Need help!

[keith_cook]

Some background. This is my 1st SW tank. I started setting it up over this last week-end. Its a 58 gal oceanic. Right now I have a 4" DSB, it is filled with water (SG @ 1.024), I have a Remora Pro skimmer on it and running, and I have 2 maxijet 1200's for circulation.
I put the water in last sat. (7/20) and the sand bed really clouded the water up. From what I gather this is perfectly normal. Mon. (7/22) I recieved my skimmer. I hooked it up and started running it. There is nothing in the tank but water and sand. I have not been running my PH's because they stir up the bed which as of today is finally starting to get settled. Water is pretty hazy still but not too bad. I have no test kits, just the hydrometer, and a thermometer. My live rock will be in tom. (ordered from an online source in Fla.) Now my questions. Do I need the water quality to be in check when I add the rock (other than the SG), PH, Alk and such? Will I need to run my powerheads when I add the rock? Rock is uncured BTW. Any tips you can give me about adding my rock? Thanks alot guys and gals you are a great help to us begginers!!!
Sorry for such a long post!

 

[almarktool]

ok so far you are ok u need to get ph, amonia, nitrite , & nitrate test kits, you can turn the skimmer off for the next 4 weeks untill your tank has cycled add your live rock in set it up the way u want make sure it is sturdy and won't fall over, fire up those power heads now and let the sand settle down on it's own, after u put the rock in start watching for your amonia spike then that will fall then your nitrates will go up and then they will fall then your nitites will go up and then finally disapear and all reading will be 0 then your tank is cycled then you can turn on your skimmer and i would then wait a week after that and then do your first water change

 

[keith_cook]

Thanks for the fast reply! My LFS has a master test kit from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals that has PH, Ammo, Trite, and Trate, test kits for about 28 bucks. Guess I'll go pick it up tomorrow before my rock arives. 1 question tho.....what should my PH be during the "cycle"? Thanks again!

 

[new]

if im not mistaken ph should remain at 8.3 but get confirmation, dont hink that should fluctuate during the cycle. i have that test kit and personaly i dont place alot of faith is the readings i get, they seem to fluctuate more than what the tank inhabitants tell me they are. for example just last week it told me my trates dropped from60 to 20 without haveing done a waterchange no rock was added or removed nothing was done to change the bio-load at all and the reading had been at 60 for almost 3 weeks.

 

[ruaround]

Almarktool was right except for the order of the cycle...First amonia will spike, then nitrIte, then nitrAte. Your uncured rock should trigger the cycle, have you added anything else to the tank? i.e. dead uncooked shrimp, damsels??? Is it live sand??? Your pH should be at 8.2 and will fluctuate throughout the day, lower in the am and higher in the pm. IMO you shouldnt use the skimmer during the cycle, but you can if you want.

 

[almarktool]

thanks ruaround ,
sometimes type to fast get my a's and i's miked up

 

[ruaround]

No prob...with the rest of the good info you were givin i figured you had just typoed...sometimes our fingers work faster than our brains...