protein skimmer

jsgreer1

jsgreer1

Member
is a protein skimmer a fish or a machine? sorry dont mean to sound stupid my ive been doing this for 3 weeks now and my lfs is full of idiots. also my ammonia is up to .5 ppm from 0 and has never been any higher than 0 is my tank cycling?
 
jsgreer1

jsgreer1

Member
does the ammonia going up mean my tank is cycling and if it is will this kill my fish? i have a striped damsel and a percula clown
 
alyssia

alyssia

Active Member
Yes that means your tank is cycling and it could very well kill your fish. You shouldn't add any fish until the cycle is over.
 
jsgreer1

jsgreer1

Member
i just learned that i shouldnt have any fish in there yesterday. my lfs guy didnt tell me anything about a cycle..he told me to fill the tank about an inch in the bottom with live sand fill the tank up with saltwater and let it filter for about two weeks before i got fish so i did and nothing went wrong and nothing changed in my tests and then i find out yesterday that my tank needs to cycle...and now i find out that it is starting to cycle...how long should a cycle last and how will i know when its over?
 
alyssia

alyssia

Active Member
Cycling can take up to six weeks, but I don't think it usually takes that long. You will see a rise and fall in your ammonia, then nitrites, then the nitrates. Once everything has come back down to zero your cycle is over. In the meantime you might want to try amquel to make your fish a little more comfortable. Your lfs probably carries it.
 
jsgreer1

jsgreer1

Member
one more question...i dont mean to ask so many but i want to do this right and i have no idea what im doing... is it absolutely neccessary for live rock or is it just a substitute for live sand?
 
alyssia

alyssia

Active Member
Originally Posted by jsgreer1
one more question...i dont mean to ask so many but i want to do this right and i have no idea what im doing... is it absolutely neccessary for live rock or is it just a substitute for live sand?

Don't worry about the questions, the more you learn the better you'll do. We've all been there.I wouldn't say LR (live rock) is an absoloute necessity but it definitely helps with the biological filtration. You will need to get LR or a skimmer. It is recommended that you have 1 to 1 1/2 lbs of LR per gallon.
 
O

oreo12

Guest
you have to have live rock imo. 5-8 dollars a pound 1 pound per gal min. You can by some dead and a little live and the live will seed the dead it takes longer but is cheeper
 
cartman101

cartman101

Active Member
Protein Skimmer a fish? Thats hilarious! You just made my day! :hilarious Sorry to sound rude but I'm not trying to be rude. Did your lfs say this to you
?
 
alyssia

alyssia

Active Member
At my lfs it is 6.99/lb.
but it is already cured. You can buy uncured LR online for much cheaper. If it is uncured though you cannot put it directly in your tank, you will have to put it in a rubbermaid container in heated saltwater and test that water and wait till the ammonia comes down to zero.
 
alyssia

alyssia

Active Member
Originally Posted by jsgreer1
thanks cartman i really feel ignorant now lol. if i get live rock i do not need a skimmer correct?
That depends on how many fish you will have and whether or not you want corals.
Don't mind cartman, he's just being ornery.

:joy:
 
jasonlwrig

jasonlwrig

Member
Eventually (within the next few months) you will still need a skimmer. Go ahead and put in whatever you can afford for live rock- even if is only 10 pounds. The live rock will help start the cycle to go faster.
 
jsgreer1

jsgreer1

Member
i do not plan on having corals as i dont know what that is exactly. and i only have a 26 gal. tank so probably no more than 4 or 5 fish at the most.
 
O

oreo12

Guest
I have a spot here I can get live rock for 5.99 but I know that is lowwer than most will get it for
 
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