I'm finally up and running!!!

sweatervest13

sweatervest13

Active Member
Cool, nice mod.
You can cut back on the lights more if you want. The fish really don't care one little bit. As long as you have no corals in there you are just fine. More light= more algae, less light= less algae.
I think you are looking at a little feather duster (filter feeder, this is good). Look to see if you can see a little white tube at the base. See if the whole flower looking thing retracts into the tube. If so, mini feather duster!! Cool!!
 
marvelfan

marvelfan

Member
Thanks Sweatervest, I'll check out the possible Feather duster. It doesn't seem to be doing anything at the moment that I can notice. I picked up a couple snails to hold me over until I can place my SWF order. I guess Fire Shrimp are out of stock till next week. I put a nice size Turbo and 5 Nassarius Snails into the tank tonight. Still haven't got around to using the Water Weld on the rocks. hopefully the Turbo doesn't topple anything.
I also tested the QT tank.
Nitrite are dropping slowly. Still over 5 ppm, but a lighter purple on the API test
Nitrates are more Orange and at 20 now.
Looking good.
I also put 2 brinks timers on my lights. I just need to figure out the lighting schedule.
 
marvelfan

marvelfan

Member
Need to pose a question about my sponge scenario.
My QT is still cycling. What I did is about 5 or 6 days back I placed a Sump Sponge into my sump along one of the baffles. I let water run through it for about 4-5 days.
I then took it out of the sum and placed in into the QT. I figured it would act as a source of beneficial bacteria. I have it laying on the bottom of the tank pinched into place by the heater.

My thought process is that this will act almost like a pieces of live rock and offer surface area for the bacteria to grow.
Do I need to worry about it becoming a source of nitrate?
If I clean the sponge, doesn't that remove the beneficial bacteria as well?
Should I remove it once my tank has cycled?
 
rickross23

rickross23

Active Member
I would remove it when tanks cycled... You don't need any LR or the sponge in a QT. Fill it with DT water after you do water changes. Pvc piping is a common source of hiding places and decorations in a QT.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by rickross23 http:///t/390857/im-finally-up-and-running/120#post_3466769
I would remove it when tanks cycled... You don't need any LR or the sponge in a QT. Fill it with DT water after you do water changes. Pvc piping is a common source of hiding places and decorations in a QT.
I personally use a sponge from the sump of the DT...water has very little good bacteria....I Just keep a sponge in the sump all the time. A plastic decoration looks better that PVC pipe and works just as good. When I want to add that new fish...I do get my water from the DT as directed and fill the QT. I found a little macroalgae (caulerpa prolifera) in the QT helps to keep it more stable and absorb nitrates and phosphates, it also gives the fish a natural place to hide and swim.....and is easy to enough remove if the fish needs to be medicated.
 
rickross23

rickross23

Active Member
I also have a sponge in my sump that sits where my refuge goes into my return pump. This a little extra filtration after my refuge stage.
 
sweatervest13

sweatervest13

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by rickross23 http:///t/390857/im-finally-up-and-running/120#post_3466769
I would remove it when tanks cycled... You don't need any LR or the sponge in a QT. Fill it with DT water after you do water changes. Pvc piping is a common source of hiding places and decorations in a QT.
Where are you getting this info from?? If he used the sponge to populate the good bacteria for the nitrogen cycle. Would it not be removing all the good bacteria? Meaning it would remove all/ most of his biological filter?
The tank water holds little beneficial bacteria, it clings on to the surface of things (glass, PVC, rock, decorations). So the more surface area you have the more places for the good bacteria to live and multiply. That why LR is good. Lots of nooks and crannies.
If it were me I would leave the sponge in the tank. I would maybe try to move it to a HOB power filter like a penguin if you have one on the tank already. If not, maybe look into getting one. A QT benefits from a filter, especially since there is not live rock in there.
 
mr. limpid

mr. limpid

Active Member
You also need water movement threw the sponge. They make sponge filters with tubs running threw them with an air pump, or you could modified your sponge to fit around your HOB intake. As for your question about rinsing your sponge, yes rinsing it will remove some good bacteria. But if it get to loaded with stuff it will not function properly, so ever so often it should be rinsed, I rinse mine in the discarded water change water once or twice a year.
 
marvelfan

marvelfan

Member
I'm wondering if its possible that my cycle as stalled on my QT.
Its been about 2 or more weeks. I'm loosing track of time and my Ammonia has been 0 for the last couple weeks, Nitrites haven't changed (>5 ppm). Nitrates are between 10-20 depending on the day.
I added a piece of shrimp yesterday to see what happens to ammonia over the next couple days.
I've been reading about cycles stalling due to nitrites getting to high and starving out bacteria so that it can't grow.
Recommendations are usually to do partial water changes to reset the cycle, but I'm unsure.
I decided last night to add the shrimp since I haven't been feeding the tank any ammonia source over the last 2 or so weeks. I thought that once the Ammonia went from 1ppm to 0 and I saw nitrites spike I would just let it do its thing. But now I'm confused because I'm reading I need to keep feeding it ammonia to "feed" the cycle. Is this correct?
Should I get that shrimp out of there? Do partial water change? Or just leave it be?
Thanks in advance!
 
mr. limpid

mr. limpid

Active Member
Once your Qt is done with initial cycle you need to add a fish to the QT or ghost feed, Otherwise the bacteria will die off.
 
marvelfan

marvelfan

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr. Limpid http:///t/390857/im-finally-up-and-running/120#post_3467447
Once your Qt is done with initial cycle you need to add a fish to the QT or ghost feed, Otherwise the bacteria will die off.
That makes sense. Do you think the shrimp should be removed since I've already had an ammonia spike. The nitrite is just waiting around to be converted. I'm not sure if the bateria that convert ammonia to nitrite are starving while they wait for the new bacteria that converts nitrite to nitrate is building strength. I guess the shrimp will just continue to feed the cycle. My other tank got a point where the shrimp wasn't even effecting the tank anymore in its decaying state.
But with no LR and such a small water volume I can I really expect the tank to be able to handle a decaying piece of shrimp?
 
mr. limpid

mr. limpid

Active Member
Yes remove the shrimp, this is much larger than what you would be feeding one fish. Only ghost feed as if there was a fish in QT.
 
marvelfan

marvelfan

Member
Just an update. I'm still waiting for my Nitrites to go drop. I hope any day now they will drop. I started ghost feeding the tank as recommended with a very small pinch of tetra flakes once a day. I removed the shrimp which rotted completely over 3 days.. wow it was nasty. The ammonia went to 1 ppm and within 24 hours of removal it was 0 again.
I've heard waiting for nitrites to finally drop can be aggravating. To the point where you want to give up and then suddenly over night they just drop. I'm still waiting somewhat patiently. I have the presence of Nitrates, but it ranges from 5-20 ppm, back and forth over a couple days. Nitrites are still a deep purple reading that is easily off the API scale.
My clowns are doing awesome. I just did my weekly 10% water change and cleaned out my skimmer which was surprisingly effective. It was completely filled with green/brown gunk. I think my ATO got stuck on at one point for a little longer then it should have. My salinity dropped from 1.026 to 1.024. I'm going to try to bring it back up by turning off my ATO and doing small daily SW top offs until my salinity is back to where I want it. I read this is the best way. then I can resume my freshwater ATO.
 
marvelfan

marvelfan

Member
So a couple days ago I woke up and found my nitrite and Nitrates FINALLY dropped down to 0.
I did a 50 % water change, so now it looks like I can get my second addition to the tank into quarantine soon. Think I'll be going with a flame angel. It may be a week until I place my SWF.com order since I'm waiting for the Fire Shrimp to come back into stock. Do I need to do anything between know and then to keep my QT tank stable? Should I still ghost feed it with some flake food?
 
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