Originally Posted by
salt_chick
http:///forum/post/2549689
Thank you for all your help! Plan on buying the liquid test kit today. And hopefullly some more live rock.
Should I stay away from live rock with growth on it? I wouldn't want to put it in to early.
I keep reading to remove the bio balls and sponge is that something I should do? I know I would put live rock in place of the balls, but what would replace the sponge?
And what chemicals would you suggest adding to the tank?
Thanks again!!
My first suggestion is to get the tank running as you do let it cycle as you are and in the mean time research and read. You are going to hear a lot of advice about what has been done to their tanks, take everything with a grain of salt and take things slowly. The fist thing I was told when I started was to ditch the bioballs too, but it took me 6 months before I decided to do it. In this time I read what it mean by the popular term "nitrate factory" I understood it so I could make my own decisions based on facts, not just suggestions. There are reasons we do these little modifications to our tanks. To briefly touch on a few, replacing the bioballs with LR rubble is not going to solve any issues that bioballs claim to have. Good tank husbandry is important with any biological filtration no matter what the media is made of. If you do not syphon the rear chambers of these little tanks out once in a while then it wont matter what is in there for media they will all trap detritus and particulates that can elevate your nitrates. As for the filter cartridges, you will find that the clog rather easily because of the sediment that gets pulled into the rear chambers. The need to be replaced, they are not cheap and there are not really that necessary IMO. I ditched mine but kept the little blue sponge in there from the middle to the last chamber.
When you add LR to your tank its not a bad idea to rinse it off in some salt water to get any packed on dirt or mud off, even lightly brush it. I wouldnt suggest getting LR with lots of fungal growth or unknown algae on it. Place all of your LR In your tank and then let your tank cycle. Test for amonia, nitrites and nitrates. Once your tank reaches 0 amonia and nitrites, you should have some readable nitrates. Its time for a water change, about 15% or so. wait a couple of days and then retest. If levels are still all 0 then your cycle has completed, if not then it is still cycling and in a week do another water change and retest.
Small nano tank maintanence is much more than larger tanks, they require at minimum a 10% water change weekly. This water change replaces all of your essential trace elements in your tank so there is no need to dose anything to your tank. IF you feel something is wrong its STRONGLY advised to never dose anything into your tank you do not test for. So if someone tells you to just add this stuff for rapid coraline algae growth. You would need to test for calcium first, if your levels are already at 400 to 450ppm dosing would be bad. Coraline algae boosts are basically calcium additives and can be dangerous to your system if too much is added. That was just an example but its a very important rule to remember.
