New Reefer!

[Lysh87]

Hi everyone I am brand new to this hobby! I have had my tank set up for a day and a half and still trying to figure some things out.

I have a Fluval Evo Sea 13.5 gallon. The carbon and sponge filter are in the middle compartment how far down is it supposed to be? Is the bag of carbon supposed to be under water?

 

[Redfoxtang]

Welcome to R2R!!! Yes I would try to submerge the carbon if possible.

 

[Lysh87]

Welcome to R2R!!! Yes I would try to submerge the carbon if possible.

Thank you! I can do that, I can just push the sponge down a bit further

Also, I have dead rock and live sand. I understand my tank has to cycle but since I have the dead rock it will take much longer right? And I can’t introduce any critters until it’s done cycling?

 

[Jeff Jarry reef]

Welcome to R2R yes carbon should be submerged under water. And you at the right place for any help you need. There are alot of great people here that will help.

 

[Jeff Jarry reef]

Thank you! I can do that, I can just push the sponge down a bit further

Also, I have dead rock and live sand. I understand my tank has to cycle but since I have the dead rock it will take much longer right? And I can’t introduce any critters until it’s done cycling?

Yes wait until it's fully cycled before adding any thing in tank.

 

[Lysh87]

Thank you for your response! I am so thankful I found this forum!

 

[Jeff Jarry reef]

Are you useing any live bacteria in a bottle like Dr.tims to start the cycle?

 

[Lysh87]

I have seachem stability that I have been putting in it

 

[Jeff Jarry reef]

I have seachem stability that I have been putting in it

Ok I have never used seachem to cycle tank. You can do a little of ghost feeding to help cycle out as well.. But whatever you use just be sure to keep check on ammonia and nitrites are at 0 when you get a reading on nitrates it should be ready to go and you will get algea don't be alarmed just let it do it's thing. Don't be in hurry. And ASK QUESTIONS don't be afraid to ask anybody here on R2R everyone is family.

 

[Lysh87]

Oh okay this is so helpful! What do you mean by ghost feeding? And what reading should I get for nitrates? I’m assuming this is going to take like a month since I have dead rock? Man I have to learn patience! Haha

 

[Oropher]

Welcome to R2R

My first tank is a 10G. And it still running, almost 3 years. Lots of LPS and I keep quite a few fish there.

Don't worry, you're in the awesome community. Just ask around.

Cheers

 

[youngreef]

Welcome to the hobby! i personally wouldnt start a new tank with any chemical filtration.
I recently started and easy beginner-friendly 10g setup. And following the process on youtube if your interested in checking it out heres the link to my chanel. good luck with your new tank. feel free to message me =]

 

[Mav88]

Welcome to R2R!!
Also have an evo. There are a lot of them on here and plenty of help.

 

[Casket_Case]

Welcome to REEF2REEF the BEST saltwater forum out there! As they said, I’d submerge them

 

[youngreef]

i have used carbon while cycling before and it took so much longer to cycle the tank that way. once i took it out, the tank finihsed cycling within a day or two. Definately leave the sponge if you dont have any biomedia. But do not wash it or rinse it out until a week or so after you get some biomedia like bioballs (from maxspect or marinepure) a lot of the bacteria will populate the sponge. And for the carbon you can take it out rinse it with fresh water, let it air dry and save it for later on.

 

[lapin]

Oh okay this is so helpful! What do you mean by ghost feeding? And what reading should I get for nitrates? I’m assuming this is going to take like a month since I have dead rock? Man I have to learn patience! Haha

Bacteria need food to grow. Some people add ammonia (see Dr Tims for more info on this) Some people add a pinch of flake food every few days or a piece of raw table shrimp. This is ghost feeding.
Nitrates will start out at 0 then climb as ammonia is processed by the bacteria. The level is not important.
Being able to process ammonia into nitrate before it harms fish is important.

 

[ReefReadyYouTube]

Welcome to R2R!!
There are lots of people here that can help you I’ve never had a Fluval 13.5 but I bet there’s some helpful YouTube videos!

 

[Jeff Jarry reef]

Oh okay this is so helpful! What do you mean by ghost feeding? And what reading should I get for nitrates? I’m assuming this is going to take like a month since I have dead rock? Man I have to learn patience! Haha
[/QUOT
Ghost feeding is just feeding the tank with no live critters in rank.

 

[thunderreefer]

Welcome! There’s lots of great information here to help you. You can search for each of your questions and find great threads with a lot of detail, cycling, ghost feeding, fish less cycling, bacteria in a bottle, etc. I agree with the comments above, testing ammonia, nitrites and nitrates will let you know where you are in the cycle. For bacteria in a bottle, I really like fritz turbo start 900. May cost a little more and has to be refrigerated, so a good one to find at the local fish store or it can be shipped with cold packs. Here’s a thread link from here on R2R with a member testing various products and a great example of some of the information you can find here to help.

Bacteria in a bottle, Myth or Fact

Call me old school, back in the day we placed a deli shrimp in a tank to kick start the cycle. When tank reached 1.5-2 ppm ammonia we pulled it out and waited sometimes weeks to months for bacteria to colonize and drop ammonia and nitrites down to 0 to make tank safe for livestock. With recent...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[inletfish]

reefing is so fun.

theres ways to hurrt your cycle along. look at reefbuilders ond day nano set up.

have fun and dont get discouraged as stated all tanks have the new phase.

patience is key