Reef Central Online Community

Go Back   Reef Central Online Community > General Interest Forums > New to the Hobby
Blogs FAQ Calendar

Notices

User Tag List

Reply
Thread Tools
Unread 05/08/2006, 06:49 PM   #1
Nabob89
Registered Member
 
Nabob89's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boston
Posts: 477
one more question....

so the base rock and sand have been in the tank for about two days....the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate aren't very high though....is a cycle happening? Someone said to throw a small amount of food into the tank to speed up the process....how much should i throw in? (i have formula one flakes).......finally, can I put my LR in while the tank is cycling, or should I hold off until the cycle is complete (I will be adding all the LR at once.....about 40 lbs) Thanks
Matt


Nabob89 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/08/2006, 06:54 PM   #2
Nabob89
Registered Member
 
Nabob89's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boston
Posts: 477
also, can I add the chaeto to my HOB fuge as soon as I get the LR (the fuge is already set up with sand/water)


Nabob89 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/08/2006, 07:06 PM   #3
Andrew
Registered Member
 
Andrew's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Columbus, OH
Posts: 13,640
Sounds like the tank is cycling to me. I just add a pinch of food to my tanks to start the cycle. I myself wait a week until I add the liverock to my new tanks but you should be fine now. And yes, you can add your fuge durning the cycle stage.


Andrew is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/08/2006, 07:53 PM   #4
Nabob89
Registered Member
 
Nabob89's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boston
Posts: 477
so if the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels go up in the next few days, i dont need to add any food right....just maybe add the LR this weekend then wait for the cycle to end?


Nabob89 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/08/2006, 08:00 PM   #5
Brenden
Registered Member
 
Brenden's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Piedmont, NC
Posts: 224
If you just have base rock and sand what is starting the cycle? If you have not added LR I would add something to start the cycle. raw shrimp, food etc.


Brenden is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/08/2006, 08:03 PM   #6
Sk8r
RC Mod
 
Sk8r's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Spokane WA
Posts: 34,628
Blog Entries: 55
Basically, feed one invisible fish daily until you see algae. Then measure and test.


__________________
Sk8r

Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low.

Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.
Sk8r is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/08/2006, 08:08 PM   #7
Nabob89
Registered Member
 
Nabob89's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boston
Posts: 477
ok ill put some flakes in there now......and what is an acceptable temp for a reef tank....79 degrees sound ok?


Nabob89 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/08/2006, 08:14 PM   #8
Nabob89
Registered Member
 
Nabob89's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boston
Posts: 477
and just one more thing while i have your attention (my last of the day i promise! )........can i prop up my PC light over the tank with wooden blocks? .......or could they heat up and potentially burn my house down? .....the blocks would only be underneath the outer corners of the light (plastic part)


Nabob89 is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/08/2006, 08:20 PM   #9
Brenden
Registered Member
 
Brenden's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Piedmont, NC
Posts: 224
79 is fine. Stability is the key. As far as the wooden blocks go...you can judge better than me. how hot do they get? Guessing you would be fine but I run MH so no direct experience. I would be concerned about knocking them into the water if they are just laying on wood blocks


Brenden is offline   Reply With Quote
Unread 05/08/2006, 08:33 PM   #10
Nabob89
Registered Member
 
Nabob89's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boston
Posts: 477
yeah it stinks....they dont make a stand for the kind of Jalli lights that i have.....but i have four pieces of wood (one laying diagonal across each corner of the tank).....and the light rests in the middle of these blocks......i know thats kind of hard to picture, but ill get a pic up as soon as i figure out how to use this digital camera.....anyway the light feels sturdy (when i give it a small shake, it doesnt wobble at all)....so i think im good


Nabob89 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:06 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Powered by Searchlight © 2025 Axivo Inc.
Use of this web site is subject to the terms and conditions described in the user agreement.
Reef CentralTM Reef Central, LLC. Copyright ©1999-2022
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging v3.3.0 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2025 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.