LFS told me not to bother dosing the Corraline grow bottle unless I put something into the tank with some corraline algae on it. Since I started with an empty tank, a bag of the same sand you used, and about 20 pounds of dry rock, I have nothing with that algae on it.

I also use Red Sea Reef Pro salt so my Alk and is pretty high. The pamphlet instructions for dosing one of the chemicals ( forgot the specific name, I am at work now and don't have access) have you dose based on the alk levels, but mine never dropped to the levels they said I needed to maintain.

 

[Rscott]

That cloud is the bacteria bloom and it is exactly what you want. I t will clear up in a few hours, or at longest, a day or so.

I don't have a skimmer on my tank.

I had a pretty big diatom bloom, looked like brown/green mold on the rocks and glass, until I got the right type of lighting and only turned the light on for 8 hours a day.

I changed lights from a light that was meant for a freshwater planted tank to a AquaIlumination Prime (http://www.aquaillumination.com/lighting/prime/) .

Also, my LFS told me not to bother dosing the Corraline grow bottle unless I put something into the tank with some corraline algae on it. Since I started with an empty tank, a bag of the same sand you used, and about 20 pounds of dry rock, I have nothing with that algae on it.

I also use Red Sea Reef Pro salt so my Alk and is pretty high. The pamphlet instructions for dosing one of the chemicals ( forgot the specific name, I am at work now and don't have access) have you dose based on the alk levels, but mine never dropped to the levels they said I needed to maintain.

Thanks , yes I recall what you are talking about

My alk was also high because I am using high quality salt also

I am running A360X lights

 

[Rscott]

Should you run a power head in the tank during cycling to help tank turn over? I’m not sure if I have enough flow or turn over?

 

[denniscahill]

Yes, run the pwerhead. It will help you tune your flow so that you don't get dunes in your sand. I also noticed that once I started running my pumps and had a lot more circulation of water going, my evaporation rates went way up. Had to increase my top-off as well.

 

[Rscott]

Geeze I thought my evaporation was already a lot
I am in super dry area so it seems to disappear.

 

[denniscahill]

I live in Albuquerque and add between 1/3 to 3/4 of a gallon a day to my system. 20 gal display with a 10 gal sump. I would guess my total water volume is about 25 or 26 gal total.