Help please

[lngliv3]

I believe my tank is in the middle of the cycle . My readings are as follows ...
PH 8.0 to 8.2. I think this is OK right?
Ammonia 1.0 ppm is high not sure what to do now .Let it go till it drops on its own ?
Nitrite 1.0 ppm high I know ...
Nitrate 0 ppm OK ...
Specific gravity 1.0235. OK in the sweet spot...
My question is whats the next step ?
Do a water change or let it ride and let it drop on its own ?
I put the raw shrimp in last week. I left it in for a few days until my test kit came on Saturday checked the levels ammonia was high so I pulled the shrimp (now in the cocoon state). The skimmer doesn't seem to be producing the goo yet.
Please help not sure what to do next. Thanks

 

[xandrew245x]

Let it go, your tank is still cycling. Doing a water change will make your cycle take longer. The ammonia level will drop and so will the nitrite, and then you should probably see some nitrates, which are okay in small amounts. Do not add anything until your cycle is complete!
As for your skimmer goes, is it foaming the whole way up the bubble tower? It almost sounds like you just don't have it set right and its not creating any foam.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by lngliv3 http:///t/390761/help-please#post_3462095
I believe my tank is in the middle of the cycle . My readings are as follows ...
PH 8.0 to 8.2. I think this is OK right?
Ammonia 1.0 ppm is high not sure what to do now .Let it go till it drops on its own ?
Nitrite 1.0 ppm high I know ...
Nitrate 0 ppm OK ...
Specific gravity 1.0235. OK in the sweet spot...
My question is whats the next step ?
Do a water change or let it ride and let it drop on its own ?
I put the raw shrimp in last week. I left it in for a few days until my test kit came on Saturday checked the levels ammonia was high so I pulled the shrimp (now in the cocoon state). The skimmer doesn't seem to be producing the goo yet.
Please help not sure what to do next. Thanks
Hi,
Yes in the middle of the cycle...all you need to do for a bit is WAIT on the tank to finish its first cycle and use the time to research what you dream to put in the tank once you can. Now is also a great time to set up a quarantine tank for that first critter. I always used the new cycled water for the QT and refill the display with fresh saltwater equaling what you removed and put in the QT.
Don't forget top off water...if you need help or don't understand something...don't hesitate to ask for more info. There are no dumb questions.
The SG reading you gave looks weird...are you at 1.023 or 1.035? If it is 1.023 you are right in the pocket but if it is 1.035 you are a little high. Natural seawater is 1.026.
Unless you have an auto top off system, don't keep the SG at 1.026 because as the water evaporates, it raises the SG. So around 1.023 is just perfect.
The skimmer has nothing to skim...you don't even need to plug it in for another month, even then it has time to break in before you really even need it.

 

[mr. limpid]

You are at the beginning of cycle not til your ammonia start coming down will you be in middle, takes aprox. 2 - 3 months depending how high your ammonia went to. The higher the ammonia, means more bacteria is needed to consume it, which takes longer. But that is good, means you will be ready to add a fish, without any spikes. I would get a fish into your QT so you could add when it is done with initial cycle.

 

[xandrew245x]

I think they meant either 1.025 or 1.023, i'm not to sure either, I had my skimmer running during the cycle and it did actually skim stuff out.

 

[xandrew245x]

Speaking of QT, how long does it take to get one of them cycled, I'm about to get mine going, I have had a piece of sponge brewing in my sump for 2 weeks that I'm going to throw into my filter on my Qt.

 

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by xandrew245x http:///t/390761/help-please#post_3462118
Speaking of QT, how long does it take to get one of them cycled, I'm about to get mine going, I have had a piece of sponge brewing in my sump for 2 weeks that I'm going to throw into my filter on my Qt.
If you use your old water from a water change, and the sponge you have cooking you should be all set. Set up the QT and it's filter with the sponge and when you get the new critter toss him in after acclimating...let him stay in there for 3 to 4 weeks and if it's healthy, put him in the DT.
If you have a new tank, you don't have the sponge, its time to add one...it might help to add a piece of PVC in the DT as well, so as it finishes cycling the bacteria have something to attach to....once it's cycled, fill the QT with the display tank water. Then add one little fish, the PVC piece and your sponge in the filter... Refill the display back up with new saltwater (basically a water change)...
Don't add more than one fish (or 2 little ones) at a time.

 

[xandrew245x]

Thanks flower, I'm going to get it running today. I'm waiting on some medicine and chemicals to arrive, and then i'll be ordering my fish. To get the most out of shipping i'm going to order my reef chromis and scissortail dartfish at the same time and quarantine them, if the scissortail looks healthy after 4 weeks, and everything is well he will be added to my DT, then the chromis 2 weeks after if everything looks okay, then it will be time to order another fish!

 

[lngliv3]

Quote:
Originally Posted by xandrew245x http:///t/390761/help-please#post_3462108
Let it go, your tank is still cycling. Doing a water change will make your cycle take longer. The ammonia level will drop and so will the nitrite, and then you should probably see some nitrates, which are okay in small amounts. Do not add anything until your cycle is complete!
As for your skimmer goes, is it foaming the whole way up the bubble tower? It almost sounds like you just don't have it set right and its not creating any foam.
Xandrew:
The filter system I have running is a CPR bak pak with skimmer the new Rio pump isn't sucking air into the venturi so I hooked up an air pump to inject air into it ... Yes its bubbling up to the collection cup..
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/390761/help-please#post_3462109
Hi,
Yes in the middle of the cycle...all you need to do for a bit is WAIT on the tank to finish its first cycle and use the time to research what you dream to put in the tank once you can. Now is also a great time to set up a quarantine tank for that first critter. I always used the new cycled water for the QT and refill the display with fresh saltwater equaling what you removed and put in the QT.
Don't forget top off water...if you need help or don't understand something...don't hesitate to ask for more info. There are no dumb questions.
The SG reading you gave looks weird...are you at 1.023 or 1.035? If it is 1.023 you are right in the pocket but if it is 1.035 you are a little high. Natural seawater is 1.026.
Unless you have an auto top off system, don't keep the SG at 1.026 because as the water evaporates, it raises the SG. So around 1.023 is just perfect.
The skimmer has nothing to skim...you don't even need to plug it in for another month, even then it has time to break in before you really even need it.
Flower:
The sg is at 1.023 its half way between 1.024 so hence my 1.0235 reading cause its in between the two...I don't have a qt tank yet my space is limited. I can fit a 10 gal tank under my stand was thinking of build a sump filter but that's not set in stone yet. I do have a few pounds of live sand left from the setup of my main tank can i use that in my qt tank and is light needed for that . and can i use a marine land emperor 300 to filter my qt tank .
Quote:
Originally Posted by xandrew245x http:///t/390761/help-please#post_3462117
I think they meant either 1.025 or 1.023, I'm not to sure either, I had my skimmer running during the cycle and it did actually skim stuff out.
Xandrew:
I am not sure if my air pump is pumping enough air to get enough bubbles to produce foam . I am looking into this right now..

 

[xandrew245x]

For your Qt tank you don't want sand or stone in that, nothing that can be sterilized. The basics you need for a QT tank is a simple hang on filter, if you can get better go for it. What size tank do you have and what kind of fish do you want? I have a 75 gallon tank, so I got a 29 gallon for my QT. You need a heater, and a power head and hang on protein skimmer wouldn't be a bad idea either. You don't need any light for your QT, unless your using it for coral as well, the corals will need light then.
Also you will want to throw in some pvc pieces for the fish to hide in, it will make them feel more comfortable.

 

[lngliv3]

skimmer operation

 

[xandrew245x]

I don't have much experience with hang on skimmers, but it doesn't seem to be making any foam at all. I have the acr remora for my QT but I haven't used it yet. Do you have an instruction manual?

 

[mr. limpid]

I that the pump that came with the protein skimmer, because that isn't enough bubbles too make it work right. bubbles need to be violent to make a forth at top.

 

[flower]

LOL...nice tunes. UNPLUG the skimmer it isn't doing anything because there is nothing to skim yet. Whatever organics are in the water...you want them there for now. That is a back-pack skimmer and I hated mine. Mine would skim 1/4th cup of skim in a month...it is one of the most useless skimmers I ever owned. The blue material just collected nasty yuck and looked bad. so save some money for a good skimmer later on.
xandrew245x.....The live rock and sand does sometime have something in them and can create skim. However you don't want to strip out all the organics from your system right now. I agree no sand...however a painted from the outside black bottom..a piece of PVC pipe for the fish to be able to hide and feel safe and a cascade type of filter is all you need...the light is for you, the fish really don't care. I have never used a skimmer on a QT. Most QTs are small and the cascade filter is enough for water movement. An air line without the airstone if you think the tank needs some circulation.
If you can...while the display tank cycles, run the HOB cascade filter on it to get good bacteria growing on the sponge/media that sits in it.
Larger QTs (over 20g) takes at least a power head.

 

[lngliv3]

they come with a rio 600 .. I have a call into cpr aquatic waiting to hear back from them ...

 

[lngliv3]

Just got off the phone with cpr. It seem like I got the wrong pump . I am ordering a new rio 800 rvt pump today ... Ughhhhh...

 

[xandrew245x]

Yeah, thats what came with my skimmer, but i'm going to use a little more powerful one, using the rio 800 for my ato ;P

 

[lngliv3]

Quote:Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/390761/help-please#post_3462161
LOL...nice tunes. UNPLUG the skimmer it isn't doing anything because there is nothing to skim yet. Whatever organics are in the water...you want them there for now. That is a back-pack skimmer and I hated mine. Mine would skim 1/4th cup of skim in a month...it is one of the most useless skimmers I ever owned. The blue material just collected nasty yuck and looked bad. so save some money for a good skimmer later on.
Flower ...
You dint like the bak pak filter skimmer combo...
I guess I'm at this point a qt tank or a sump style filter still not totally into the refugium yet.
I would have to get a overflow skimmer, piping / hose building the refugium and a return pump . The space is limited to 20 1/4 ''12'' height inst an issue. under my dt so that's a 10 gal tank. I am not sure if I have enough room to do anything with that space. I have been looking at hob refugiums but they are pricey ... I have read a lot about them just still not getting the picture on how they benefit the TD...

 

[xandrew245x]

Refugiums believe it or not, have a great impact on your system. You can combine deep sand beds, plants, and other critters, that help remove toxic materials that you don't want in your water. It also gives you a habitat to grow copepods that fish will love to eat.

 

[lngliv3]

Quote:
Originally Posted by lngliv3 http:///t/390761/help-please#post_3462095
date 2/28/12
PH 8.0 to 8.2
Ammonia 1.0 ppm
Nitrite 1.0 ppm
Nitrate 0 ppm
Specific gravity 1.023
date 3/2/12
pH 8.0
ammonia .25 ppm
nitrite 5.0 ppm
nitrate 20 ppm
Sig 1.023
date 3/5/12
pH 8.0
ammonia 0ppm
nitrite 5.0 ppm
nitrate 40 ppm
Sig 1.023...
This is how my cycle is progressing or not.I see my ammonia level is 0,which is great .. But the nitrite is staying put. The nitrate is going up .... I just don't remember, the proper sequence of the numbers changing direction and in what order things should be moving .I still haven't done any water changes noticed my skimmer looks to be working overtime. The cup was almost 1/2 full in a few days so I raised the collection cup up a bit so it wasn't skimming so much... The waiting is killing me...