DAY ONE

[sandy]

Hi All. Thanks for all your support and advice.
DAY ONE: (Actually day two, but I’m calling it day one because it is the first day w/ tang and clowns in the tank). Cycling Tank w/ my fish in it. (No flames please... refer to previous posts).
5 gal. H20 change 9am. Specific Gravity 1.023. Temp. Apx. 75 degrees. PH 8.2, Ammonia between 0.25 and 0.50, Nitrites below 0.25 but not zero. Nitrates zero.
Fish happy, swimming around and not showing signs of stress. Tang has seaweed to graze on and some LR already established with carpets of green algae.
So... At what point should I do another 5 gal. H20 change? (Besides every morning until my Nature’s Ocean Sand arrives to do it’s work.) When the Ammonia is at or above 0.50? Now?... If the fish show signs of distress? I don’t want to stop the cycling process, but I also don’t want to lose any fish. I don’t mind a sloooooooowwwwww cycle if it saves the fish suffering.
What do ya’ll think of day one? I know it’s gonna get worse before it gets better, but I appreciate your support and comments.
One last point: I’m using equip. Piecemeal on the 50 because it is what I have. I will upgrade to a good filter and better protein skimmer over time. I will also be slowly adding more LR. I’m moving upstairs in 3 months and this was a BAD TIME to set up a tank... so, I don’t want to “build” or add anything or anyone except to help the fish and for the tank to mature.

 

[sandy]

LR & B-IONIC Calcium Buffer. When I bought the LR, the store told me to add 1 ml calcium per 4 gal. of water per week. (The bottle says per day... uh uh no way). Should I hold off on adding the calcium until the cycle ends? That could be a long time. Does the rock need the calcium? Can I go ahead and add it once a week?

 

[sandy]

Am I doomed? No one replied to my post? Everyone seems fine tonight. I get up as early as I can turn on the lights without overly disturbing their routine. I'm hauling / mixing good water like crazy. Praying SWF.COM will deliver my NO Sand soon. <img src="graemlins//confused2.gif" border="0" alt="[confused2]" />

 

[fshhub]

i would add no calcium til after the cycle is complete, and some people dose kalkwasser to suppliment calcium(use a real slow drip), as for doom, i have no idea, i never had fish in for a cycle, but if the ammoia doesn't get too high, damsels will probably survive(i can't remember which fish you used), and i would hold off with the h2o change, until i had to, the more you do it , the more you may set back your cycle(IMO), but if everything is fine, and you are using damsel, they will often survive a full cycle(even through ahigh ammonia spike)
HTH