Help... cycle questions

caseyc02

Member
i have a 29 gallon tank, 29lbs of rock and sand.... my levels are as follows
nitrate: 25
nitrite:.5
ammonia:0
ph:8.2
salinity: 1.021
it's been set up for 2 weeks... is it safe to put fish in
i kno for sure my nitrate levels have already peaked, last time i checked they were at 90
 

sepulatian

Moderator
No, not yet. The tank is still cycling. When your ammonia and nitrite reach zero, and stay there, then you can do a water change. After that add a small cleanup crew. You may want to bring your SG up some. It is rather low for inverts. It should be 1.025-1.026. Welcome to the boards!!
 

caseyc02

Member
yeah i'm gonna hit up the clean up crew... my ammonia has stayed at zero the whole time it's been cycling... but everything else seems to be stable
 

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by CaseyC02
http:///forum/post/2601223
also... how n bring up the Sg... just add more salt water?
Yes. Be sure that it is pre-mixed. You can top off the tank with Saltwater rather than fresh, or do small water changes with saltier water.
Originally Posted by CaseyC02

http:///forum/post/2601222
yeah i'm gonna hit up the clean up crew... my ammonia has stayed at zero the whole time it's been cycling... but everything else seems to be stable
You may not have seen an ammonia spike because of the bacteria on the LR and LS. You have nitrite, so you must have had an ammonia spike, you just may not have caught it on the test.
 

caseyc02

Member
any other tips that i should have before adding fish or inverts
this has nothing to do with cycling... but why do all the salt tanks i see have the pink and purlpe blotches all over the walls and LR... will that happen to mine, i kinda like it
 

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by CaseyC02
http:///forum/post/2601236
any other tips that i should have before adding fish or inverts
Do you have powerheads in the tank? They will be needed. You have to move the water. Have you set up your stock list yet?
 

caseyc02

Member
i don't have powerheads... and by stock list i'm guessing what i'm gonna put in the tank... and no i haven't got that far yet... i want the thing to cycle before i even think about that
 

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by CaseyC02
http:///forum/post/2601240
i don't have powerheads... and by stock list i'm guessing what i'm gonna put in the tank... and no i haven't got that far yet... i want the thing to cycle before i even think about that
If you need help with the stock list just put together a list of possibilities and post them. We will help you with what will work together. Your next purchase should be power heads. It is best to get two and place them at either end of the tank.
 

caseyc02

Member
well i'll get those... they are somewhat inexpensive on this site... like 10 bucks... um... i'll compile a list and post it on here
 

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by CaseyC02
http:///forum/post/2601657
ok so i think i got my fish list for now
2 false percula clowns
1 niger trigger
The clowns will work wonderfully, the trigger will not. They grow to 19 inches. Pick fish that stay small. With the pair of clowns, you can pick two or three small fish.
 

caseyc02

Member
what else stays small... that you would recommend going in my tank... i'm very picky so give me a few different choices please lol
 

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by CaseyC02
http:///forum/post/2602335
what else stays small... that you would recommend going in my tank... i'm very picky so give me a few different choices please lol
Blennies, gobies, cardinals, dartfish, wrassies, dottybacks, to name a few. Take a look at the fish selection on here (all the way to the left of your screen) for ideas.
 

caseyc02

Member
i've noticed that this site doesn't give the mature length of the fish... so most say 1-3 inches... so i'll research it and find out what's best... but i do like the blennies
 

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by CaseyC02
http:///forum/post/2602372
i've noticed that this site doesn't give the mature length of the fish... so most say 1-3 inches... so i'll research it and find out what's best... but i do like the blennies
Buy "Marine Fishes" by Scott Michael. It is an excellent guide. It has pictures and descriptions of over 500 fish.
 

caseyc02

Member
one more thing... you said powerheads... i kno i need them... but for a 29 gallon tank how man gph should i get?
 

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by CaseyC02
http:///forum/post/2602378
one more thing... you said powerheads... i kno i need them... but for a 29 gallon tank how man gph should i get?
You want at least 10X turnover. If you like Maxi jet, you could get two MJ 900s or something equivalent.
 
Top