Tank Pictures

[flower]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaodissa http:///t/391798/tank-pictures#post_3477396
We have a cycle!!
Ammonia 4.0
Nitrite .50
Nitrate (didn't test lol)
PH 8.4
Wahoo I say in 3 months we will have some horses haha.
You have the start of the cycle it is not a complete cycle until the ammonia and nitrite are at 0, and all that is left is nitrates. It has to go thru all the stages to be a cycle.
UV sterilizers kill the tiny critters like copepods and amphipods that come out at night. Horses love to eat and hunt amphipods and mandarins ( a really cool fish that can live with seahorses) need a ton of copepods to live. So we usually like to let the populations of them grow to huge numbers if we can....a UV sterilizer is working against you for those reasons. I have read it will inhibit hair algae growth some.

 

[snakeblitz33]

You need to try to get that ammonia down to under 2 ASAP. Do a 50% water change and see how much that helps. Keeping the ammonia levels low helps keep live things on your rocks alive...
Letting everything die off within your rocks can cause algae problems in the future...

 

[jaodissa]

LOL Of course! I didn't mean we were cycled sorry. All though the tank is always cycling Thanks for the info about the Sterilizers.

 

[jaodissa]

Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/391798/tank-pictures/20#post_3477430
You need to try to get that ammonia down to under 2 ASAP. Do a 50% water change and see how much that helps. Keeping the ammonia levels low helps keep live things on your rocks alive...
Letting everything die off within your rocks can cause algae problems in the future...
... Are you sure?? I don't have live rock. I just did a pure ammonia cycle. Directions said to get the ammonia to 4 ppm and add a couple drops every day until you see a nitrite spike.

 

[jaodissa]

2 more pictures
Rock wall now that the tank is all cleared up!

And here are the test tubes with the colors just cause I thought it was pretty lol.

Ammonia Nitrite Nitrate PH
It's looking like 6 ammonia 5 Nitrite 10 Nitrate 8.2 PH
Should I do a water change to get the ammonia down or leave it? Hope you enjoy the pictures hehe.

 

[flower]

Hi,
You did a good job on the wall, that will look awesome when the purple coraline starts to grow! While the tank cycles just leave it alone. After it's all complete you can do a change to lower the nitrates.

 

[gemmy]

How did you make the wall?

 

[jaodissa]

I got some pond foam, egg create and base rock. I laid the base rock out on the egg create and foamed it all together. I let it sit out 24 hours to cure. Then I epoxied crushed coral and sand to the black foam that was still showing. I dried again for 24 hours. After this I soaked it for 24 hours and rinsed a ton. Once that was all done. I put it in the tank. Put sand down. Filled her up and the rest is history It was fun and easy. Cost me maybe 20 dollars. (I had the base rock on hand)

 

[jaodissa]

Ammonia is on the way down! It is at 1.0 today! Nitrite is well beyond 5+ Nitrate is 15 Hope you all have a beautiful Sunday!

 

[rickross23]

Ammonia is on the way down! It is at 1.0 today! Nitrite is well beyond 5+ Nitrate is 15 Hope you all have a beautiful Sunday!
Have a beautiful Sunday aswell!

 

[novahobbies]

Looks good! I like the wall you made.

 

[jaodissa]

Thanks Nova!!
I added some macro algae. Shame on me I know, but I couldn't help myself. My ammonia was down to .25 lol. I do have red slime algae and the brown bacteria algae. Not pretty at all. I will tank pictures for you all later today!

 

[jaodissa]

All right here are my test results as of today!!
salinity 1.023
PH 8.0
amm 0
nitrite 1.0
nitrate 10
calcium 340
KH 8 dkh or 13.2 ppm
phosphate .5
No picture though. Cell phone died.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Gonna have to get that calcium up to 420 or better!
Looks like you are at the end of the cycle - well done.

 

[jaodissa]

I dosed with some B-Ionic Calcium Buffer system when I saw it was so low. I only did half a dose today and will do the other half tomorrow. I think I need to do a water change soon also.

 

[gemmy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/391798/tank-pictures/20#post_3478727
Gonna have to get that calcium up to 420 or better!
Looks like you are at the end of the cycle - well done.
Nitrite is still too high, but getting close.

 

[jaodissa]

Nothing interesting going on... Stuck at 1 nitrite for 4 days now.. tank is nasty looking with brown crap.. Thinking I've done something wrong lol.. Waiting it out seems like a good choice though.

 

[smallreef]

its just diatoms using the silicate in the sand... once that goes away and your numbers are all 0 you will be ready to go!
a diatom bloom is just a new tank thing....

 

[jaodissa]

Never seen any of my tanks this bad before!!

 

[gemmy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaodissa http:///t/391798/tank-pictures/20#post_3479364
Never seen any of my tanks this bad before!!
It happens.