Tell me to quit messing with my tank

[alimac122]

Okay. As EVERYONE of us is stuck at home
and MANY of us have started a new project.

I built my tank last week and got it salted and seeded on thursday.
I was ALMOST finished cycling on Monday. Then i added more raw meat and the chems screwed up again. Which just means more bacteria so not totally bad. i went the budget build route so i could spend money on some cool clowns to start the tank, goal is to keep those puppies alive for 10+ yrs.

ANYWAYS.
yesterday was told my chems were not good enough to purchase my mocha storms.
so
of course
i had to
Mess with the tank AGAIN

and i just added more live sand ((this time to the sump))
which i know in the long run is only going to be more beneficial because its more home for the bacteria.

BUT dang ALI. CAN YOU LEAVE THE TANK ALONE FOR ONE DAY.

anyways.

thought you'd find my monologue entertaining. gonna go sit on my hands now.

 

[ndrwater]

This is easy..

Stop messing with your tank.. the tank and you will be better because of it

 

[Katrina71]

Quit messing with your tank.

 

[Katrina71]

Let it do it's thing. It'll get there.

 

[Bob Weigant]

I wish I could. With my LPS tank i dont touch it as much but sps tank is another story. Im never fully happy with it

 

[AZMSGT]

Leave your tank alone for 3-4 months, I’m not kidding. Turn the light off and leave it alone. And no, more meat and chems don’t just mean more bacteria. It means ALGAE and lots of it. Remove any “meat” you can and only have 1 small dead shrimp tail in it. Your tank is NOT cycled after 4 days either.

 

[alimac122]

Leave your tank alone for 3-4 months, I’m not kidding. Turn the light off and leave it alone. And no, more meat and chems don’t just mean more bacteria. It means ALGAE and lots of it. Remove any “meat” you can and only have 1 small dead shrimp tail in it. Your tank is NOT cycled after 4 days either.

I'm extremely confused. Can you go into more detail? I have live rock, live sand, bio rock and i added microbacter 7 live bacteria.

I only added some raw freeze dried chicken that was the shavings of my dog treats. its already been fully decomposed.

why so long? youre saying I cant even have ONE fish in the tank??

 

[AZMSGT]

The longer you cycle the more stable it will be. Your cycle is just getting started after 4 days. Microbacter and all those other things should take about 2-3 weeks to get the system really going. A full cycle will see everything climb then drop off. Ammonia, Nitrite then Nitrate all need to go through the process.

Do a search on a 4 month cycle.

 

[Redfoxtang]

Instead of adding dead shrimp/chicken I would add a pure ammonia source such as this
Fritz PRO - Ammonium Chloride - 500gm
Also I still would at least wait a month or so before adding fish. The longer you wait the more stable the tank will be in the long run.

 

[Homebrewer]

I am in the camp that advocates for a long cycle. Had a 30 gal, went too fast, lost a lot of livestock before I got it right.

Upgraded to a 65, did the shrimp cycle, but was in no rush to move things over, so I took my time and was way more successful out of the gate. Had a crash due to a very poor lighting decision, but when I got back on track, took months to make sure my water was right before adding anything back.

Waiting is not easy, but it’s worth it, both from a long-term satisfaction standpoint, and from a financial one.

 

[Skynyrd Fish]

Hi Alimac. Watch this video. If you want a great tank with clowns and corals that looks great, this is a good start. Rushing the process can lead to massive algae problems for months or years on end. There is no right answer, but rushing the cycle is not a good idea. Please stop all bottled products, and putting chicken in your tank.

The BRS/WWC Hybrid 4-month SPS tank cycle - The BRS/WWC System Ep12 - BRStv

Today Ryan explains how we plan to cycle our BRS/WWC Hybrid System tanks and, as much as it hurts to wait, why a 4-month cycle is probably the most stable and simple way to create a stunning SPS dominant tank! #BRSWWC #reefingmethods Need a tank cycle starter kit? This week you can WIN one...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Mastiffsrule]

This is easy..

Stop messing with your tank.. the tank and you will be better because of it

^^^

 

[Nhjmc]

Too funny that’s totally me too!!

 

[Nhjmc]

Too funny that’s totally me too!!

I wish I had followed advice of others/articles online I’ve read YouTube videos etc when I first set my tank up six months ago and glued my rock work together. I couldn’t get the right rock work/aquascape I wanted to up until a few days ago now I’m good and going to stop moving stuff around.

 

[NS Mike D]

it's more than just cycling - there is also a maturing of the tank.

reconsider your move to put sand in the sump. Detritus can be problematic and sand can be a detritus trap. That's why we have tanks with no sand, a thin sand bed (that can be easily cleaned) and the deep sand bed (for highly experienced reefers and we are talking like 6" deep). What we don't see recommended is an in-between sand bed.

So no, more is not always better in the long run when it comes to sand.

What is you plan to keep the sump sand bed from being a detritus trap and thus defeating the purpose of the sump?

What you see more and more in sumps is rubble, rock, marine pure rocks and other filter media that will host beneficial bacteria but can be removed as they clog up. IMO, sand will be more of a headache in a sump. I recommend removing it for now and consider one of the above options.

 

[alimac122]

Waiting is not easy, but it’s worth it, both from a long-term satisfaction standpoint, and from a financial one.

I love that last little line.
Because I could get a cheap ocellaris to start. not hurt my pocketbook.
and there are always "deals" on fish if i just wait around long enough

 

[alimac122]

it's more than just cycling - there is also a maturing of the tank.

reconsider your move to put sand in the sump. Detritus can be problematic and sand can be a detritus trap. That's why we have tanks with no sand, a thin sand bed (that can be easily cleaned) and the deep sand bed (for highly experienced reefers and we are talking like 6" deep). What we don't see recommended is an in-between sand bed.

So no, more is not always better in the long run when it comes to sand.

What is you plan to keep the sump sand bed from being a detritus trap and thus defeating the purpose of the sump?

What you see more and more in sumps is rubble, rock, marine pure rocks and other filter media that will host beneficial bacteria but can be removed as they clog up. IMO, sand will be more of a headache in a sump. I recommend removing it for now and consider one of the above options.

To be totally honest, it was live sand and i just wanted it for the bacteria it contained moreso than anything. I agree with the clean tanks. NONE of my sumps at my aquarium I worked at had sand in their sumps. I plan on vac'ing it out during my next water change and adding in more bio rock.

 

[alimac122]

Hi Alimac. Watch this video. If you want a great tank with clowns and corals that looks great, this is a good start. Rushing the process can lead to massive algae problems for months or years on end. There is no right answer, but rushing the cycle is not a good idea. Please stop all bottled products, and putting chicken in your tank.

The BRS/WWC Hybrid 4-month SPS tank cycle - The BRS/WWC System Ep12 - BRStv

Today Ryan explains how we plan to cycle our BRS/WWC Hybrid System tanks and, as much as it hurts to wait, why a 4-month cycle is probably the most stable and simple way to create a stunning SPS dominant tank! #BRSWWC #reefingmethods Need a tank cycle starter kit? This week you can WIN one...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Oh i had NO intention of adding corals until the weather get cold again. I love being outside during the summer so the time and effort corals take is not in my near sight. I just was trying to cycle to get at least two clowns in the tank since they are hearty and are a entertaining way of adding ammonia.

 

[block134]

I wish I had followed advice of others/articles online I’ve read YouTube videos etc when I first set my tank up six months ago and glued my rock work together. I couldn’t get the right rock work/aquascape I wanted to up until a few days ago now I’m good and going to stop moving stuff around.

Haha this is me with my rock work as well.

Take your time and research everything. DO NOT RUSH.

Take your time and quarintein new livestock as well before adding to your display tank.

Listen to the advice given here. It is given from expierance and from the want to see you do well.

 

[alimac122]

Haha this is me with my rock work as well.

Take your time and research everything. DO NOT RUSH.

Take your time and quarintein new livestock as well before adding to your display tank.

Listen to the advice given here. It is given from expierance and from the want to see you do well.

I think I forgot to mention (it's in my bio) I am not a complete NOOB. I was a marine biologist at an aquarium for 4 years. I worked with corals and fish every day all day. Its been a few years since then so i have definitely upped my research to get refreshed on my knowledge.

I was NEVER a coral expert. But I also know what to look for in fish and what it takes to upkeep a tank. My goal is most definitely low maintenance (because most of the tanks at the aquarium were overloaded and a nuisance to keep algae at bay). I am by no means wanting to get these fish to feed them every single day, twice a day and completely ruin the chems. I just also know that clowns are hearty and can handle fluctuations and are an entertaining way to get the tank cycled and stable.