90g Reef Ready diary

meowzer

Moderator
LOL....this is dumb...now that I think about...it shouldn't change color.....DUHHHHH
If it changes colors it would change to match one on the chart...staying "whitish" is normal
 

bluering09

Member
Ok Thanks.....now I feel much better. So how long is a normal period of cycle because the reef addiction in my is telling me "start buying corals, go ahead everything is fine," but this time I'm going to do everything by the book.
 

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by bluering09
http:///forum/post/3144858
Almost two days :)
LOL...and you are thinking about adding stuff already? Your tank has not even had time to start a cycle, let alone get thru one.
You need to sit back and let things happen....
 

small triggers

Active Member
2-4 weeks depending,,, you much check ammonia, nitrites and then once you have no more nitrites test for nitrates till you have none. Check these levels atleast 2 times a week, when there is no more ammonia or nitrates, you are good, but start adding slow! dont put to many thing in there that cause a shock to your bioload
 

bluering09

Member
So can I buy one or two pepermint shrimps to help with/start cycle? because I have heard of people using brine shrimp and stuff like that to help start a cycle
 

coastie81

Member
Originally Posted by bluering09
http:///forum/post/3145327
So can I buy one or two pepermint shrimps to help with/start cycle? because I have heard of people using brine shrimp and stuff like that to help start a cycle

DO NOT use pepermint shrimp. Go to your grocery store and buy some shrimp or even get a bag of the frozen uncooked stuff and throw a couple of peices in the tank and leave them in there for a few days and test,when you get an ammonia reading then you can take the raw shrimp out and sit and wait. It will either take 3-5 weeks of sitting empty to complete the cycle. Once your ammonia,nitrites and nitrates have all spiked and came back down to 0 then do a small water change and you can add livestock, but add small amount at a time IE: 1-2 fish then wait a few weeks for your bioload to establish then you can add more. Remember the most important thing to salt water is BE VERY PATIENT, rushing will lead to disaster and a very expensive learning experience.
 

nolanrob123

Member
Looks like you have a great setup on the way! P.s. I love the g-wagen, I had a 93 model when I was out of the country and loved it!
 

bluering09

Member
Yes the G-wagen is nice but this little Red Car is a beast, I can't get out of second gear or I will get back to the future :)



But anyways here is a shot of the tank from far. I saw what it looks to be die off and I believe the return pipe is broken. there is water licking from the 90 degree angle connector and its making noise, and the sump level is dropping super fast. I'm scared I don't know whats going on
 

bluering09

Member
Ok now I'm upset............the water level in the sump is very low (the pump is not longer completely submerge), I have tried turning the pump off and turn it back on gain and with no results. Like I said there is water dripping from the return pipe (the skinniest pipe), I believe there is a little hole in the L shape connector where water is dripping from. Any suggestions?
 

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
looks like you are off to a good start. I hope you fix the pump/leak problem soon.
Suggestions:
Take off all your plumbing and replace it.
If you are using PVC, you should clean the inside and outside of the PVC and thoroughly cement it in place. When you place the PVC in the joint, it is best to give it a 1/4 turn so that the cement seals the joint correctly.
If you are not using PVC, then you just need to push the rubber up a little further on the joint. It should stop then. If not, turn off your pumps, let it dry some and then hit it with some silicone. Wait 24 hours for the silicone to dry before turning the pump back on.
If it's also just a hose, you can get some hose clamps or "worm gear" clamps that will fit the joint snugly on the PVC so that it won't leak.
Also make sure that you aren't getting any saltwater on the floor - check to see where the leak is coming from and fix it! Sometimes if all else fails and you need to temporarily fix it, marine/water proof duct tape works miracles. lol!
 

bluering09

Member
It seems like my cycle just kicked off. The sand is getting brown and there is already algae growing on the live rock. I checked the Nitrate and Nitrite yesterday night and they are both super high so I'm planning on doing water changes 2morow. I also brought some shrimp to put in there today
 

nolanrob123

Member
It may be something clogging the pipe going to the sump. Do you have an overflow box? If so you may have to set it lower so more water will flow. Can you send some pics of the current plumbing? Man I need to send you some pics of my cars! I love the GT but after driving one for a while I knew it wasn't for me, for reasons I'm sure you know already haha!
 

s10lowrider

Member
Nice looking tank. Just because nobody else called it, is that a half eaten slice of pizza on the table next to the light?
 

bluering09

Member
I'm pretty sure there is something clogging the pipe, I remember that while filling my tank with water there were some grass looking things that got mix with the water( I keep my RO unit outside near the grass), now I just have to find time to check the pipes.
By the way that's not a slice of pizza its some kind of sweet bread they sell at the local grocery store.
nolanrob, I know exactly what you mean...I myself am trying really hard in College so I can one day be successful and a billionaire, but for right now I stick with Reefing :)
 

bluering09

Member
Ok so I spent the whole week trying to find out why my water level is getting so low very fast and I just came to a conclusion..........."evaporation" I believe the evaporation in my tank is about one gallon a day, which I heard it is very common. I also am thinking of dosing my tank calcium to help with the cycle.
According to a guy from the LFS dosing calcium to your system will skip the cycle process and it will help with coraline growth. If anyone has more information on the matter I'm all ears :)
PS: I just brought a Korolia 4 for the tank and its not bad.
 

bluering09

Member
I added light to the sump so the algae can start to grow (need to buy more live rock for it), I m so anxious to have this cycle gone.




 
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