Building my 56 gallon Column reef tank
- Thread starter monsinour
- Start date
monsinour
Active Member
I did the 2 different water tests tonight and well, whatever with the results.
80.1 degrees F ( cant get this one wrong )
SG 1.025 (yippie, finally there and just in time too.)
pH API result was 7.8 the red sea result was 8.0
Ammonia API result was (me) .25 (wife) 0 red sea result was (me) 0 (wife) 0
Nitrite API result was 0 red sea result was 0
Nitrate API result was 10 ( i think cant tell with those 5 and 10 color bands soo close ) red sea result was 12.5
If there is ammonia in the tank the shrimp are not showing the signs of it. They are happily hanging out in the rock work. I saw the fire shrimp venture out farther than he has before, but it was toward the back of the tank where no one could see him. I saw one of the pepps venture all the way over to the other side of the tank, twice. One of the pepps seems to not care about me poking my nose against the glass to get a decent look at him, while the other just slowly backs away and under a rock. The snails all appear to be doing well, still have just the one eating algae off of the glass while the others are on the rocks, in the sand, or not to be seen. The snails in the fuge are all doing well, and I can see the nassi's snout sticking up out of the sand. I will be doing a 10% water change tomorrow before I acclimate the wife's new fighting conchs, if we get them. All appears on track for the pair o clowns on sunday.
80.1 degrees F ( cant get this one wrong )
SG 1.025 (yippie, finally there and just in time too.)
pH API result was 7.8 the red sea result was 8.0
Ammonia API result was (me) .25 (wife) 0 red sea result was (me) 0 (wife) 0
Nitrite API result was 0 red sea result was 0
Nitrate API result was 10 ( i think cant tell with those 5 and 10 color bands soo close ) red sea result was 12.5
If there is ammonia in the tank the shrimp are not showing the signs of it. They are happily hanging out in the rock work. I saw the fire shrimp venture out farther than he has before, but it was toward the back of the tank where no one could see him. I saw one of the pepps venture all the way over to the other side of the tank, twice. One of the pepps seems to not care about me poking my nose against the glass to get a decent look at him, while the other just slowly backs away and under a rock. The snails all appear to be doing well, still have just the one eating algae off of the glass while the others are on the rocks, in the sand, or not to be seen. The snails in the fuge are all doing well, and I can see the nassi's snout sticking up out of the sand. I will be doing a 10% water change tomorrow before I acclimate the wife's new fighting conchs, if we get them. All appears on track for the pair o clowns on sunday.
btldreef
Moderator
I'm going to venture a guess to say your ammonia is not an issue with all animals doing well, especially the shrimp.
Nitrates of 5-10 isn't the end of the world, but you do want this number to be as close to zero as possible. I don't know many people that can legitimately say that their number is consistenly 0 if they have fish in the tank.
Nitrates of 5-10 isn't the end of the world, but you do want this number to be as close to zero as possible. I don't know many people that can legitimately say that their number is consistenly 0 if they have fish in the tank.
monsinour
Active Member
I kinda figured that with the shrimp being so susecptable to water quality, that if i got a pair and they showed signs of badness, that I had bad water. This is one way to tell how the water is without putting fish in harms way.
As my wife said, if one of the shrimp dies, it will be the most expensive shrimp coctail we ever ate, LOL.
As my wife said, if one of the shrimp dies, it will be the most expensive shrimp coctail we ever ate, LOL.
meowzer
Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by Monsinour http:///forum/thread/380344/building-my-56-gallon-column-reef-tank/240#post_3316061
As my wife said, if one of the shrimp dies, it will be the most expensive shrimp coctail we ever ate, LOL.
LOL....here is a good story to tell your wife.....back in the beginning, I bought 2 cleaner shrimp....$25 each....well I was emptying water out of the fish bag...IN THE SINK
....WELL...I bet you know what is coming ....HAHA....one of the shrimp ended up down the drain
Well let's just say...I NEVER do it that way anymore.....I work with the styro containers, and I have had a fish or 2 jump the bag since
Originally Posted by Monsinour http:///forum/thread/380344/building-my-56-gallon-column-reef-tank/240#post_3316061
As my wife said, if one of the shrimp dies, it will be the most expensive shrimp coctail we ever ate, LOL.
LOL....here is a good story to tell your wife.....back in the beginning, I bought 2 cleaner shrimp....$25 each....well I was emptying water out of the fish bag...IN THE SINK
Well let's just say...I NEVER do it that way anymore.....I work with the styro containers, and I have had a fish or 2 jump the bag since
monsinour
Active Member
Water test for this evening (even if I dont post them, I am still doing tests every 12 hours.)
80.1 degrees F
SG 1.025
pH 7.8
Ammonia RS test says 0 and API says .25
Nitrite 0 for both
Nitrate RS says .025 ir whatever that first one above 0 is and API says 5
I did a water change today and that is why the nitrate is lower I am sure. Not sure where that ammonia came from as I didnt set the bristleworm trap last night.
Tonight, I made one hell of a mess ofthe rocks trying to get the rock with the black worm out ofthe tank to get the worm out. I tried setting it in a bucket for a while with no water (theres nothing of value on this rock), i also tried a freshwater dip for about 10 minutes and nothing as well. While that rock was soaking, I attempted to fix the rocks that came down to no avail. I got really frustrated and realized that all this falling rockwork could have been solved if I used the glue/paste from the start. Then I also realized that I probably couldnt have taken the rock out ofthe tank if I had used the glue/paste. All these catch 22s that we have to deal with. After all is said and done, I cant find one ofthe peppermint shrimp in the tank. I have seen the fire and one ofthe pepps, but I cannot find the other one. All the snails and urchin are accounted for. I sure hope that I didnt accidentally trap him in the new rockwork.
So heres a question I have. Is there any reason, other than asthetics, to not use bricks instead of live rock in your tank? I mean sure, you need to seed the tank in some fasion so live sand that is wet would be the choice there. But is there any other reason to not use bricks? They have holes in them already, there wont be any hitchhikers to worry about, they will stack rather well, and you could get a decent structure out of it without having to worry about it coming down.
edit : just found pepps #2. He is hiding behind my doughnut rock in the one spot that you cant see from any side ofthe tank. I spotted his antenna and it moved. I then shone the flashlight in there and it went to the left, I quickly moved that way and saw him. Whew!
80.1 degrees F
SG 1.025
pH 7.8
Ammonia RS test says 0 and API says .25
Nitrite 0 for both
Nitrate RS says .025 ir whatever that first one above 0 is and API says 5
I did a water change today and that is why the nitrate is lower I am sure. Not sure where that ammonia came from as I didnt set the bristleworm trap last night.
Tonight, I made one hell of a mess ofthe rocks trying to get the rock with the black worm out ofthe tank to get the worm out. I tried setting it in a bucket for a while with no water (theres nothing of value on this rock), i also tried a freshwater dip for about 10 minutes and nothing as well. While that rock was soaking, I attempted to fix the rocks that came down to no avail. I got really frustrated and realized that all this falling rockwork could have been solved if I used the glue/paste from the start. Then I also realized that I probably couldnt have taken the rock out ofthe tank if I had used the glue/paste. All these catch 22s that we have to deal with. After all is said and done, I cant find one ofthe peppermint shrimp in the tank. I have seen the fire and one ofthe pepps, but I cannot find the other one. All the snails and urchin are accounted for. I sure hope that I didnt accidentally trap him in the new rockwork.
So heres a question I have. Is there any reason, other than asthetics, to not use bricks instead of live rock in your tank? I mean sure, you need to seed the tank in some fasion so live sand that is wet would be the choice there. But is there any other reason to not use bricks? They have holes in them already, there wont be any hitchhikers to worry about, they will stack rather well, and you could get a decent structure out of it without having to worry about it coming down.
edit : just found pepps #2. He is hiding behind my doughnut rock in the one spot that you cant see from any side ofthe tank. I spotted his antenna and it moved. I then shone the flashlight in there and it went to the left, I quickly moved that way and saw him. Whew!
btldreef
Moderator
You have to be careful with what you use for rock work because of what the material might contain. IMO, brick would not be a good choice, as it may contain metals that you do not want in the tank. I also seem to remember that people who use cement to make their own LR had to cure the rock, it could not just be dumped in a cycled tank.
As for your ammonia reading, did you move the rocks and attempt to catch the bristleworm before or after testing?
As for your ammonia reading, did you move the rocks and attempt to catch the bristleworm before or after testing?
monsinour
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///forum/thread/380344/building-my-56-gallon-column-reef-tank/240#post_3316443
You have to be careful with what you use for rock work because of what the material might contain. IMO, brick would not be a good choice, as it may contain metals that you do not want in the tank. I also seem to remember that people who use cement to make their own LR had to cure the rock, it could not just be dumped in a cycled tank.
As for your ammonia reading, did you move the rocks and attempt to catch the bristleworm before or after testing?
After.
Water test from this morning
80.1 degrees F
SG 1.025
pH 8.0
Ammonia 0
Nitite 0
Nitrate 20
So the ammonia is gone and its now nitrate. I am thinking that I need to check the nitrate again later to see if it comes back down to 5 or 10 like where it has always been.
So find out what bricks are made of, gotcha.
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///forum/thread/380344/building-my-56-gallon-column-reef-tank/240#post_3316443
You have to be careful with what you use for rock work because of what the material might contain. IMO, brick would not be a good choice, as it may contain metals that you do not want in the tank. I also seem to remember that people who use cement to make their own LR had to cure the rock, it could not just be dumped in a cycled tank.
As for your ammonia reading, did you move the rocks and attempt to catch the bristleworm before or after testing?
After.
Water test from this morning
80.1 degrees F
SG 1.025
pH 8.0
Ammonia 0
Nitite 0
Nitrate 20
So the ammonia is gone and its now nitrate. I am thinking that I need to check the nitrate again later to see if it comes back down to 5 or 10 like where it has always been.
So find out what bricks are made of, gotcha.
monsinour
Active Member
Water test from this evening
80.1 degrees F
SG 1.025
pH 8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate API said 10 and RS said 2.5
The nitrate going down is what I wanted to see anyways. So I am now trying the bristle worm trap and you all were right, the pepps came in and had a snack. Then the snails came in and had a snack. One of them went around the glass and took a swan dive into the pile of food. He crawled right out afterwards and went along his merry way with his snout in the air. So far though, no worms have entered the glass. I fully expect to see some ammonia in the morning from the food, but I also know that by evening it will be gone.
I did wake up to finding a molt of a pepp on the top of my rocks this morning. I am sure I stressed the little fella by moving the rocks around. At least the rocks are more stable right now. I am debating on getting that glue stick stuff to actually glue the rocks in place. So far, so good with the tank.
80.1 degrees F
SG 1.025
pH 8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate API said 10 and RS said 2.5
The nitrate going down is what I wanted to see anyways. So I am now trying the bristle worm trap and you all were right, the pepps came in and had a snack. Then the snails came in and had a snack. One of them went around the glass and took a swan dive into the pile of food. He crawled right out afterwards and went along his merry way with his snout in the air. So far though, no worms have entered the glass. I fully expect to see some ammonia in the morning from the food, but I also know that by evening it will be gone.
I did wake up to finding a molt of a pepp on the top of my rocks this morning. I am sure I stressed the little fella by moving the rocks around. At least the rocks are more stable right now. I am debating on getting that glue stick stuff to actually glue the rocks in place. So far, so good with the tank.
btldreef
Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by Monsinour http:///forum/thread/380344/building-my-56-gallon-column-reef-tank/240#post_3316925
Water test from this mornin
80.1 degrees F
SG 1.025
pH 8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20
Where is the nitrate coming from? I dont think anything bad happened in the tank. I know that 20 isnt life or death, but its higher than what I want in the tank. Suggestions?
Well, you had an ammonia reading a day or so ago, so my initial thought is that it probably is from converted ammonia.
My other thought is just snail/shrimp feces.
20 as a reading on the API or Red Sea test is not the end of the world, my API reads 15 when my SeaChem and probe read 2-5.
Originally Posted by Monsinour http:///forum/thread/380344/building-my-56-gallon-column-reef-tank/240#post_3316925
Water test from this mornin
80.1 degrees F
SG 1.025
pH 8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20
Where is the nitrate coming from? I dont think anything bad happened in the tank. I know that 20 isnt life or death, but its higher than what I want in the tank. Suggestions?
Well, you had an ammonia reading a day or so ago, so my initial thought is that it probably is from converted ammonia.
My other thought is just snail/shrimp feces.
20 as a reading on the API or Red Sea test is not the end of the world, my API reads 15 when my SeaChem and probe read 2-5.
monsinour
Active Member
Water test this evening
80.1 degrees F
SG 1.025
pH 8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20
Its not going down and if I were to add fish, their waste would only make it go up more. Do I need some more macro algea in the sump? I have decided against trimming it. Maybe I am just worring about nothing.
As for good news, I got 4 flatworms out of the tank this evening, adjusted the rockwork and found a baby snail. I have no idea what kind it is and all 4 pics I took are really fuzzy. If you can guess it, you win some kind of clear eye prize.
I wont ever say that I think i have seen everything in my tank. It boggles my mind at all the new things that pop out of nowhere in the tank.
80.1 degrees F
SG 1.025
pH 8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20
Its not going down and if I were to add fish, their waste would only make it go up more. Do I need some more macro algea in the sump? I have decided against trimming it. Maybe I am just worring about nothing.
As for good news, I got 4 flatworms out of the tank this evening, adjusted the rockwork and found a baby snail. I have no idea what kind it is and all 4 pics I took are really fuzzy. If you can guess it, you win some kind of clear eye prize.
I wont ever say that I think i have seen everything in my tank. It boggles my mind at all the new things that pop out of nowhere in the tank.
monsinour
Active Member
water test
80.1 F
pH 8
SG 1.025
Ammonia .25 (?)
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20
Ammonia back up, but that may be to a sponge finally dying on me. I am suprised it hasnt happened before. Then again, it could be from the snail that either got eaten or died and then got eaten. My daughter got soo excited to find a new shell. Of course I didnt ask in front of here where the snail that was inside the shell went to. So now we are down 2 snails in the DT but we have added 3 since, so I do not think I need to add any to replace the ones that are gone.
While doing my cleaning, I somehow managed to bring the rockwork down. It took a little bit but I managed to get it all set back up. After a few minutes of letting things settle, I managed to see all the critters that are supposed to be alive, alive. Good to know that I didnt kill anything with the rock slide. So now I kinda have a feeling that I need to get that stuff that bonds rock together under water. Someone want to refresh my memory of what its called and how it works? I seem to remeber it being sold in tubes and acting like a paste. I am sure I can expect to see the same ammonia in the morning as I might have stirred up some stuff in the tank. As long as the ammonia is gone by tomorrow evening, I am still on track to get clowns on sunday afternoon. HOWEVER, if the ammoina is still present tomorrow evening, should I hold off on the fish purchase? The LFS has a sale all week long with most items on sale and then an additional 10% off due to the 10/10/10 celebration.
80.1 F
pH 8
SG 1.025
Ammonia .25 (?)
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20
Ammonia back up, but that may be to a sponge finally dying on me. I am suprised it hasnt happened before. Then again, it could be from the snail that either got eaten or died and then got eaten. My daughter got soo excited to find a new shell. Of course I didnt ask in front of here where the snail that was inside the shell went to. So now we are down 2 snails in the DT but we have added 3 since, so I do not think I need to add any to replace the ones that are gone.
While doing my cleaning, I somehow managed to bring the rockwork down. It took a little bit but I managed to get it all set back up. After a few minutes of letting things settle, I managed to see all the critters that are supposed to be alive, alive. Good to know that I didnt kill anything with the rock slide. So now I kinda have a feeling that I need to get that stuff that bonds rock together under water. Someone want to refresh my memory of what its called and how it works? I seem to remeber it being sold in tubes and acting like a paste. I am sure I can expect to see the same ammonia in the morning as I might have stirred up some stuff in the tank. As long as the ammonia is gone by tomorrow evening, I am still on track to get clowns on sunday afternoon. HOWEVER, if the ammoina is still present tomorrow evening, should I hold off on the fish purchase? The LFS has a sale all week long with most items on sale and then an additional 10% off due to the 10/10/10 celebration.
monsinour
Active Member
I found another snail not doing so hot, he was on his back, I believe it was a cerith snail. He is up and moving very slowly right now, but he didnt look too hot last night. Should I be concerned about these snails not doing so hot? I did see both nassi snails, 1 in the sand with snout up and 1 out of the sand moving around snout up. The margaritta snail is happily moving around, the 2 conch's are happily moving around. The 2 astrera snails are fine and dandy. All the snails in the fuge appear to be ok as well as the hermit. The shrimp are fine. The fire shrimp has seemed to warm up to me. When I get close to the tank, he comes at me with what appears to be signs of agression. But when my hand is in the tank, he just looks at it. Whats hardier, snails or shrimp? I got a feeling its neither, but still, should I have cause for concern?
Water tests coming up soon....
Water tests coming up soon....