My new Saltwater Tank Parameters

[BTReef]

Hey guys I just set up my first aquarium yesterday, pretty new to all of this still. I started the tank today with Dr. Tims One and only and added a couple clowns 4 hours ago roughly. I checked my parameters.
Ammonia 0.2 PPM
Nitrite 0 PPM
Nitrate 5 PPM
Alkalinity 7.5 DKH
Salinity 1.026 SG
PH 7.6
Temp 77*F
I believe the Ammonia is high which is a cause for concern, but since I do have Nitrates, that does mean its being broken down into Nitrite and then Nitrate correct?
Just making sure all is running as smooth as possible and any pointers/ advice would be greatly appreciated.
My setup is a IM Lagoon 50, with filter sock and media. I have a 1150 GPH power head and Ehiem Heater.
Thanks in advance
Brian

 

[brandon429]

Welcome! You are doing a fish in cycle. That’s precisely what bottle bac is designed for, so no harm, people do this in droves nowadays and we have cycling science handy to cover this option. Welcome to rtr

Though fifteen readers are holding back strong advice to not do a fish in cycle, it’s poor science to have zero command over the option should someone want it. Every bottle bac maker claims it, so let’s do it right where it’s wanted. One day it could be handy practice for an emergency skip cycle tank should a break or some calamity occur.

The specific actions recommended based on current description:
The only param you care about for the next two weeks is ammonia, all else need not be factored. Test all you want but make changes to course based solely on ammonia + a visual cue you can see in the tank

Without the visual cues such as fish breathing heavy at top, water cloudy or smelly, make no action based on a low level test reading for ammonia—these kits vary wildly. Proceed until you get the two fold ammonia indicator.

You are not watching that kit for true zero, you are watching it for any notable increase along with the required visual cue. True ammonia events come with a visual cue... which is trick of the century for guiding fish in cycles.

So feed very lightly, the feed is something that can overpower the system as it sits and rots, so feed them one increment / pellet at a time and let none touch the bottom and stay. Siphon it out if it does fall to the side uneaten.

You should still do light water changes every couple days and squirt a lil bottle bac, back in this is good to do and then in about a ten days it’ll stabilize and you can stop the mini water changes (changing 10-20% a couple times in the ten days is ok, it’s oxygenating, practice, etc decent ammonia insurance and not harming overall

*if you get the proven ammonia event, the action is 90% or better water change. Redose bottle bac. If you have a large tank which precludes an emergency water change then you can dose prime to neutralize ammonia, but that renders ALL follow up testing on that particular water sample invalid. Prime makes all tests wrong although it does make a real ammonia event safe. The full water change is the right cpr move.

 

[brandon429]

Can you post pics and occasional update vids of your setup? If you keep this thread updated accurately it could be very helpful material for our cycling thread called the microbiology of reef tank cycling.

We don’t get many fish-in cyclers, we want to link your thread as an example if you like I think it sounds fun. It makes your tank very very likely to cycle happily lol
B

*yes some complete nitrification from ammonia to nitrate is happening, in the water column from the added bacteria. That will shift to being stuck to surfaces in this ten day time. It’s probably more like 48 hours but we aim for 10-15 days ideally before being less careful about event monitoring

 

[BTReef]

Can you post pics and occasional update vids of your setup? If you keep this thread updated accurately it could be very helpful material for our cycling thread called the microbiology of reef tank cycling.

We don’t get many fish-in cyclers, we want to link your thread as an example if you like I think it sounds fun. It makes your tank very very likely to cycle happily lol
B

*yes some complete nitrification from ammonia to nitrate is happening, in the water column from the added bacteria. That will shift to being stuck to surfaces in this ten day time. It’s probably more like 48 hours but we aim for 10-15 days ideally before being less careful about event monitoring

Thank you for the quick response! I will keep an updated thread and post photos.

 

[brandon429]

Your tank is a great example of cycling per 2019 and beyond. Exactly as people don’t want to wait 20 mins for a song to download aka 1995 style, there is no harm in skip cycle with fish when it’s done and monitored correctly.

People want to learn about reefing as they do it, not before, and that can be done. It’s fun to design reliable ways to pull off cycling following none of the old school rules that’s for sure. Those bottle bac makers deserve their millions / handy invention

Disease prevention protocol runs independent to cycling the tank to house fish anyway, whatever means clown keepers ward off brooklynella and common maladies can still be had...for sure check out our fish disease forum for prevention options but clowns are pretty darn tough regardless, I read. My reef is too small to keep fish and this is ironic as a cycle thread author lol but in the end we are collecting other people’s cycles not mine.

Hey is your rock the caribsea life rock
And is that sand the wet pack caribsea type

 

[BTReef]

Yea this is actually the first way I heard to get a tank cycling. Figured it seemed the simplest For my needs. And i’m unsure of the rock it was just some from my LFS. The sand is a carib sea dry variety of some sort though.

 

[BeejReef]

Your parameters are all in a safe range (aside from the ammonia you noted).
Just keep an eye on things.

Nothing you need to concern yourself with at the moment.. ph is a little low. After your cycle finishes, recheck that. You might want to agitate the surface a bit more for better air exchange. You may see your alkalinity take a bit of a nosedive when the cycle really gets underway. Don't overreact to that. Ofc, keep tabs on your ammonia reading and have a plan if it starts to steadily climb.

Welcome to salt!

 

[BTReef]

So my clowns have this odd behavior to them, its almost like there struggling to swim. When i turn off the power head it does seem to get better. I have a 1150GPH power head in 50 gallons. Im not sure if that has anything to do with it. Any thoughts by the videos?
EDIT- Attempting to get videos to upload. Having some technical difficulties.
Link to videos

 

[BTReef]

Hey guys, just a quick update on the tank. Fish are doing good and eat very well when I feed. Have been taking some parameters over the past days, and attached them to this post.

 

[brandon429]

From that ammonia reading + time tank has been running with fish, I'd have to guess that is a colorimetric test kit like API or Red Sea, and not a digital readout like seneye is that right-the data for the charts is a titration kit right

 

[BTReef]

From that ammonia reading + time tank has been running with fish, I'd have to guess that is a colorimetric test kit like API or Red Sea, and not a digital readout like seneye is that right-the data for the charts is a titration kit right

Yea your right its a Red Sea test kit! I just plugged all the values into a app I found on my phone lol.

 

[BeejReef]

How are the fish doing?

You can't really trust your numbers for nitrate bc most tests will read crazy high for that with nitrite or ammonia in the water.

Similarly, your ammonia test may not be perfect, but if you're doing it the same way each time, it will at least show trends. Right now, you're trending up. It's always best to sit up and take note when that happens.

I know there is a lot of discussion about false positives (rightly so) with ammonia, but Red Sea isn't the bargain basement brand either. Whatever your plan was to combat rising ammonia... I'd probably get that on standby. I don't know all of your options, but another dose of Dr. Tim sure couldn't hurt.

It's one of those "your call" things. Are your eyes telling you that everything is fine... no "soap bubbles", no stink, no gasping fish... It pays to play devil's advocate with yourself. This wouldn't be a classic "ammonia event." There's no live rock to die, no massive release potential for ammonia. It's just a matter of whether your initial bacterial seeding is going to keep up with the ammonia output of two fish before the levels become dangerous. Right now your tests are saying no.

Beyond more Dr. T's, u could consider water changes, Prime (or similar), or moving the fish to another tank.

Best of luck.

 

[MERKEY]

A water change if you haven't done one in the past day would be ok at this point I believe.

Only looking at amonia, even with a red sea kit "could" be climbing....

 

[BTReef]

Hey guys,
Had a very busy past couple days with work. Yesterday I redosed some bottle bacteria. Today I rechecked my Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitates. I got similar results, Nitrite the only value that changed going up to 1ppm. Im currently making a batch of saltwater and gonna do a 25% water change. My fish are seemingly doing fine, actually seem more adjsuted than ever to the tank, exploring and eating very well when I feed them. The tank also doesn't have a smell nor does it have lots of bubbles accumulating anywhere.

 

[MERKEY]

Spunds like it's going good.

 

[BTReef]

Quick update, just tested and got a 0 ammonia reading!

 

[BTReef]

Little update on the build, i redid the aquascape and added in some corals. (A hammer, favia, trumpet and blasto) The two clowns are still going strong. Will be adding in some sort of clean up crew in the near future.