As the dust settles...

[sexyshrimp101]

I am waiting for the sand cloud to settle, and thought I would ask a couple of questions. I used my hydrometer to measure the specific gravity before putting the sand in and it said 1.022. The back of the package said between 1.020 to 1.023, so I went ahead and put the sand in, and also put my live rock in because I didn't want it to dry out while I was waiting (will aquascape after cloud settles). When reading on here though, I've seen that a lot of people say 1.025 is ideal. I am ok right now where I am at, or should I be worried? Will it affect anything since I will just be starting the cycling process anyways? Is there anything else I should be aware of at this point? Thanks in advance for any answers to my questions!

 

[ophiura]

If you are only keeping fish, you are OK. If you intend to add invertebrates - ANY inverts, IMO (snails, hermits, etc), then I feel you should bump it to 1.025-1.026.

 

[miaheatlvr]

Originally Posted by ophiura
If you are only keeping fish, you are OK. If you intend to add invertebrates - ANY inverts, IMO (snails, hermits, etc), then I feel you should bump it to 1.025-1.026.
Agreed 100%

 

[sexyshrimp101]

I am definitely having inverts, etc. Would I add salt to bump up the salinity? And if so, how much would I add? I have a 30 gallon tank. Also, there are little tiny bubble all over the glass, heater, etc., is that ok?

 

[miaheatlvr]

Originally Posted by sexyshrimp101
I am definitely having inverts, etc. Would I add salt to bump up the salinity? And if so, how much would I add? I have a 30 gallon tank. Also, there are little tiny bubble all over the glass, heater, etc., is that ok?
Do you have ANYTHING in the tank yet? Just add salt water when you do your topoffs instead of fresh,, In a 30 it will rise at a safe level rather quickly,, Please try to invest in a refractometer,, easy to use and much more accurate.. Where are the bubbles coming from? Protein skimmer? or where?

 

[sexyshrimp101]

The only things I have in the tank is the live sand and live rock. I plan on investing in a refractometer very soon. So I wouldn't need to add any salt right now to raise the salinity then?
As far as equipment goes. The only thing I have running is the canister filter and the heater.

 

[miaheatlvr]

No its not necessary RIGHT NOW, but when you make up yor next salt batch, make it as normal,, and add it to you tank for water top-offs during evaporation,, INSTEAD of topping off with FRESH, this will raise you SG safely and gradually...

 

[sexyshrimp101]

Ohhhh, got it. Would you have any idea where those tiny bubbles are coming from? Do I have to worry about them?

 

[miaheatlvr]

Originally Posted by sexyshrimp101
Ohhhh, got it. Would you have any idea where those tiny bubbles are coming from? Do I have to worry about them?
Could be trapped gasses in your live rock being released over time, very very common. or do you have anything that airates or agitates your water? Do you have a prtein skilmmer or powerhead making bubbles? If you water readings are fine I WOULDNT worry about it..

 

[sexyshrimp101]

Are there any other tests I should do before I start the cycle with the raw shrimp?

 

[paintballer768]

Only thing I would measure is the salinity during the cycling process. Go ahead and drop the shrimp on in. At the end of every week or so test it so when you know your cycle is over. Youll know this when ammonia and nitrites read 0.

 

[miaheatlvr]

Originally Posted by sexyshrimp101
Are there any other tests I should do before I start the cycle with the raw shrimp?
You are ready to go,,, Im not a big fan of canister filters, they need to constantly maintined, floss, carbon, substrate, and CAN be NITRATE traps,, im more of a big, protein skimmer, live rock, live sand with a small hang on back filter with some activated carbon.. But millions of people do it your way, so good luck! You WILL definately need the protein skimmer though at some point..

 

[sexyshrimp101]

Yeah, I am already having problems with the canister filter, it seems to be leaking at the bottom for some unknown reason. I may have to re-assess my filtration methods. If I need to switch out filtration methods, I won't disturb anything will I?
I will go ahead and put the shrimp in and see what happens. About when should I test my nitrate, nitrate, ammonia, etc. after I put the shrimp in? I guess I am just not sure when to do all of the testing, like at which intervals of the cycling process.

 

[paintballer768]

Okay, lets see here. The filter is where most of the nitrifying bacteria (why we cycle) lives. I would suggest getting a new filter or fix the leak asap. The cycle generally takes about a month, if not less, so if you need to start over by buying a new filter, not the end of the world.
Add the shrimp to the tank when the filter problem is solved. After a few days, lets say 3 or 4, and take it out. You dont need to test the water cuz Ill tell you what its going to read. Ammonia should be out into space. Give it a week and test the water again. There should be reading some Nitrites at this point. Given about another week or two, the ammonia and nitrites should read 0, and the nitrates should have a reading, most likely a high one. This is when your cycle is done.
Do a water change at the end of the cycle and then it should be ready for fish. I would recommend once the cycle is over and you start adding fish to get a tank size appropriate protein skimmer. It helps eliminate organic material floating around in the tank and keeps it overall alot cleaner.

 

[sexyshrimp101]

That helps out a ton! Thanks to all for your help, I will go ahead and do exactly what you guys have told me and hopefully all will turn out well. I will let you know if I have any issues. Thanks again

 

[paintballer768]

No problem, glad it helped!

 

[sexyshrimp101]

Ok, I already have another question...how long should it take for the sand cloud to clear? I put two 20 lb. bags of sand in at least 2 hours ago, and it is still really cloudy. Is this normal?

 

[paintballer768]

Yea it is. Should take a few hours or so. Should be clear by tomorrow morning. Is your filter leaking like mad or how bad is it? Maybe you could disconnect it from your system for a few minutes and superglue the spot depending on how big the leak is.

 

[sexyshrimp101]

Oh ok, I thought there was something wrong. I went ahead and switched out a gallon of water in my tank for a new gallon of saltwater that I quickly mixed up. My live rock is in there too. I had to put all of it in there so it didn't dry up. Will it be ok just sitting in there?
It's weird, the filter isn't leaking anymore. It's the strangest thing, so I don't know whether to leave it or not. It seemed liked it leaked the most when I turned it off and then back on, but now it's just fine.

 

[paintballer768]

If you mix your water with salt, I would suggest you do this with your water when you do water changes. Take a bucket and designate it for saltwater only. Mix the water and salt in there. Next time you have some money, invest in a powerhead for that bucket. So you will have the water getting circulated for a good 1-2 days before you do the changes. This way you can mix the salt in, make sure its desolved, and test the salinity and pH and make sure its at desired levels before adding it in. Much easier to add pH buffer to newly mixed water than to your display tank. Try the filter out again in the tank and see if it leaks. If not, awesome. If it does, I say exchange it for a new one next chance ya get.