hi guys ! lil help please NEW TANK 55gl

fasturtle30 · 03/31/2007, 11:22 AM

Thanks for helping me with my tank now i got my tank set up now and most of the help i got was from reefcentral

.
Anyways my tank has 4 days running and i am just waiting for the cycling thing. This is my first reading if you have comments please go ahead.
Now my main qs is the Ph level is too low i guess or maybe not i am just new to this hobby, i read should be anything in bewteen 8.1 to 8.4 IS THAT TRUE? then what i need to do get it higher? here are my readings :

03/31

ph = 7.8
ammonia =0.50
nitrite =0.50
nitrate =0.00

thanks will be waiting for your comments

fasturtle30 · 03/31/2007, 11:25 AM

Ah by the way SG is 1.021! thanks

cristhiam · 03/31/2007, 11:34 AM

For now raise the salinity at least at 1.023, if your planning a reef then go higher 1.026. Put some table shrimp to start the cycle and wait. until there is no amonia and nitrites. Dont worry about ph for now. My ph ranges from 7.9 in the morning to 8.4 at the end of the day. Also do you have any LR or LS? that will help with the cycle. Please don't add any damsels

fasturtle30 · 03/31/2007, 11:44 AM

thanks cristiam, i will try to raise salinity then, and by now im not planning to move to reef, just FO who know in 6 months! you mean coctail shrimp my friend? and yesh i have LS and live rock i put 35 premium fiji live rock (said it was cured but because of the die off still curing in the saltwater though) about 35 pound on top of 10 pounds base rock, one of my friends gave a lil piece of live rock from his stablished SW aquarium he says helps a lot to get the cycling faster.
By the way why you said no damsels? i ask you because other people asked me to put a couple !
thanks

pics of my tank:

http://es.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/joy...yma2/my_photos

salty3 · 03/31/2007, 11:51 AM

Damsels are very hard to remove from a tank when you want to get rid of them, they can also become very mean and kill other fish when you add them. When a damsel is put in a tank first he thinks he owns the whole tank, and will not take kindly to new additions, however, there are exceptions to that. I started with a blue devil and a sgt. mayjor and the blue devil became aggresive but the major was very nice to everything and still is. So it just depends on the fish, but are you wanting to take the chance, and if he is mean are you willing to pull everything out of the tank to catch him. I got lucky with my blue devil the day before I was going to take him out he ended up jumping out that night, so I got very lucky I didnt have to take all the rock out to get him.

fasturtle30 · 03/31/2007, 11:56 AM

i see your point so i can expect that to happen if i go for damsels huh ! you mean they should be mean even to other fish that r compatible with them in the chart like tangs? and thanks what about these chromis? i hear they are hardy also thanks for sharing your information

MTB · 03/31/2007, 12:03 PM

Yes Damsels are very mean to almost every fish IME.
Chromis are just as hardy and get along with everything.
Also raise your salinity like cristhiam metioned.
Other than that your tank looks like it's coming along nicely.

Lotus99 · 03/31/2007, 12:10 PM

There's no reason to add fish during cycling, it's bad for the fish, and probably won't help the cycle much anyway. You need patience in this hobby, and the cycle will take the time it takes!

salty3 · 03/31/2007, 12:12 PM

Damsels can be nice, but from what it seems is there most likely going to be mean to anything they can kill. You'll have a better chance going with chromis, there a type of damsel but there not really aggresive. If I were to start over thats what I would add, besides being nice they also school and are a good looking fish IMO.

Willjs7 · 03/31/2007, 12:50 PM

Once you see that the cycle is in full bloom (huge ammonia spike) you can take out the dead shrimp, it has done its job. Sit back and enjoy the show. I checked my levels every 2-3 days. I had a large die off so it took longer, you should expect the cycle to last 3-6 weeks on average. Be patient and you should see a few algea blooms on the way!

omni2226 · 03/31/2007, 01:19 PM

During the cycle the PH will go crazy, swinging up and down.
Dont waste your test kits. After the cycle then you can test PH before you add any animals.

Actually dont watse any of your tests. No need to check everything every day.
Put your sand and base rocks in. Toss in a pinch of flake food or a chunk of shrimp. Then forgot about it for two or three days.

You may also want to keep the lights off or at least just have them on for a short period each day. That will help keep algae blooms under control.

fasturtle30 · 03/31/2007, 09:13 PM

you mean i still should add the dead shrymp? how long i should leave it in the tanks and yeah i was always thinking ! during the cycling process how many hours a day should i keep my lights on?

Faviaphile · 03/31/2007, 11:04 PM

You'll only need to flip the lights off to deny algae the chance to photosynthesize, the bacteria in there doesn't need the light so there is no need to follow a strict formula for the lights off technique. When I cycled my latest tank I kept the light on for eight and off the rest- I had one tang in there.

You probably will want to add inverts at some point and so it's worth it to get to know a bit more about PH. Hermits and snails will help keep your tank, algae and debris free. To get PH up you can add a buffing powder like- Seachem reefbuffer or the like. Natural ocean water is 8.25-8.3 and these products adjust automatically. You can also do a two part addition of kallwasser and calcium. Never mix directly, they turn into a hard brick! Inverts use up the alkalinity and calcium pretty steadily. But with only a few Turbo snails and some hermit crabs you'll probably just have to make these additions monthly or so.
I use the two part type- B-Ionic, but it doesn't really matter as long as the calcium contains magnesium too- most do, but check the label. You'll probably also want to add a little iodine, it really helps crustaceans molt and is a natural part of sea water.

One bottle of each of these will last you a long time b/c the doses are so small- it's worth it!

03/31/2007, 11:22 AM	#1
fasturtle30 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: cheyenne, WY Posts: 442	hi guys ! lil help please NEW TANK 55gl Thanks for helping me with my tank now i got my tank set up now and most of the help i got was from reefcentral . Anyways my tank has 4 days running and i am just waiting for the cycling thing. This is my first reading if you have comments please go ahead. Now my main qs is the Ph level is too low i guess or maybe not i am just new to this hobby, i read should be anything in bewteen 8.1 to 8.4 IS THAT TRUE? then what i need to do get it higher? here are my readings : 03/31 ph = 7.8 ammonia =0.50 nitrite =0.50 nitrate =0.00 thanks will be waiting for your comments __________________ fasturtle30 Current Tank Info: Just starting settin up a 90 gl built in Overflow !! past 55 gl SW (past)

03/31/2007, 11:25 AM	#2
fasturtle30 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: cheyenne, WY Posts: 442	Ah by the way SG is 1.021! thanks __________________ fasturtle30 Current Tank Info: Just starting settin up a 90 gl built in Overflow !! past 55 gl SW (past)

03/31/2007, 11:34 AM	#3
cristhiam Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Groveland, FL Posts: 3,099	For now raise the salinity at least at 1.023, if your planning a reef then go higher 1.026. Put some table shrimp to start the cycle and wait. until there is no amonia and nitrites. Dont worry about ph for now. My ph ranges from 7.9 in the morning to 8.4 at the end of the day. Also do you have any LR or LS? that will help with the cycle. Please don't add any damsels __________________ 2 yellows tail damsels, yellow watchman goby, tail spot blennie, purple pseudocromis, starry blennie, 2 clowns, 1 black clown, mandarine & Yellow tang Current Tank Info: 125 AGA, 3 40W 6500K, 3 110W URI Actinics, running on 2 IceCaps 660, CSS125

03/31/2007, 11:44 AM	#4
fasturtle30 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: cheyenne, WY Posts: 442	thanks cristiam, i will try to raise salinity then, and by now im not planning to move to reef, just FO who know in 6 months! you mean coctail shrimp my friend? and yesh i have LS and live rock i put 35 premium fiji live rock (said it was cured but because of the die off still curing in the saltwater though) about 35 pound on top of 10 pounds base rock, one of my friends gave a lil piece of live rock from his stablished SW aquarium he says helps a lot to get the cycling faster. By the way why you said no damsels? i ask you because other people asked me to put a couple ! thanks pics of my tank: http://es.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/joy...yma2/my_photos __________________ fasturtle30 Current Tank Info: Just starting settin up a 90 gl built in Overflow !! past 55 gl SW (past)

03/31/2007, 11:56 AM	#6
fasturtle30 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: cheyenne, WY Posts: 442	i see your point so i can expect that to happen if i go for damsels huh ! you mean they should be mean even to other fish that r compatible with them in the chart like tangs? and thanks what about these chromis? i hear they are hardy also thanks for sharing your information __________________ fasturtle30 Current Tank Info: Just starting settin up a 90 gl built in Overflow !! past 55 gl SW (past)

03/31/2007, 11:51 AM	#5
salty3 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Right here Posts: 894	Damsels are very hard to remove from a tank when you want to get rid of them, they can also become very mean and kill other fish when you add them. When a damsel is put in a tank first he thinks he owns the whole tank, and will not take kindly to new additions, however, there are exceptions to that. I started with a blue devil and a sgt. mayjor and the blue devil became aggresive but the major was very nice to everything and still is. So it just depends on the fish, but are you wanting to take the chance, and if he is mean are you willing to pull everything out of the tank to catch him. I got lucky with my blue devil the day before I was going to take him out he ended up jumping out that night, so I got very lucky I didnt have to take all the rock out to get him.

03/31/2007, 12:03 PM	#7
MTB Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Illannoy Posts: 1,365	Yes Damsels are very mean to almost every fish IME. Chromis are just as hardy and get along with everything. Also raise your salinity like cristhiam metioned. Other than that your tank looks like it's coming along nicely. __________________ Got Frags? Current Tank Info: 40 breeder. Kessil lights. Reef octopus skimmer. Vortec mp40 x2.

03/31/2007, 12:10 PM	#8
Lotus99 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 1,398	There's no reason to add fish during cycling, it's bad for the fish, and probably won't help the cycle much anyway. You need patience in this hobby, and the cycle will take the time it takes! __________________ "So long, and thanks for all the fish" Current Tank Info: 125g reef, gobies, cardinals, softies and LPS; 36g Neo Nano tank; 10+ FW tanks

03/31/2007, 12:12 PM	#9
salty3 Moved On Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Right here Posts: 894	Damsels can be nice, but from what it seems is there most likely going to be mean to anything they can kill. You'll have a better chance going with chromis, there a type of damsel but there not really aggresive. If I were to start over thats what I would add, besides being nice they also school and are a good looking fish IMO.

03/31/2007, 12:50 PM	#10
Willjs7 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Tallahassee, FL Posts: 114	Once you see that the cycle is in full bloom (huge ammonia spike) you can take out the dead shrimp, it has done its job. Sit back and enjoy the show. I checked my levels every 2-3 days. I had a large die off so it took longer, you should expect the cycle to last 3-6 weeks on average. Be patient and you should see a few algea blooms on the way!

03/31/2007, 01:19 PM	#11
omni2226 Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Middle Florida Posts: 774	During the cycle the PH will go crazy, swinging up and down. Dont waste your test kits. After the cycle then you can test PH before you add any animals. Actually dont watse any of your tests. No need to check everything every day. Put your sand and base rocks in. Toss in a pinch of flake food or a chunk of shrimp. Then forgot about it for two or three days. You may also want to keep the lights off or at least just have them on for a short period each day. That will help keep algae blooms under control. __________________ I know enough to know I know nothing. Current Tank Info: 55 Marine. 29 Freshwater planted.

03/31/2007, 09:13 PM	#12
fasturtle30 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: cheyenne, WY Posts: 442	you mean i still should add the dead shrymp? how long i should leave it in the tanks and yeah i was always thinking ! during the cycling process how many hours a day should i keep my lights on? __________________ fasturtle30 Current Tank Info: Just starting settin up a 90 gl built in Overflow !! past 55 gl SW (past)

03/31/2007, 11:04 PM	#13
Faviaphile Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Tucson, Arizona Posts: 112	You'll only need to flip the lights off to deny algae the chance to photosynthesize, the bacteria in there doesn't need the light so there is no need to follow a strict formula for the lights off technique. When I cycled my latest tank I kept the light on for eight and off the rest- I had one tang in there. You probably will want to add inverts at some point and so it's worth it to get to know a bit more about PH. Hermits and snails will help keep your tank, algae and debris free. To get PH up you can add a buffing powder like- Seachem reefbuffer or the like. Natural ocean water is 8.25-8.3 and these products adjust automatically. You can also do a two part addition of kallwasser and calcium. Never mix directly, they turn into a hard brick! Inverts use up the alkalinity and calcium pretty steadily. But with only a few Turbo snails and some hermit crabs you'll probably just have to make these additions monthly or so. I use the two part type- B-Ionic, but it doesn't really matter as long as the calcium contains magnesium too- most do, but check the label. You'll probably also want to add a little iodine, it really helps crustaceans molt and is a natural part of sea water. One bottle of each of these will last you a long time b/c the doses are so small- it's worth it!