New reef tank owner questions

[masonmiles99]

Can someone help me understand these readings? New tank as of 2 days ago, i bought premixed saltwater from the lfs. Used some "live" rock but probably just some broken down tank rock from the lfs. I also got a refractometer, and calibrated it with DI water and i was getting readings around 1.025 i know tanks take a while to cycle, i added some hermit crabs and a snail because the lfs said that would be okay and i ghost fed some mysis shrimp. I have a full spectrum led on for about 10 hours. I tested ammonia and it was 0 today. What are some things i need to watch out for in the next week or two? It may be hard to see on the picture but i see a slight pink color on the nitrate reading.

 

[Reef Jedi]

How long has the tank been running? Looks to me maybe 5-10 ppm nitrate. If you have no nitrites and ammonia then you are at the end of the cycle.

 

[masonmiles99]

How long has the tank been running? Looks to me maybe 5-10 ppm nitrate. If you have no nitrites and ammonia then you are at the end of the cycle.

Tanks been running for 2 days

 

[masonmiles99]

Also thanks for responding i appreciate it

 

[Reef Jedi]

Tanks been running for 2 days

Did you start with all live rock and all live sand? Best would be with this new of tank would be to throw in a pair of clowns or damsel to get more bacteria going.

I don’t suggest using those strips for testing as they can be inaccurate. Pick up a redsea or api test kit to start and get use to checking your levels with them. They will give better results. I personally like the Red Sea kits much better.

 

[masonmiles99]

Tanks been running for 2 days

Did you start with all live rock and all live sand? Best would be with this new of tank would be to throw in a pair of clowns or damsel to get more bacteria going.

I don’t suggest using those strips for testing as they can be inaccurate. Pick up a redsea or api test kit to start and get use to checking your levels with them. They will give better results. I personally like the Red Sea kits much better.

Okay thanks for the advice i will do that used "live rock" from the lfs but not sure how alive it is, did find a couple of clams in one of the rocks, and i used live sand as well

 

[painter1982]

Tanks been running for 2 days

Did you start with all live rock and all live sand? Best would be with this new of tank would be to throw in a pair of clowns or damsel to get more bacteria going.

I don’t suggest using those strips for testing as they can be inaccurate. Pick up a redsea or api test kit to start and get use to checking your levels with them. They will give better results. I personally like the Red Sea kits much better.

Api is waste of money, bottom of the barrel inaccurate junk, imo.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Keep your questions coming-- you'll get lots of great help here on R2R️

 

[Fish Fan]

Hello, @masonmiles99!

I have a few thoughts that I hope will be of some help:

When you say that you used *live rock, but it was just from a broken down tank* - that is some of the best live rock you can possibly use. Rock is *live* largely because of microbes it hosts, and not because it's decorated in desirable corals and algae, which will come in time. The longer the rock has been in a mature, healthy tank, the better

If you start your tank with real, wet live rock from your local store, you are ahead of many by a lot.

Most refractometers would be best calibrated using a 35 ppt standard, and not 0 (or nearly zero) Di water. These can be bought, but many here at R2R trust the standard solutions that can be easily made at home over ones that can be purchased. Here's a post from one of R2R's most well respected members on how to make your own DIY calibration solution with a good kitchen gram scale and regular Morton's iodized table salt available at any grocery store:
https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/reef-aquarium-salinity-diy-calibration-standards.956/
Cycling a tank is a process, and I typically don't suggest adding livestock until your tank is fully cycled. Please keep in mind that your local store's primary goal is to sell you livestock, so they may not always give you the best advise. Most R2R members want nothing more than to help you

I would keep your light off until you have desirable, photosynthetic organisms like coral or desirable algae. Before this time, you're just feeding undesirable algae.

As far as your water testing, those strips are not very reliable, in my opinion. Even when they say *aquarium* on the label, they are typically repurposed swimming pool test kits, and as someone who has a modest pool, these strips are not well liked even among swimming pool owners.

To be successful in this hobby, you're going to need solids test kits (or be at the Pro level). My suggestion is to look at the kits from Salifert, which are inexpensive, but reliable, and easier to read than many others.

You don't need every test kit available, right now I'd get the Salifert ammonia kit, and their nitrate kit (total cost about $30). Please ignore nitrite - it's nontoxic in saltwater aquaria - and many, many here don't bother testing for pH either.

I hope this helps, but please post back with further questions!

Best of luck!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

On top of all above good advice, beware of taking advice from the LFS. Research and ask questions about everything before adding it into your tank. This is a good article for new hobbyists. Good luck.

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

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I don't know your LFS, so I don't want to discredit their advice. However, I would always double-check with Reef2Reef on the advice they give. I have seen a lot of people who get bad advice from an LFS. Just as an example, I went to one of my LFS two years ago to pick up some phosphate test kits. I asked if they had salifert kits, and they told me no, but to grab one of the strip tests because that could test phosphates. Needless to say, I walked out of there and never went back to that store.

 

[BonnieB]

Hello, @masonmiles99!

I have a few thoughts that I hope will be of some help:

When you say that you used *live rock, but it was just from a broken down tank* - that is some of the best live rock you can possibly use. Rock is *live* largely because of microbes it hosts, and not because it's decorated in desirable corals and algae, which will come in time. The longer the rock has been in a mature, healthy tank, the better

If you start your tank with real, wet live rock from your local store, you are ahead of many by a lot.

Most refractometers would be best calibrated using a 35 ppt standard, and not 0 (or nearly zero) Di water. These can be bought, but many here at R2R trust the standard solutions that can be easily made at home over ones that can be purchased. Here's a post from one of R2R's most well respected members on how to make your own DIY calibration solution with a good kitchen gram scale and regular Morton's iodized table salt available at any grocery store:
https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/reef-aquarium-salinity-diy-calibration-standards.956/
Cycling a tank is a process, and I typically don't suggest adding livestock until your tank is fully cycled. Please keep in mind that your local store's primary goal is to sell you livestock, so they may not always give you the best advise. Most R2R members want nothing more than to help you

I would keep your light off until you have desirable, photosynthetic organisms like coral or desirable algae. Before this time, you're just feeding undesirable algae.

As far as your water testing, those strips are not very reliable, in my opinion. Even when they say *aquarium* on the label, they are typically repurposed swimming pool test kits, and as someone who has a modest pool, these strips are not well liked even among swimming pool owners.

To be successful in this hobby, you're going to need solids test kits (or be at the Pro level). My suggestion is to look at the kits from Salifert, which are inexpensive, but reliable, and easier to read than many others.

You don't need every test kit available, right now I'd get the Salifert ammonia kit, and their nitrate kit (total cost about $30). Please ignore nitrite - it's nontoxic in saltwater aquaria - and many, many here don't bother testing for pH either.

I hope this helps, but please post back with further questions!

Best of luck!

^^^ such great advice for starting! I’d add, don’t panic at every little change. The first year go slow because you will have a maturing tank prone to swings for that long.

 

[get-salty]

Hello, @masonmiles99!

I have a few thoughts that I hope will be of some help:

When you say that you used *live rock, but it was just from a broken down tank* - that is some of the best live rock you can possibly use. Rock is *live* largely because of microbes it hosts, and not because it's decorated in desirable corals and algae, which will come in time. The longer the rock has been in a mature, healthy tank, the better

If you start your tank with real, wet live rock from your local store, you are ahead of many by a lot.

Most refractometers would be best calibrated using a 35 ppt standard, and not 0 (or nearly zero) Di water. These can be bought, but many here at R2R trust the standard solutions that can be easily made at home over ones that can be purchased. Here's a post from one of R2R's most well respected members on how to make your own DIY calibration solution with a good kitchen gram scale and regular Morton's iodized table salt available at any grocery store:
https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/reef-aquarium-salinity-diy-calibration-standards.956/
Cycling a tank is a process, and I typically don't suggest adding livestock until your tank is fully cycled. Please keep in mind that your local store's primary goal is to sell you livestock, so they may not always give you the best advise. Most R2R members want nothing more than to help you

I would keep your light off until you have desirable, photosynthetic organisms like coral or desirable algae. Before this time, you're just feeding undesirable algae.

As far as your water testing, those strips are not very reliable, in my opinion. Even when they say *aquarium* on the label, they are typically repurposed swimming pool test kits, and as someone who has a modest pool, these strips are not well liked even among swimming pool owners.

To be successful in this hobby, you're going to need solids test kits (or be at the Pro level). My suggestion is to look at the kits from Salifert, which are inexpensive, but reliable, and easier to read than many others.

You don't need every test kit available, right now I'd get the Salifert ammonia kit, and their nitrate kit (total cost about $30). Please ignore nitrite - it's nontoxic in saltwater aquaria - and many, many here don't bother testing for pH either.

I hope this helps, but please post back with further questions!

Best of luck!

"Pro level" well said.

 

[baba.aqua]

I’m kind of on the same boat, i bought a used tank, did a 100% water change last week and added 3/4 new live sand from my LFS. My tank came with aged live rock, water and sand.

My test results within the last two days ;
Ph 8
Ammonia 0.25
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10ppm

Ph 8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10ppm

I’ve dosed microbactor for the last two days as well

-32G BioCube

 

[get-salty]

Ph 8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10ppm

With these results where zero ammonia and some nitrate, do a ~25% water change and you are DONE with the cycling process. Enjoy

 

[Kooma]

I’m kind of on the same boat, i bought a used tank, did a 100% water change last week and added 3/4 new live sand from my LFS. My tank came with aged live rock, water and sand.

My test results within the last two days ;
Ph 8
Ammonia 0.25
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10ppm

Ph 8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10ppm

I’ve dosed microbactor for the last two days as well

-32G BioCube

seems like it is cycled, i would start with a small fish you want to keep (Goby maybe) and in a month or two add another one.

 

[baba.aqua]

Ph 8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10ppm

With these results where zero ammonia and some nitrate, do a ~25% water change and you are DONE with the cycling process. Enjoy

Should i stop using micro bactor? If not how should i does it ?

 

[baba.aqua]

seems like it is cycled, i would start with a small fish you want to keep (Goby maybe) and in a month or two add another one.

Could i do watchman goby and add a pistol shrimp afterwards?

And for the micro bactor — should i stop using? If not how should i does it ?

 

[Kooma]

Could i do watchman goby and add a pistol shrimp afterwards?

And for the micro bactor — should i stop using? If not how should i does it ?

Probably no issue to continue the bacteria dosing for the first month. May actually help establish the tank faster.

I would determine your ideal fish and start with one of the smaller and more timid ones. With a 29 biocube you are limited to roughly 3 fish under 2-3 inches.

 

[baba.aqua]

Could i do watchman goby and add a pistol shrimp afterwards?

And for the micro bactor — should i stop using? If not how should i does it ?

Probably no issue to continue the bacteria dosing for the first month. May actually help establish the tank faster.

I would determine your ideal fish and start with one of the smaller and more timid ones. With a 29 biocube you are limited to roughly 3 fish under 2-3 inches.

Should i continue with 30ml a day ?