The adventure of my 45g *reef lite* tank!

[d-monic]

Ok,heres an update *ill add a pic later*,the rock and sand have been in my tank a week and 2 days now, and i just started running the filter on Saturday,along with a good powerhead. My nitrates and nitrites still appear to be really high, but im not sure how much of a water change to do seeing as i need the bacteria to build up and all. :notsure: I bought a 300 watt heater which now appears strong enough to hold my tank at a somewhat steady temp of around 79,i might lower that later though to around 77 . I bought an ammonia test kit and ill be testing the water tonight...any suggestions are appreciated,ill update with pics later tonight!

 

[lion_crazz]

At this point, you do not want to do a water change. You just want the cycle to complete itself and then when it is over, you would do your first water change.

 

[teen]

i agree, wait till your nitrites and ammonia rech zero, then do a water change to try and bring your nitrates down. some people have problems with their nitrites never reaching zero when they cycle with LR so if it seems like your nitrite doesnt reach zero within another week, then i would go ahead and do the water change anyway. and imo, your water temp is fine where it is, no need to bring it down to 77.

 

[d-monic]

So heres how the tank is looking right now(outside is dirty i know lol):

Here are the results of my tests..they are all liquid tests, but im not sure what to think of all my findings lol heres the stats though:
Temp= wavers between 78.5-79.5
Specific Grav=appears to be around .024..is this too high?
Ammonia=seems to be 0
Nitrite=ALOT... 5ppm i believe..the max of the test..is this my spike perhaps?
Nitrate=also hight,looks to be around 40 ppm
pH=around 8.0
Ive been watching my rock,nothing on it seems to be changing too much,but i am worried about these little red things that are all over the place,i couldnt for the life of me get a good pic,but heres an idea, they have pointy ends,like a crown,and the scribble in the left corner is a horrible artistic interpretation of them..thier all over!! i hope they arent those anemones that take over your tank...oh boy

Anyways...should i start my protein skimmer yet? (Bak Pak2) All i have running now are lights,filter and heater ^_^*
Im so grateful for all the awsome advice,thank you all in advance for any more!! :jumping:

 

[lion_crazz]

Hey Devon, it sounds like your tank is coming along really well.
Your cycle is in its second stage now, where ammonia has spiked and come down, and nitrites have spiked and have yet to come down. You have a good deal of nitrates, which means that the nitrites will be down soon. The pH is a little low due to the high nitrite reading. Your temperture is fine where you have it, as is your specific gravity. I would even recommend you raise your SG to 1.025.
The little red things that you are seeing on your rock are not bad at all. I have them on some of my rocks as well.
I would not turn the skimmer on until your cycle is over.
Other than that, if you have any questions, just post them!
-Ryan

 

[poniegirl]

Good for you D!
The little red things are featherdusters? Fun stuff. Keep your eyes open, you'll probably come across more hitchhikers. Some good, some not so good.
I love these threads. I'm pretty much a weirdo..love seeing the clean, fresh tanks!
Nice job!

 

[d-monic]

Originally Posted by PonieGirl
Good for you D!
The little red things are featherdusters? Fun stuff. Keep your eyes open, you'll probably come across more hitchhikers. Some good, some not so good.
I love these threads. I'm pretty much a weirdo..love seeing the clean, fresh tanks!
Nice job!
Someone else suggested that they were featherdusters as well,im hoping that they are ! As for other hitchhikers,im pretty sure theres a little clam in a crevice of one rock..but i dont think it could still be alive so i dont know what to make of it o_o..lol Im glad you like lookin at noob-setup threads,i was worried it would pester everyone!! thanks for much for the input!!

!!

 

[lion_crazz]

The little red things I believe, if they are the same thing as in my tank, are little Foraminiferans. They are just small little calcium-carbonate deposits that do no harm.
Devon, are these things pretty rigid?

 

[d-monic]

Originally Posted by lion_crazz
The little red things I believe, if they are the same thing as in my tank, are little Foraminiferans. They are just small little calcium-carbonate deposits that do no harm.
Devon, are these things pretty rigid?

Hm...I havent directly touched them,but ill do so when i get home They look pretty rigid, and they dont sway at all with the water movement. Ill try taking a better pic later,but the cam im using is really bad so i dont know if ill be able to get a better one. Thanks so much for all your advice,im so happy to have found this forum, id be lost without it!!

 

[d-monic]

wow,out of impulse i just checked my nitrites and they have indeed dropped to zero!! but its only been 12 days,is it possible to cycle this quick? I do have 50 pounds of LR...im amazed right now!! the Ph is still low though,at whats looking like 8.0,and my nitrates are at about 10 ppm, ammonia is still 0!! im so excited!! Should i start the skimmer and make a water change tommorow?? Advice is appreciated...yay!!

EDIT: Also i havent put the rest of my caribsea sand in yet,can i do that now or is it going to mess things up? eh..i shouldve put it in earlier -_-!! I need to turn off the filter and powerheads so the sand settles right? Sorry for all the questions,im so excited though!

 

[poniegirl]

If nitrites are 0.00 and you are seeing some nitrate results, you're about there..after those seem to peak (or stay at a level for a couple of days), you can do a 20% water change. Pretty much the only thing that will bring down the nitrates is good old fashioned water changes. But FIRST..
As far as the sand, yep, it will cause some mess. Just be as gentle as you can, adding it. YES turn off your filter and powerhead until the sand settles but is still cloudy. Then turn them back on and your water will clear again.
Do put in the rest of the sand before you do your first water change, it will have to cycle, as well (I'm not sure of exact effect). You will want to test diligently to be sure before you change out any water.
When you prepare your water for the change-out, check the SG. I agree 1.025 is good.

 

[d-monic]

Originally Posted by PonieGirl
If nitrites are 0.00 and you are seeing some nitrate results, you're about there..after those seem to peak (or stay at a level for a couple of days), you can do a 20% water change. Pretty much the only thing that will bring down the nitrates is good old fashioned water changes. But FIRST..
As far as the sand, yep, it will cause some mess. Just be as gentle as you can, adding it. YES turn off your filter and powerhead until the sand settles but is still cloudy. Then turn them back on and your water will clear again.
Do put in the rest of the sand before you do your first water change, it will have to cycle, as well (I'm not sure of exact effect). You will want to test diligently to be sure before you change out any water.
When you prepare your water for the change-out, check the SG. I agree 1.025 is good.
Alright!Thanks so much for the input,ill put the sand in tonight,wait for it to settle,then once the filter and powerhead have cleared it up a bit ill test again and see what havoc is caused in my tank lol and ill be sure to post here for opinions ..once the sand has done its thing and my first water change is completed *am i aiming to get trates down to zero with the change?* would it be suitable to try adding a few snails/hermits or such? :joy: I dont wanna jump the gun,im trying to be very patient...but i have to admit,it is really hard to be XD hehe
EDIT: Also,should i wait till after the sand to run my skimmer too? I would think so but just makin sure

 

[renogaw]

i ran my skimmer during the sand storm. i don't know if it helped or not. you will want to change your filter media though, since it will get saturated with the sand dust. also, having a small amount of trates is not a HUGE deal. as long as its below like 20ppm i believe you should be good. your sand will help lower them to zero along with water changes. you'll actually see bubbles form in your sand along your glass.

 

[d-monic]

Ok!Sand is in,and the mushroom cloud ensued!
Im letting it settle and it seems to be going along just fine, but then i realized yet ANOTHER stupid mistake on my part,i didnt really have "base rock" for the bottom of my tank, so the sand is covering the bottom of normal LR, will this cause ammonia problems? eh..i hope not! Hopefully by tommorow the sand settles and i can turn the filter,skimmer and powerheads on and retest the water and see where im at :joy:
Updates will come later,but any advice on my rock situation is appreciated!!

 

[renogaw]

yea, you'll get a little die off from your lr under the sand. but since you're still cycling it shouldnt be a big deal.

 

[d-monic]

Originally Posted by renogaw
yea, you'll get a little die off from your lr under the sand. but since you're still cycling it shouldnt be a big deal.
Darnit,i was such an idiot not to put the rest of the sand in right away,i dont know what i was thinking!! My cycle was pretty much done and now i started it over ;_; lol oh well,good things come to those who wait i guess!
Sand is resting all over the rock that is above the sand line too...shoud i reach in and swish them around a bit to get the sand off,or will the powerhead perhaps take care of that and i should leave em alone?
Thanks for the advice ,i hope im doing everything right! :thinking:

 

[wattsupdoc]

I dont think you'll cycle all over again. The die off wont be that dramatic. IMO. Dust off the LR ( aturkey baster works really well). Then start up you flow, you're cycle should be done except you may get a little mini cycle from adding the sand. Do you're water change and that'll help it some. IMO, you could go ahead and add a clean up crew.
P.S. It looks to me like you're HOB has some kinda skimmer built into it.. :thinking: Maybe what the air pump was for?

The acrylic cone in the back of it looks like it might be a small one and that piece you dont know what it is with the hole in it does it fit over the top of it?

 

[lion_crazz]

Yeah, you will not cycle over again. You may get a little bit of dieoff, but nothing crazy. Give your tank a day or two and then check your levels. With your first water change, you want to get your nitrates under 20. After that, adding a clean-up will be a safe bet.

 

[d-monic]

Originally Posted by lion_crazz
Yeah, you will not cycle over again. You may get a little bit of dieoff, but nothing crazy. Give your tank a day or two and then check your levels. With your first water change, you want to get your nitrates under 20. After that, adding a clean-up will be a safe bet.
Thanks for the advice

,your right,it went through a mini-cycle of sorts with some dieoff,the ammonia has dropped back to zero, and ive tested for trites the past 3 days,and this is gonna sound stupid,but you know how the color coding for the trite goes from light blue (0 ppm) to a light lavender/purple (25 ppm)? For the past 3 days testing,its been a color right inbetween the two and its driving me nuts!! i dont want to change the water if its still dropping,but i think that live rock problem may be occuring here,should i change the water anyway perhaps and then test?
I bought a refractometer and realized my salinty is too high so im going to attempt to drop it with this water change the trates are around 30ish ppm it looks like, so im hoping they drop pretty good with the change. I bought some premixed salt water from a LFS and im going to test it to make sure its pure before putting it in my tank...should i aerate it a bit in a bucket? Its been sitting in a closed off container since saturday.
Im going to add the cleanup crew possibly tommorow if all goes well with the change ill post a pic and stats tonight hopefully,if not tonight then def tommorow!