Starting a ten gallon saltwater tank

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
That's usually how it works.

If it's not free, it should be relatively inexpensive.

Mincing it up quite a bit and feeding your tank very small bits throughout the cycle process would be mildly beneficial - as long as ammonia doesn't go above 2ppm. If it does, do a water change.
 

tthemadd1

Active Member
Your powerhead is going to cause problems down the road. That's why it took so long for sand to settle out. It pumps a jet of water vs some that move colns of water. Hydor makes a small pump that would work well in the tank. Also it should be high in the tank to break the surface tension.
Since the sand has filtered out you may want to change your filters while you are starting the cycling process vs waiting and getting a mini cycle later.
Does that filter have space for one or two filters cartridges?
 
It has space for one filter and i turned everything off until the sand settles than change the filter and start up again. I have LR in the tank is the sand on top going to stump growth
 

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Water movement helps increase pH. If you have a top on the tank, take it off. You dont want to prevent gas exchange.
The packs of shrimp are usually precooked. Going to your deli counter and getting one small raw shrimp would be sufficient.
Measure your temp and salinity again. Be sure your topping off your tank with pure RODI water or distilled water.
 

btldreef

Moderator
I prefer ghost feeding over the raw shrimp for cycling. Especially if the live rock is already cured
 

tthemadd1

Active Member
Honestly you need to wash it. Either that or put some filter media in your filter. Change it often. The dust in the tank can cause damage to fish gills. It really needs to be washed thoroughly the first time. Since its a small tank I recommend you scoop the sand out of the tank into a five gallon bucket with a pillow case in it. That way once all the sand is removed you can dip it over and rinse it to remove the cloudiness. Change the saltwater and then you should be starting over with a new cycle. Only a few days in so it won't be horrible.
 
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