Getting Started

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jdragunas

Guest
I have aquarium pharmaceuitcals for my ammonia, and i've never heard anything bad about it. Steer clear of red sea test kits, they've been known to be off.
VHO=very high output. It's better than PC (power compact) lighting, but not as good as MH (metal halide) lighting
 

pfitz44

Active Member
Ok cool... so its just wierd that i still have ammonia and no sign of trates and trites.... Figgures, doent it??
So.. just so i know better.... MH is the best kind of lighting out there... so that is what you would use for lighting of corals and other interts, right??
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
yes. i'll go over lighting with you real quick (in the saltwater world...)
NO = normal output - these are the stock lights that come with most tanks, they're just normal florescent
HO = high output
PC = power compact
VHO = very high output
T5 = i dunno what this stands for (and i'm actually not sure if it's better or worse than MH)
MH = metal halide
you can do anything with metal halide (except for low-lighting corals such as gorgonias and sponges). MH should only be run for like 4-6 hours per day, because they're so intese... most MH fixtures come with PC actinics (these simulate the "dusk" and "dawn" lighting... they are on the blue side of the spectrum, while MH simulates noon, and is more toward the red side), so you run the lights like this: 10:00 am turn on PC lights. 12:00pm turn on MH lights 6:00 pm turn off MH lights 8:00 pm turn off PC lights - thus simlating the dawn to dusk effect.
 

pfitz44

Active Member
Ok cool... Thanks... now i know just enough to be dangerous... which is never good... hehehe

What about the trates and trites?? any idea on that??
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
might be that you just have a long cycle... has your ammonia been 0.5 the whole time?? If so, maybe you should overfeed your tank a little, so you get a slightly higer spike in ammonia.
 

pfitz44

Active Member
Nope... it spiked to liek 2.0 over the weekend.... then came back down to 0.5 I brough it to the lfs b4 i got the test kit they said the amm was at 1.0... so its comming down.... got the test kit last last week... not too sure whats going on....
Ihave been over feeding it as well.... was kinda hoping that somethign would happen.....
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
well, looks like you just have a long cycle. Patience is a virtue!!! lol
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
as long as it's cured. If it's uncured, it'll spike your ammonia again, and just prolong your cycle. That may also kill your inhabitants...
Do you have "the conscientious marine aquarist" by robert fenner?
 

pfitz44

Active Member
Yup.. already read it as well... it showed the chart of the cycle.. and said that it would take about 4-6 weeks, which i understand, but i was expecting my second spike already... thats all
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
good, good. I just like to make sure everyone reads that book... lol! Well, looks like you're on the right track!
 

pfitz44

Active Member
Is there a limit of how much LR i should add at once??? (Sorry fo the long wait time... had to drive home!!) I was gonna go to the LFS and get maybe 10 lbs or so.... and what exactly should i look for???
Should i do a lighting U/G for the LR?? Is there a good book that talks bout lighting??
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
L/R doesn't need certain lighting. before i got my PC's, mine was thriving (it is now too...) The only thing you need proper lighting for is photosynthetic stuff.
Also, if you have too much lighting during your cycle, you could cause an algae bloom. Algae feeds off of nitrates, and is photosynthetic. If you get great lights at this point, it's possible you'll get a bad outbreak. I'd suggest waiting on your lighting upgrade.
10lbs sounds good. If the LR is fully cycled, you can add as much as your heart desires. If it's uncured, you'll get an ammonia spike with however much LR you add. If you add a little, the ammonia will spike a little, if it's a lot, it'll spike a lot. You get the jist.
With LR, you want pieces that weigh relatively light. This means it's porous and has a lot of surface area for bacteria to grow on. You also want to look for pieces that will look good in your tank. Think about the aquascape you want, and purchase pieces that will fit with that plan.
To see if LR is cured, ask to take a piece out and smell it. If it has a rotten fish smell, it's uncured. If it smells like the ocean (in a good way), that means it's most likely cured. Whenever i look for LR, i try to find pieces with good hitchikers on it too. When you get better lights, you can probably find pieces that have coral frags on it.
 

pfitz44

Active Member
Ok cool.... so ill wait on u/g my lights till the tnak cycles (when ever that happens.....
)
How can you tell that there are hitchhikers?? are most of them visible to the

[hr]
eye?? Are there certain things i should stay clear of when looking for LR??
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
avoid really heavy pieces... they're just more expensive and aren't porous enough. Other than that, not really.
Sometimes you can see little dusters on the LR. Sometimes i get snails and hermits when i get my LR. Other than that, most of the worms tend to hide. by "hitchikers" i really meant visible living things on the rock that you would normally have to pay for.
 

pfitz44

Active Member
ok cool thanks.... ill tell you how i make out later!!! gotta clean the Apt a little... wait fo rthe roomies to come back to see if they want to go...
 

aredmon

Member
first thing I have to say is you are in good hands with jdragunas. She helped me through my cycle. My ammonia sat at 1.0 for over 4 weeks before anything else spiked but as soon as my trites and trates went up about the 4th week my cycle was done just before the 7 week point. I hope this eases your mind about the slow cycle.
 

pfitz44

Active Member
Ok.. cool... so i just witnessed somethign very fishy about my damsel..... :hilarious get it??? sorry... wicked bad pun.... anyways...
So i just fed them... and i have been over feeding to help the cycle along... and i just witnessed this crazy thing.... my damsel went and got a huge piece of food, and brought it over to the cleaner shrimp to eat!!! I thought damsels were verry territorial??? or is that just twords other fish??
 

aredmon

Member
My damsels aren't that nice but they only seem to pick on eachother and the hang out with my cleaner all the time. But bringing food to it?? That is pretty cool!!
 

pfitz44

Active Member
Yea.. i thought it was kinda crazy... so i guess that htey are just territorial twords other fish then, huh??
 
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