Can i add my Clean up Crew Yet??

[woody189]

My 46 gal tank has been cycling w/ 45 lbs of LR for 2 1/2 weeks now. My ammonia went up and has settled at .25 and isn't going down. I'm going go give it some more time before adding fish, but can i add a pep shrimp and some snails/hermit crabs??
I'm getting orange, rusty algae on my LR, diatom i'm assuming...
Should i wait longer before adding some of the CUC, or can i get started.
This is my very 1st tank and i'm getting really impatient...
Staring at a rock really isn't as amusing as one might think
thanks

 

[sk8shorty01]

Your clean up crew would not live with ammonia present, and the dead critters will just add to the ammonia problem. Just be patient, its probably going to take at least another week before everything is settled and ready to go. Inverts are very fragile with the water parameters so you have to make sure your system has quality water before you attempt to add any. Once the ammonia hits 0, the nitrites should be high, then they will go to 0 and your nitrates will rise and fall. When this is complete you are finished and can add your clean up crew. What kind of test kit are you using for ammonia? Are you sure it is accurate?

 

[scopus tang]

IMO yes, you can start adding your clean-up crew, start with a few and build-up to the desired numbers if possible. I personally would wait to add the peppermint shrimp till ammonia reaches zero. You should also be seeing the growth of some critters in and on your LR soon.

 

[woody189]

I have a red sea master test kit...i've only been testing for ammonia though... once it hits 0, then nitrites then when that's 0 then nitrates...like you said, after that a water change. It's the liquid test, 3 separate solutions that you mix up.
I'll def wait on the shrimp...I'll also wait a few more days for the snails and stuff, and even then i'll only add one or two.
Scopus, i have a question though...you said i should see growth in the critters...I didnt' have any hictchhikers that i know of in my LR (it was from another website, premium Fiji LR). The only things i saw were these little grub looking things. I found 2 in my sand , and 1 on the rock, i just left it alone. I know there's stuff, that's why its live, but i thought it was mostly just bacteria on my rock.
I was under the assumption that I didnt' have too many critters considring i didn't see any by now. are they going to start making an appearance? If so, what are the possiblities?

 

[woody189]

one more quick question. i dont want to start a new thread for this.
I just got a calcium test kit today from ----, i didn't check my levels yet, but assuming their low, can i add some stuff to get my coralline going??
I already bought "Red Sea Calcium +3". its a liquid solution, i know powder is better, but that's what i got.
ANyway, should i not disturb the cycling process or am i good to go?
thanks again

 

[cjworkman]

be careful with additives...
check your levels before adding anything. And if you add calcium you must add buffer shortly after.
Never just add stuff cause you assume you don't have enough... having too high levels of calcium or other elements can be worse than not having enough.
And certain elements such as Calcium and Carbonate Hardness (Alk) must be always kept in balance.

 

[scopus tang]

Originally Posted by woody189
http:///forum/post/2516256
Scopus, i have a question though...you said i should see growth in the critters...I didnt' have any hictchhikers that i know of in my LR (it was from another website, premium Fiji LR). The only things i saw were these little grub looking things. I found 2 in my sand , and 1 on the rock, i just left it alone. I know there's stuff, that's why its live, but i thought it was mostly just bacteria on my rock.
I was under the assumption that I didnt' have too many critters considring i didn't see any by now. are they going to start making an appearance? If so, what are the possiblities?
If the quality of your Fiji was good, and I would assume it was, you should over the course of the next 4 to 5 months begin to see an assortment of small feather dusters, mini brittlestars, assorted worms, and assorted pods in addition to the bacteria and coralline algae. Some premium rock will also carry coral and sponge hitchhikers that will begin to show up over time.

 

[sepulatian]

If you have only been testing for ammonia, and still have it, then do not add anything yet. The nitrites take a little while to spike. Wait until both of them have spiked and reached zero.

 

[scopus tang]

Originally Posted by sepulatian
http:///forum/post/2516466
If you have only been testing for ammonia, and still have it then, do not add anything yet. The nitrites take a little while to spike. Wait until both of them have spiked and reached zero.
Good catch Sep. I didn't even notice that nothing was said about nitrite ~ my bad

I was assuming that with the appearance of diatoms, he was seeing the result of the end product of the cycle (nitrate).
Woody, when did your ammonia spike occur? Have you seen a nitrite spike? and have you done the recommended 20% water change to remove high levels of nitrates (if you have them yet)?

 

[woody189]

That's great news about the feather dusters, worms, and all that other stuff. I didn't know they would show up so much later. I do have some weird root looking things that i posted picks of before...i was told they were some type of sponge... also, last night i was cleanin off my LR a bit, and saw some cool coral looking things...very tiny, but they looked like something...i'm getting anxious to see what else pops up.
To be honest, i haven't tested anything but Ammonia since i started cycling. I made the mistake of not checking any levels before adding LR, but immediately after adding it ammonia was .25. I waited a few days and then added CYCLE product a friend gave me, i know i could have ghost fed or shrimp, but that's what i did. my ammonia went up to .5 for a few days, and went back down to .25 where it's stayed.
i checked all my levels right now and here they are...
nitrate-15
nitrite-.05
PH-8.2
ammonia-.25
about the water change...i had a leak in my skimmer and my hands were in and out of my tank A LOT for the last few weeks, and i did a lot of siphoning, especially yesturday, so i lost a lot of SW, my SG remained the same, so i'm assuming not much evaporation...anyway, yesturday i added about 4 gal of SW, which is less than 10%. that's all i've done...no topoff's in that time
i was under the impression i don't need to test for anything but ammonia until it goes down to 0, at which point i test nitrite. Then when that hits 0, test nitrate, and do water changes until they are also at 0, and then the fun begins...
i'm using tap water BTW, with Prime declorinator...I know, that's a big no no, but money's tight. I'm thinking i'll check out my walmart about their water.
and cj...i'm only going to add the calcium IF i need it...i just wanted to know if it's a bad idea while my tank's still cycling.
thanks so much for the time/help

 

[sepulatian]

You do not need to change any water just yet. Test another water source for ammonia, such as your tap or mix up some water and test it. Some test kits give a false positive reading for ammonia. That reading is usually .25, make sure that you are not getting a false positive. You have nitrites and nitrates, which is a good sign. It means the tank is cycling normally. Wait until the nitrites reach zero and stay there for a week or so before adding some inverts. Do not add many at first.

 

[woody189]

Boy am i glad you told me to do that or i would have been waiting quite some time for my ammonia to go down.
that explains why my levels were .25 immediatley after adding the rock before any ammonia could be created..
i tested my tap water and it came up like 1.5
time to get a new kit...thanks sooo much.

 

[sepulatian]

Originally Posted by woody189
http:///forum/post/2517334
Boy am i glad you told me to do that or i would have been waiting quite some time for my ammonia to go down.
that explains why my levels were .25 immediatley after adding the rock before any ammonia could be created..
i tested my tap water and it came up like 1.5
time to get a new kit...thanks sooo much.
If your tap is coming up 1.5 then it is your tap water, not your test kit. Have the water re-checked at your LFS, but if it were the kit then it would show the same .25. Time to start buying water at your grocery store or invest in an RO/DI unit.

 

[woody189]

I was actually gonna ask that question, but i figured that if it's a defective kit, it would give me crazy readings like that.
isn't 1.5 kind of high for tap water though??
what does that mean for my cycling tank? i don't have to start over w/ good water do I?
can i just do wait till the ammonia goes down and it's all done cycling. then start adding fish while in the meantime i do water changes w/ good water? or will my ammonia go down?? is it properly cycled considering it started off w/ ammonia?? it did go back down so i'm guessing i got the bacteria
this blows

 

[sk8shorty01]

Originally Posted by Scopus Tang
http:///forum/post/2516487
Good catch Sep. I didn't even notice that nothing was said about nitrite ~ my bad

I was assuming that with the appearance of diatoms, he was seeing the result of the end product of the cycle (nitrate).
Woody, when did your ammonia spike occur? Have you seen a nitrite spike? and have you done the recommended 20% water change to remove high levels of nitrates (if you have them yet)?

I mentioned the nitrites and nitrates

Everybody ignores me (sniff sniff) WAAHH, WAAHH!!! LOL just kidding.
Anyways onto the real stuff....
You dont need to start over with "good" water, what you have is fine. Just do not use your tap water when you are doing water changes because you would be adding ammonia to your tank, which is what you are trying to prevent from being in the tank in the first place. Just buy your water from a LFS or from wal-mart in one of those Glacier Water machines. You can also get an RO/DI machine that will rid your system of all of that stuff. Good luck and remember just be patient!

 

[woody189]

i took my water to petsmart...I know terrible place, but it's on my way home from school and i had to return something. they tested it and everything was pretty good except the ammonia...according to her she said it was like 1, but it was the strip test and she didnt know what she was talking about. she asked if i had fish, i said no i'm cycling w/ rock and later she was like "IDK why you even have ammonia if you don't have fish." she was cute, but clueless
anyway, i bought a new kit, easier, only 2 soluitons that are MUCH easier to mix and i don't have to be crazy fast to get it right...anyway, that one says my ammonia was almost nohting, and my tap water definitely has ammonia, a lot at that...like .75-1.0
anyway, i'ma just cycle as usual and no more tap water... thanks a lot for all the help. i really appreciate it
DAMN, i just realized that i just added 4 gallons of ammonia filled water like a few days ago...i had no idea tap water could have so much ammonia..this sucks cuz now i have to buy water, but i guess it's a blessing in disguise cuz my fish'll be better off.

 

[scopus tang]

Originally Posted by sk8shorty01
http:///forum/post/2517718
I mentioned the nitrites and nitrates

Everybody ignores me (sniff sniff) WAAHH, WAAHH!!! LOL just kidding.
Anyways onto the real stuff....
Sorry sk8, you did indeed address the nitrites and nitrates, should have payed more attention.

 

[sk8shorty01]

Originally Posted by Scopus Tang
http:///forum/post/2517895
Sorry sk8, you did indeed address the nitrites and nitrates, should have payed more attention.

Its ok, I was just kidding

To the OP: if I were you, I would start buying water from Wal-mart or your LFS and as you do this, I would be saving up my pennies and buy my own RO/DI system. There are a lot of different companies that make them, and most average somewhere around 175-200 so in the long run you would be saving money because you aren't paying 40 cents a gallon or whatever. I just got one and I can't believe I went this long without getting one haha! They are great. Good luck by the way....

 

[woody189]

unfortunately my walmart doesn't have that machine...
i called a few FS's but most don't have RO...i'm gonna have to take a nice drive to get it for $.50...i guess it'll be worth it though.
i retested my ammonia w/ my old kit and it's starting to look good...
both kits are saying less than .25, but not quite 0
nitrites .05
things are finally lookin better

 

[bdhutier]

Originally Posted by woody189
http:///forum/post/2516822
about the water change...i had a leak in my skimmer and my hands were in and out of my tank A LOT for the last few weeks, and i did a lot of siphoning, especially yesturday, so i lost a lot of SW, my SG remained the same, so i'm assuming not much evaporation...anyway, yesturday i added about 4 gal of SW, which is less than 10%. that's all i've done...no topoff's in that time
I'm sure you know, but just to be safe since you said you were new... when doing top-offs, make sure you're adding FW, not SW. Evaporation will leave the salt in the water, and adding SW to top off a tank will increase your SG.