New to board with new Tank!

[jes]

Hello All!
I would like to say that this forum is great! This is one great thing about the Internet, people coming together and sharing ideas. I've been lurking for a little while now, and I have decided to start my own tank. I have a 55 G with 20 lbs LR, 30 lbs LS. I also have 2 Penguin 330s as well as a powerhead. There are 6 damsels in the tank currently. It has been set up for about a week now and I have used a product called Cycle, here are my readings:
7/30(Date in which fish were added): Ammonia-.25, Nitrites-.25, Nitrates-5, Salinity-1.023, pH-8.2, Avg Temp-77.9; 8/1: Ammonia-.25, Nitrites-.25, Nitrates-5, Salinity-1.023, pH-8.2, Avg Temp-77.9; 8/3: Ammonia-.25, Nitrites-0, Nitrates-10, Salinity-1.023, pH-8.2, Avg Temp-77.9;
Notice that the Nitrites have dropped and the Nitrates have increased while the Ammonia has remained steady. Is all well? I understand it's still VERY early in my cycle and I'm just curious. I welcome your feedback/suggestions.

 

[tacks]

Welcome to the board....
Hard to tell... At first I was like "no way is this tank cycled already" but after reading it again, your LS and LR are probably helping a ton!!! However, you shouldn't see any ammonia.
Take it SLOW and have fun!!!

 

[rmdavis]

am as new to this as you are........ just wanted to say welcome to the board..

 

[jwalters77]

First off welcome to the board!! I agree with sammy on the DSB...I started out with crushed coral and an undergravel filter...After lurking for a while on the board I decided to try it before my tank really got running....I switched to a 5-6in sand bed with 50lbs of Southdown and 50lbs of LS with 55lbs of LR...and I LOVE IT!!!! It looks so much better and natural...I have a 55gal FOWLR/LS and to Percula Clownfish and a clean up crew from this site...which, by the way, I had no problems the crew I got from here...I have only lost a coral banded shrimp...But anyway I highly recommend the DSB...
good luck and please take it slow I didn't and lost some fish that shouldn't have died anyway ask all the questions you can think of here...someone will always give you good advice..
later
Jake

 

[jes]

Thanks for the info everyone! That is very helpful, I will go out and get some more LS soon. While adding the sand should I put all my damsels in a bucket (with the same tank water of course)? Or can I just add the sand with them in the tank? I have a feeling it might be safer to put them in a bucket, but your suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Thanks again,
-Jes

 

[oceanblue]

Welcome to the board!! Glad to see so many people actively sharing info! I would put them in a bucket while you dump the sand in, and let the water de-cloud some before putting them back in. However, the bucket can rapidly change temp. etc., so put them back in the cloudy water when the bucket starts to fluctuate. Good luck, have fun, and welcome to a great hobby! Dave

 

[kdlbem]

If you put a heater and powerhead in the tub or bucket, you'll be able to leave the fish in there a lot longer(in case the tank takes longer to clear). I kept a false perc. and a dottyback in a rubbermaid tub for five days with baserock,PH,and a heater. I mixed the natures ocean LS with sugar size sand, it took forever to clear(even with two extra filters on the tank). Looks great now, and my nitrates are way down So it was worth it.
HTH,
B

 

[tacks]

You should use a 4" pvc pipe to put the sand in. Put the pipe in so it's touching the bottom of the tank then pour the sand in the pipe and let settle. Slowly lift the pipe and move around to distribute the sand. You will still have some cloud but this method will definately help. Also, I would leave the damsels in. Good Luck!

 

[jes]

I've just completed a some tests. Here are the results: 8/5 -
Ammonia - .5
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 10
Salinity - 1.025
ph - 8.1 (shade between 8.0 & 8.2)
Temp - 77.4
I've noticed some evaporation within the last two days, probably around 1/4" of water. I've also noticed that on the surface of the water there is a small accumulation of bubbles in the corners.
I figured the evaporation is probably why the Salinity has jumped up. Should I add water (dechlorinated with salt of course) to help reduce the Salinity, or am I ok? I'm still going to go with DSB as you suggested, should I add the sand instead of the water? The Ammonia has risen and my pH has dropped slightly.
Thanks for your interest,
-Jes
[ August 05, 2001: Message edited by: Jes ]

 

[tacks]

Water evaporates... Not salt... When adding water due to evaporation, add fresh water. Adding saltwater will increase your salinity.
Keep an eye on this Jes because I'm begining to wonder if your tank is just begining to cycle...
Also, do not try to adjust the PH if there is ammonia present. This will only make matters worse.

 

[blueberryboomer]

Jes, I wanted to hop on and welcome you to the board! Looking forward to sharing indeas and suggestions with you. Later Lisa

 

[jes]

Sure, my tanks measurements are as follows:
L: 48"
W: 12 1/2"
H: 20 3/4"
-Jes

 

[jwalters77]

I have a 55gal and I used about 75lbs of southdown and seeded it with 45-50lbs of live sand
Jake

 

[jes]

Sounds great! I currently have about 30 lbs LS in the tank. Can I mix up about 20lbs of Southdown and 20lbs of LS and add it on TOP of my LS in the tank? Will that be a problem?
-Jes

 

[jes]

Ok cool, I'm more than halfway there then. I just added 40 lbs of LS. I went with Rick's technique (4" pvc pipe) and it worked like a charm, thanks Rick. I removed my LR and placed them back onto the sand bed. The damsels were a little freaked out at first, but they have acclimated themselves.
-Jes

 

[tacks]

Glad to hear things went well...