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Unread 04/17/2006, 11:54 AM   #1
fishguy83
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Question almost done cycling?

Looks like my tank is cycling... I had a piece of shrimp in there that I pulled out the other day...


Friday
  • pH -- 8.1
  • Alk - One test says "low" - other says close to 300 kh ppm
  • NirtAtes - 20
  • NitrItes - 3.0
  • Ammonia - ~3
  • Salinity - 1.022

Saturday (AM)
  • pH -- 8.1
  • Alk - same as Fri
  • NirtAtes - 30
  • NitrItes - 5.0
  • Ammonia - ~3
  • Salinity - 1.022

Saturday (PM)
  • pH -- 8.1 or 8.2
  • Alk - same as Sat(AM)
  • NirtAtes - 40
  • NitrItes - 6.0
  • Ammonia - between 1.0 and 2.0
  • Salinity - 1.022

Evening Sun
  • pH -- 8.1
  • Alk - same as Sat (AM)
  • NirtAtes - 40
  • NitrItes - 10
  • Ammonia - 1.0
  • Salinity - 1.022

Monday (Mid-Day)
  • pH -- 8.1
  • Alk - same, maybe a little lower, 200 kh ppm
  • NirtAtes - 40
  • NitrItes - 10
  • Ammonia - ~0.50
  • Salinity - 1.022


Hows it look? About time for a water change then??


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Unread 04/17/2006, 12:06 PM   #2
CarmieJo
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IMO I'd wait for a water change until the NO2 falls to zero. You may also want to listen the the TalkingReef podcast on cycling www.TalkingReef.com. The podcasts are free. If you don't have an iPod or MP3 player you can download iTunes for free and listen at your computer.




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Current Tank Info: 54 gal AGA corner tank with a Solaris LED fixture; NanoCube 24
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Unread 04/17/2006, 12:08 PM   #3
bertoni
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I'd do some water changes now if there's live rock in the tank. That should help save some animals. It's a little late now, but there's no need for the shrimp with live rock.

The SG is a little low, IMO. I target 1.026-1.027, which is about the canonical "average sea water".


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Unread 04/17/2006, 10:57 PM   #4
fishguy83
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Quote:
Originally posted by bertoni
I'd do some water changes now if there's live rock in the tank. That should help save some animals. It's a little late now, but there's no need for the shrimp with live rock.

The SG is a little low, IMO. I target 1.026-1.027, which is about the canonical "average sea water".




Yeah I've been trying to raise my salinity - I put 1/4 cup salt and some water, mixing it up and adding it in (I've probably done this like 4 times.... but it seems to be the same salinity all the time...

on my canopy, I sometimes see what looks like salt (thin wafers of it, if that makes sense) coming out of my glass canopy, at the edges where the hinge is (plastic coating) and the back of the canopy that has the clear plastic that you can cut for wires, etc... Does that mean anything? I thought you didn't lose salt due to evaporation?


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Unread 04/18/2006, 12:09 AM   #5
bertoni
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That's salt creep, usually from a bit of splashing and evaporation. I would just mix up some saltwater, and add it to replace evaporation, but not more than 0.001 units every other day or so.


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Unread 04/18/2006, 05:40 PM   #6
fishguy83
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thanks, now I know about salt creep, was wondering why it was happeneing


OK - i have no fish in, so i could change it a little quicker, no? I know I don't want to go too high, a pain to bring back down, but I've done 1/4 c salt in like 1c of water, poured that in slowly, and again - no change in salinity, i'm using a IO hydrometer, which I know isn't accurate, but .... i test like 3 times in a row, getting the same reading, and after all this added salt, NO change?? doesn't make sense...

any ideas?


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Unread 04/19/2006, 12:56 AM   #7
bertoni
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If the tank has 25g of water in it, as a rough guess, that's probably about 15 cups of salt, using my mix, so 1/4 cup wouldn't likely make a measureable change. I don't trust swing-arm hydrometers, though, in any case. The one I had was pure garbage.


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