I need some help

[lionfish99]

I am curently cycling my tank. I just got in the mail today my Seacone100 skimmer, should I run it during cycling? And what should it look like (foam wise)when the airflow is correctly set. I have no LR or LS its going to be a fish only

 

[drew2005]

What are you cycling your tank with if you have no LR and LS? Honestly, i would put LS and LR in there. You need some kind of natural filtration.

 

[lionfish99]

I hate to say it I'm using damsels (didn't know any better at the time)

 

[hermitkrab]

Wow! Just a glass tank filled with just fish? That, no offense, sounds... not smart. I would 100% get Lr and Ls. Also I wouldn't of got a SeaClone you should buy the best skimmer you can afford. And if you just water mixed with salt there is nothing to cycle. What type of water do you use? What size is your tank?

 

[lionfish99]

right now I have:
Ammonia: 2.0
Nitrite: .5
Ph: 8.2
SG: 1.022
Its a 30 gallon tank and I can't affort all of the top of the line equipment (i'm only 16)

 

[hermitkrab]

Well you should still have liverock and livesand. Just get the rock and sand, use distilled water, and get the best skimmer you can.

 

[dmc888]

I would atleast get the ls.
Then later you can get the lr when you have the money. Make sure you cure it first.

 

[xhappyx]

to save urself some money u can also get base rock for real cheap and get a couple pieces of liverock to eventually seed the base rock into live rock . and defintaly get some live sand. i have the seaclone from what i see it's garbage. doesn't do much. good luck with it. i haven't been doing this very long maybe a couple of months and i keep running into all types of problems. do urself a favor and don't cut to many corners u'll end up regretting it later on down the road i've had the seaclone for about 2 months and i'm already looking for a new one. i wish i had known then what i know now i would have waited till i had the funds to get everything i needed .

 

[monalisa]

Originally Posted by xhappyx
i wish i had known then what i know now i would have waited till i had the funds to get everything i needed .
here, here!!! NOT happy at all with my skimmer and took the darn thing out!! What a waste, even the cheap ones aren't that cheap. My plan is to wait until my tank is up and running about 6 months then get a good skimmer. Hope that works.
Lisa :happyfish

 

[lion_crazz]

Honestly, I would just break the tank down and wait until you have the funds to do the tank the right way. It will come out so much nicer and healthier that way. That is what I am doing with my 210. I have the money to afford the tank, stand, and sump, but I know I will not have the rest of the estimated $3000 until the end of July so I am waiting until then to start it up because it will be so much better than if I were to start it up now with hardly anything.
However, I know most people would not want to hear that and that was not the original question, so to answer the original question, no, do not run the skimmer during your cycle. I would just let the tank cycle out, and once you have no ammonia and nitrite, turn the skimmer on to help bring down some of the nitrates.
If you will take any advice though, introduce livestock VERY SLOWLY. If you can leave the damsels in there a few months after the cycle, that would be best. Just let them establish some bacteria while your bioload is not very high, and once you have the money for 30-45 lbs. of live rock, cure it and introduce that before getting the damsels out and introducing new fish. Even though it is fish only, ALL systems benefit greatly from live rock and live sand.
Good luck!

 

[fishmamma]

Hi- just adding another thought here.....could you remove the damsels and trade them back to LFS for some live sand and or rock? I know you are on a budget so it you could start out with some sand and even one rock and run the tank with that to start it would worth your while in the long run. You could slowly add some more rock, maybe a total of 20-30 pounds over a couple of months and add some hermits. Believe it or not watching the critters on your live rock is very entertaining. If you had some hermits and fed the tank you would keep a bioload running with the rock and sand. Also you can buy 20 pounds of regular sand and seed it with one or two pounds of live. Much less expensive that way.

 

[pohtr]

Don't listen to all that about taking the tank down and not doing SWA without a ton of money. It can be done without costing thousands. It isn't cheap though and so far has cost be more than I thought it would, BUT, some corners can be cut without sacrificing the health of the fish. (I'm such an expert at 3 months!

)
You can get a little LR or LS and it will seed the "dead" rock or sand.
You can make some of your own rock (see other current thread)
You can make lots of other of the stuff too
You can buy used
You can keep it simple
But as to the original question about how to adjust the skimmer for the bubbles, I'd like to know that too! Anyone?

 

[ophiura]

I agree there are definitely ways to do this cheaper, but it requires something priceless, and that is patience. If you don't have that, then you are truly in the wrong hobby. You should basically say "OK, I'll have damsels for awhile" and any money you save that you wanted to spend on cool fish should go into what is really needed. First would be a bit of LR or LS. Not huge amounts, but at least a bit to start, piece by piece. That may also mean hunting around on classifieds, local hobbyist boards, etc. I got some cured LR from someone local for $2.50 a pound. I had to wait and jump on it, but I got it eventually. So there are ways around, but you have to be patient enough to do it right.

 

[tthemadd1]

if you are interested I would be willing to give you a piece of LR, just pay for shipping. Let me know. I line at 44240. Just let me know what it would cost for 15pds. It isnt the best LR but it is a start...
Good Fishing
Themaddhatter