New LS and Water Test Sharks please help

T

the new guy

Guest
I have a 52 gal FBH with 2 Perc clowns, a Naso tang, several hermits, a few snails, about 100 lbs of base rock, a wet/dry filter, about 2 inches of CC and yesterday I added about 2 inches (25lbs) of live sand from the beach. I just did a water test and here is how it looks:
Temp: 81 PH:8.2
Salinity: 1.024 Ammo:0.00
Nitrite: 5.0 Nitrate: 10.0
I was just wondering if this looked ok to you guys??
The tank has been up for about 3 months (it did completely cycle about 1 month ago). The fish are doing fine and my Naso seems to love the new sand (I know he is a big fish for this tank but I am planning on getting a 125 gal next year :D).
[ May 17, 2001: Message edited by: The New Guy ]
[ May 17, 2001: Message edited by: The New Guy ]
[ May 20, 2001: Message edited by: The New Guy ]
 
mr . salty

mr . salty

Active Member
That beach sand is anything BUT live sand.The beach is where all the pollution from the ocean washes up,So you may have a serious problem on your hands.There have been quite a few disscusions here about beach sand.Do a search and read a few. It is really too late to do anything about possable contamination to your tank except run a filter with NEW activated carbon and pray...As for the readings.If you have any ammo,or nitrite readings at all,your tank is NOT DONE cycling...
[ May 17, 2001: Message edited by: MR . SALTY ]
 
andymi

andymi

Member
You should also quarantine anything before putting it in your tank. Everything I have read about getting sand from the ocean or anything else is that you should always give it a few days before putting it in your tank and causing bigger problems. Just keep a close eye on the tank and hopefully you will be able to spot problems quickly.
--andy
 
T

the new guy

Guest
My tank DID cycle about a month ago and I added the sand 2 days ago, I know that having Nitrites means I am cycling again, I was just wondering if I should get an Ammo rise also?
I did a search prior to getting the salt and the ones I read said not to get the sand from areas that are not covered by water all the time, I got it about 100 yards from the beach, They said to let it sit for a day prior to adding, I did that, the sand doesnt smell funny or anything. it smells like fresh sea water (not fishy). I was not able to find any conclusive post that said NOT to do it. Also I read in several books that said to do it if you let it sit.
Anyway, what should I look for to see if this is bad for my tank? Anything that I do not already test for (I test PH, Ammo, Nitrite, Nitrate)? I will keep doing these tests daily to see what happens.
[ May 17, 2001: Message edited by: The New Guy ]
 
T

the new guy

Guest
I just did another water test and my Nitrites are around 5ppm. Should I wait to see if it drops back down?
Sharks please help!!
[ May 20, 2001: Message edited by: The New Guy ]
 
paulytee

paulytee

Member
In my opinion, The slightly elevated nitrite readings could be caused by the sand you just recently added or maybe the food you put in your tank. How often and how much do you feed the critters in your tank? And how big is your Naso? It's my past experience that just a little overfeeding noticeably raises the nitrites in my tank. I know Im a newbie(post-wise ;) ) but I agree with andy about quarantiing the sand (and other things) before adding to your tank. It seems like your doing your research about the sand and so-forth.Keep it up,it's the best way to learn in my opinion!!
Good luck and Im jealous of your Naso,I think they are one of the most beautiful fish out there!
Keep up the good work and you'll have those nitrites down in no time! ;)
 
T

the new guy

Guest
Just a follow up and to see what else you think.
I just tested my water and everything looks really good!!!
Temp: 81 PH: 8.0
Salinity: 1.024 Ammo: 0.00
Nitrite: 0.0 Nitrate: 5.0
Does this mean (lower Nitrate) my sand bed is infact live?
 
mr . salty

mr . salty

Active Member
Looks like you lucked out. Like I said in my original post(wait and see what happens). Looks like the sand could be working.That was a very risky project,I would not have tried that in my show tank.But if the nitrates are going down,it must be working some...
 
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