!!!!How Much Time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[danrod911]

Hi guys...
i am getting a little anxious.....
my info....
56 gallon tank
45 lb of lr
live sand
3 demsels
about 10 hermits
1 shrimp
1 snail
My story..
well i bought my tank because like everyone else saltwater is more colors and more interesting then freshwater.......i have a freshwater at the time as well..........
SO I WENT TO MY LFS AND BOUGHT EVERYTHING I NEEDED TANK, FILTERS, SKIMMERS, SAND, LR..............ETC... BIG MISTAKE I DIDN'T DO ANY RESEARCH....I WENT WITH WHAT THE GUY AT THE LFS TOLD ME...NOT A GOOD IDEA....HE IS AN IDIOT!!!
WELL I WAITED UNTIL THE WATER CLEARED AND BOUHGT THE DEMSELS THAT I HAVE RIGHT NOW AND 2 CLOWNS. THE CLOWNS DIED..... I HAD MY TANK RUNNING FOR A MONTH AND DID NOT TEST FOR ANYTHING (didnt have a test kit at the time). I DECIDED TO BUY THE SNAIL, HERMITS, AND SHRIMP TO CLEAN THE BROWN ALGAE THAT WAS STARTING TO APPEAR.....THEY ARE STILL ALIVE.....THANKFULLY
I BEEN DOING 20% WATER CHANGES EVERY THREE WEEKS... MY TANK IS NOW RUNNING FOR ABOUT 70 DAYS (2 months and 10 days)) AND SINCE LAST MONTH I BEEN GETTING THE SAME RESULTS WHEN I TEST THE WATER
ph 8.2
temp. 79
ammonia. .25 p.p.m.
nitrite- 0
nitrate- 10
salinity 1.025
my water is well water but about a week ago i got my RO water unit and did a 20% water change...also my new Metal Halide have been runing for 3 days now and the brown algae is starting to appear on the sand...
i dont want to add anything else to the tank because of the test results.....
do i need to wait?????more??? is my tank done cycling????
what should i do about the brown algae???? how long should i have MH runnig for????
planning in having corals..... sorry for all the questions
thanks for the help.........
Dan

 

[alyssia]

You can't add anthing until everything is at zero. You've been getting that ammonia reading for a month?

 

[danrod911]

Yes...unless i am testing wrong but, i follow the intruction. when i first look at it its a zero but it say that you have to wait 15 min for the color to fully develop and thats when its saying it is .25 p.p.m.

 

[wattsupdoc]

Dont do any more water changes. You're dragging the cycle out. Let it sit till ammo and nitrite are 0. May take a while even still. You dont do water changes during a cycle.

 

[wattsupdoc]

You dont have to wait for the trates to be 0. Just get em at least under 20. The Ammo, are you sure you're test kit is right? Are you looking at the chart right? Mine, unless I hold the test tube directly against the white background and letb the light hit it just right, it looks like .25. Have the lfs check it, if you can find a different one have them check it instaed.

 

[reef.magic]

what brand of test are you using?
some are notorious for constant .25 ammonia readings, even when there is zero
70 days along should not read ammonia w/ only 3 damsels in a 56 gallon, even w/ water changes, because the beneficial bacteria is on the sand, rocks, filter pad, etc, not in the water

 

[danrod911]

I Have Marine Lab

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by Reef.Magic
what brand of test are you using?
some are notorious for constant .25 ammonia readings, even when there is zero
70 days along should not read ammonia w/ only 3 damsels in a 56 gallon, even w/ water changes, because the beneficial bacteria is on the sand, rocks, filter pad, etc, not in the water

Is aquarium pharmaceuticals one of those brands?

 

[reef.magic]

Originally Posted by alyssia
Is aquarium pharmaceuticals one of those brands?
not the one i use, mine show's zero, its hard to tell sometimes though