Are these water peramiters ok?

pblrdom

pblrdom

Member
hey i just was wondering if these water peramiters are ok?
I have just started the tank, its about 3 weeks old now. I am currently in a cycle and was just wondering if the water was doin good.
I have:
40lbs cc
10lbs lr
2 green chromis and a coral banded shrimp.
here are the water peramiters....
ph:7.8
nitrate:20
nitrite:.25
amonia:.50
 
pontius

pontius

Active Member
the ph needs to be somewhere around 8.2 or 8.3. your ph is WAY too low. the tank is probably still cycling, so the ammonia and nitrates should eventually go down to zero. but imo you need to do something to get your ph up. I thought there was some kind of ph buffer quality in synthetic salt, don't know. when I first set up, I used "Proper Ph 8.2" and it's been that ever since. I think the fish are going to be in trouble if you don't get that ph up though.
 
bigarn

bigarn

Active Member
They're good for a cycleing tank....Why do you have livestock in there now? They will most likely die. I'd get a lot more LR and substrate now if this is the tank you have posted, to avoid another cycle if and when you add more. :D
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
The cycle is cooking!! :)
IMO just ignore PH until the cycle is over and the tank is stable. Don't even bother testing it.
 
pblrdom

pblrdom

Member
well i am not worried about starting another cycle later down the road...... If you add lr slowly like 5-10 pounds every other week than there wont be any die off..... As far as having the fish in there now, damsels are amazing for cycling fish tanks, because they are so hardy and i really dont care if i kill a 2 dollar fish. (No offence to chromis lovers)
Was i was inquiring about was are my levels doing fine for a 3 week old tank in a cycle????
I know i am in a cycle so it should sound like i am...
where can i get propher ph online????
thanx
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
If you're using live rock to cycle then having sacrificial fish in there is redundant. Just adding the fish food that you would feed them does the same thing.
 
thedraven

thedraven

Member

Originally posted by Bang Guy
If you're using live rock to cycle then having sacrificial fish in there is redundant.
:yes: Couldnt have said it better myself.
 
pontius

pontius

Active Member

Originally posted by PBLRDom
where can i get propher ph online????
thanx
if Bang Guy says don't worry about it, don't...he's been doing this a lot longer than me. adding proper ph was just something I did when I set up, and just assumed that it needed to be good from the get go.
they're right about the fish, the fish aren't necessary if you have live rock and sand, they're not going to make the cycle go any faster.
 
viper_930

viper_930

Active Member

Originally posted by PBLRDom
well i am not worried about starting another cycle later down the road...... If you add lr slowly like 5-10 pounds every other week than there wont be any die off
The die-off isn't from adding a lot of rock to the tank at once, it is from exposing the LR to air. Doesn't matter if it is 2000 lbs. or 2 lbs. because if the LR is taken out of water for too long there will be dieoff.
So later on if you decide to get more LR, you will need to get cured LR from the LFS or somewhere driving distance or buy uncured LR and cure it yourself in a seperate tank. You can buy fully cured LR online, but you will still need to cure it again because of the die-off from the shipping.
 
pblrdom

pblrdom

Member

Originally posted by ViPeR_930
The die-off isn't from adding a lot of rock to the tank at once, it is from exposing the LR to air. Doesn't matter if it is 2000 lbs. or 2 lbs. because if the LR is taken out of water for too long there will be dieoff.
So later on if you decide to get more LR, you will need to get cured LR from the LFS or somewhere driving distance or buy uncured LR and cure it yourself in a seperate tank. You can buy fully cured LR online, but you will still need to cure it again because of the die-off from the shipping.

for sure, i get my lr from my lfs who always has hundreds of pounds of cured lr.
i appreciate all teh help.
for future reference if i do decide to add any other fish into this tank now, what will happen to them?? Will the unstable water kill them????
Also about how long do you all say i have left in my cycle??????
A few weeks????
thanx
:jumping: :jumping: :jumping: :jumping: :jumping: :jumping: :jumping: :jumping: :jumping: :jumping:
 
viper_930

viper_930

Active Member
It is likely that new fish will die because of the ammonia and nitrite levels. Chromises and damsels are fairly hardy, so that my be why they are able to be alive right now.
I'd say you have about 2 weeks left of your cycle.
 
cowfishrule

cowfishrule

Active Member
Originally posted by PBLRDom
As far as having the fish in there now, damsels are amazing for cycling fish tanks, because they are so hardy and i really dont care if i kill a 2 dollar fish. (No offence to chromis lovers)
is this how you really feel?
:nope:
 
pblrdom

pblrdom

Member

Originally posted by COWFISHRULE
is this how you really feel?
:nope:
well i really dont want to be a fish killer by any means at all, but i would rather sacrafice two one dollar damsels and have a successful cycle and a healthy tank rather than wait 8 weeks. I dont want it to sound liek i am all like lets go kill fish but in this case yes, i really wouldnt mind the chromis to die.
it may be bad for them yes, and it may be hard on them, but they are hardy fish and will live and regain even more than they had before.
 
greatfullreefer

greatfullreefer

Active Member
Using fish to cycle a tank is cruel and unnecessary. The only reason you use fish is for the poop..the poop will rot causing ammonia which in turn creates bacteria to break down the ammonia into nitrItes and then to NitrAtes...you can create the same effect using a raw coctail shrimp or even as Bang suggests you can feed the empty tank and pretend there are fish in there. Using live fish DOES NOT speed up the cycle or create a better cycle.
It is plain to see that you have little regard for the longevity of the fish you plan to keep. My question to you is why do you want to get into the hobby if you dont care about the creatures you plan to adopt?
 
pblrdom

pblrdom

Member
tested levels again today
nitrate: 20
ammonia: .50
nitrite: .50
ph: 8
also i dont plan on keepong the chromis, they were given to me to cycle from my uncle.
he was getting out of sw because he couldnt afford it so he gave me the 2 chromis.
he has recently moved and i dont get to talk with him that much. cycling with the chromis may be in a way cruel but they are chromis......... i am in no way trying to kill them or hurt my fish, i am just doining it because i feel it is an effective way to cycle a tank based on what i have seen in my uncles fish tanks....... he used 2 chromis to cycle the last tank he had they lived and were fine also they are now in my tank, same two fish... i have talked with lfs and they will take them when i am done with my cycle....
what exactly am i looking for though?????
just the spikes and then leveling out??
whats normal?????
 
viper_930

viper_930

Active Member

Originally posted by PBLRDom
well i really dont want to be a fish killer by any means at all, but i would rather sacrafice two one dollar damsels and have a successful cycle and a healthy tank rather than wait 8 weeks.
The cycle can still be successful and you will have a healthy tank even without livestock in the tank. And it can very well take 8 weeks for the cycle anyways.
You just need the ammonia and nitrite to go to 0, then your cycle is over.
 
pblrdom

pblrdom

Member
ok ok ok already i saved the damsels after giving much thought to what all of you have said.
i have a small 29g nano that i put them in 5 mins ago.
so i am just waitin on the ammonia and nitrite to go to 0, and then its over. that seems simple enough.
thanx for the help.
 
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