Is this it?!?!?

[jaodissa]

Can my tank have finally cycled after all the weird loops it has thrown me?!?!? Today is the first day ever that I have tested and gotten 0 on my ammonia and nitrites!!! Im awaiting 4 more mins for the nitrates to get back but holy moly this might be it!!! Ahh okay I wont get any more excited just incase its not! But AHH!

haha my husband is making fun of my happy dance!
Umm so should I move my chatting to the nano group or the reef group? (Am I a nano tank owner or even a reef tank owner as its still empty haha)

 

[rcdude1990]

first tell us some info about ur tank such as tank size, when u started cycle, wats inside tank now ect.

 

[jaodissa]

Well I've kinda posted this before but here it goes
I set my tank up anywhere from 4-5 1/2 weeks ago. We didn't pay much attention to it in the start.
It is a 36x12x20 tank (someone said that was 37 gallons)
It has a HOB skimmer
HOB carbon filter (bio wheel style with no bio wheel on it)
1 power head
lighting
I have a ton of rock really not sure how many pounds. We filled two salt mix buckets up with rock and took it home. (taken from someone else's tank)
I also took their sand
Everything has been added at different times. Anywhere from a few days apart to a week apart.
We didn't test the first 2 weeks I'd guess. When I did start testing ammonia was at .25 and has stayed that for 1.5 weeks. Nitrite spiked once to .25 but came down within an hour or two and has never gone back up. Nitrates hit 40 at it's highest and has stayed steady 20ppm for a few days now.
Todays readings where the first time I have ever had 0 0 20.

 

[xcdennisx]

what kind of lighting? how much flow do you have with all of powerhead, skimmer, filter?

 

[jaodissa]

I have 150 MH with PC attached (not turned on though no fish) I think I decided there was 15x per gallon movement of water (from my other post about water movement)
Lvls were 0 again today!! I think im gonna continue to test for one more week. If after that I will go buy 10 snails and put them in. If they work then Im gonna buy 2 baby blue damsels ( they are nickle sized and soooo cute)

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by Jaodissa
http:///forum/post/3142483
I have 150 MH with PC attached (not turned on though no fish) I think I decided there was 15x per gallon movement of water (from my other post about water movement)
Lvls were 0 again today!! I think im gonna continue to test for one more week. If after that I will go buy 10 snails and put them in. If they work then Im gonna buy 2 baby blue damsels ( they are nickle sized and soooo cute)

Don't buy your CUC (clean up crew) until you get the algae bloom...it will happen I promise. A little advice..Do go ahead and get a couple of fish...But don't get damsels. They are very mean and will kill each other, and any other fish you put in there with them that are not equaly as mean. They will bite your hand and draw blood every time you put your hands in the tank. Removing them later is near impossible. Ask Meowzer.
There are lots of really beautiful fish, but leave those horrible damsels out.

 

[rcdude1990]

as long as all of ur tests say 0 then ur set, wait a few more days and test, if they stay zero then ur all set and ready to go, also u have to take in consideration ur size of the tank, since ur tank is about 40 gallons you can def not get tangs. i suggest for first fish everyones favorite, clownfish. get a pair there the best to watch and are great additions. make sure u drip acclimate all fish and temperature acclimate, on the left side of this page theres somthin that saids acclimation, click that its a great tutorial and ull b all set, good luck and keep us updated

 

[jaodissa]

Do you have advice on an active blue fish that swims alot?
I wanted a blue hippo tang before I learned they got to big ( pet store has itty bity babies of those too aww they are soo cute) I almost thought of buying one keeping it for 6+ months and trading it in for another baby haha!
Next idea was damsel. The pet store said If I got their babies they would be okay because they would have grown up with their tank mates and wouldn't be as aggressive if they were adults and added.
Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3142494

Don't buy your CUC (clean up crew) until you get the algae bloom...it will happen I promise. A little advice..Do go ahead and get a couple of fish...But don't get damsels. They are very mean and will kill each other, and any other fish you put in there with them that are not equaly as mean. They will bite your hand and draw blood every time you put your hands in the tank. Removing them later is near impossible. Ask Meowzer.
There are lots of really beautiful fish, but leave those horrible damsels out.

 

[rcdude1990]

if you get a baby hippo it possible but u would have to take it out. damsels defintly do not buy no matter wat age or w.e they r aggresive and r a pain in the butt.
not too sure about any other blue fish.... mayb a royal gramma? there a dark purple

 

[louti]

Chromis damsels are kinda bluish, more green though. They aren't nearly as aggressive as other damsels.

 

[jaodissa]

Originally Posted by louti
http:///forum/post/3142513
Chromis damsels are kinda bluish, more green though. They aren't nearly as aggressive as other damsels.
School fish need at least 3 right? I only intended 3-4 cause I think thats the max my tank can hold so I decided against these as I didn't want 3-4 of the same fish. If they did well alone I might pick one though cause they were active swimmers.
How many fish can I safely and happily house in a 40 gallon?

 

[jaodissa]

Originally Posted by rcdude1990
http:///forum/post/3142507
if you get a baby hippo it possible but u would have to take it out. damsels defintly do not buy no matter wat age or w.e they r aggresive and r a pain in the butt.
not too sure about any other blue fish.... mayb a royal gramma? there a dark purple
These are beautiful! So colorful but don't they hide a ton?

 

[jaodissa]

Originally Posted by rcdude1990
http:///forum/post/3142507
if you get a baby hippo it possible but u would have to take it out. damsels defintly do not buy no matter wat age or w.e they r aggresive and r a pain in the butt.
not too sure about any other blue fish.... mayb a royal gramma? there a dark purple
I was really thinking about doing this but the ick thing scares me not sure I wanna risk stressing a baby out every 6 months and possible starting an ick war. IDK though if anyone has any suggestions on this idea Im all ears!

 

[florida joe]

Excuse me but did I hear anyone say QT oh yes it was me

 

[jaodissa]

Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/3142526
Excuse me but did I hear anyone say QT oh yes it was me
LOL of course I am going to QT stuff I really don't know much about fish disease yet though! Guess thats the next bit of information Im gonna have to learn. What I thought though was fish like blue hippos can get it at any time (even after being in a tank for a long time) So at that point wouldn't I have to QT everything? IDK Im really going to have to study illnesses.

 

[florida joe]

What I thought though was fish like blue hippos can get it at any time (even after being in a tank for a long time) So at that point wouldn't I have to QT everything? IDK Im really going to have to study illnesses.
Yes you really Need to study the whys and how’s of quarantining PLEASE do this before you add anything more to your DT

 

[junglejeff1]

Quarantine is always a plus, and should be done whenever possible. You do need to keep in mind though.......it does not ELIMINATE the possibility of the fish in the main system to get parasites. All it takes is a drop in the immune system and it can show up. Always watch your fish, its the most enjoyable thing to do anyway.

 

[jaodissa]

Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/3142565
Yes you really Need to study the whys and how’s of quarantining PLEASE do this before you add anything more to your DT
There are no fish in the tank whatsoever yet! I will go google quarantining and see what I can find! Thanks for the advice!

 

[florida joe]

You do need to keep in mind though.......it does not ELIMINATE the possibility of the fish in the main system to get parasites.All it takes is a drop in the immune system and it can show up.
with all do respect what the HELL does that mean

If you don’t have the parasite in your DT you WILL NOT GET INFECTED not mater how low you immune system gets

 

[cranberry]

I think they are saying a QT will not get rid of any parasite... it just provides the opportunity to hopefully see them, so they can be treated, before the infected fish is placed in the DT.
But unless treated, there is no guarantee that your fish is parasite free.