Cycling an Aquarium

[dbl]

Does it retract when you touch it?

 

[Hugo Garcia]

Does it retract when you touch it?

Yes, it does.

 

[dbl]

Yes, it does.

Then likely a pest anemone as @Brew12 said. If it's the only one (unlikely), just hit it with a little super glue. Keep an eye out for others.

 

[Hugo Garcia]

Then likely a pest anemone as @Brew12 said. If it's the only one (unlikely), just hit it with a little super glue. Keep an eye out for others.

Wow, that's a great tip! Thanks a lot! I've killed the first one with a hot knife. Let's hope that was the only one.

 

[Hugo Garcia]

High guys, so I need some help. I've just started a new saltwater tank and added Live Rock today. I after a few hours I noticed that it had some parasitic Majano anemones. I got rid of it, but now I'm freaking out about having more parasites on the water.

What is the best way to make sure the tanks is safe for new fish?

I was palning on adding 2 clown fish in a month. Should I wait more? Raise the temmprature? Add some medicine?

Pleas give me some advice.



Here is the guy I killed:

And this is how th tanks looks:

 

[Maritimer]

Hi Hugo!

The anemones aren't a danger to fish, but can become an annoyance to corals and their keepers. The rock _can_ carry fish parasites, but adding medicine to your display tank wouldn't be a great way to handle them. The best way to ensure that the tank's safe for fish is to run it "fallow" (without any fish) for 76 days. Velvet and Brooklynella parasites will die without a fish host in six weeks, while Cryptocaryon (ich) parasites may go to 72 days - so the recommendation of 76 days allows for a little wiggle room. Keep in mind that adding anything "wet" - snails, crabs, shrimp, corals, etc... starts that 76 day clock all over again.

While you're doing that, you can also set up a quarantine tank for the new fish, and keep them there (in this tank, you can add medicines when needed) until you can introduce them into the display.

~Bruce

 

[Hugo Garcia]

Hi Hugo!

The anemones aren't a danger to fish, but can become an annoyance to corals and their keepers. The rock _can_ carry fish parasites, but adding medicine to your display tank wouldn't be a great way to handle them. The best way to ensure that the tank's safe for fish is to run it "fallow" (without any fish) for 76 days. Velvet and Brooklynella parasites will die without a fish host in six weeks, while Cryptocaryon (ich) parasites may go to 72 days - so the recommendation of 76 days allows for a little wiggle room. Keep in mind that adding anything "wet" - snails, crabs, shrimp, corals, etc... starts that 76 day clock all over again.

While you're doing that, you can also set up a quarantine tank for the new fish, and keep them there (in this tank, you can add medicines when needed) until you can introduce them into the display.

~Bruce

Hey Bruce, thanks a lot for your advice! You where very clear about how I should proceed! This was very helpful! I'll force myself to wait and try just to add fish after 76 days.

Let me ask you this, is there a way to test the water to check to see if I have ich on it?

I really regret adding the live rock today, I watched so many videos and got so many recomantios to do it that I ended ignoring the fact that there could be parasites on it. It's very frustrating.

I hope all the majao are gone, but I'm getting very paranoid that my tank will have all parasites possible now. Hahaha

Thanks a lot,

Hugo Garcia

 

[Maritimer]

The only way to check for ich is with live fish - the best fish to do it with would be a freshwater black molly. They're inexpensive, can be slowly acclimated to salt water, and have no immunity to marine disease. The white spots of ich will show up right away on their black skin. If you decide to acclimate a molly and ich _does_ show up, remove the molly and start the "fallow" clock again - 76 days from the removal of the molly. (If ich or other diseases don't_ show, you should be safe to introduce quarantined fish.)

You got live rock with _life_. That's the rock that makes reefing so much fun! Sure, the corals and fish are beautiful, but I love looking into a tank and discovering tiny life-forms that I hadn't realized were in there. Yes, there might be a few pests - but there will also be sponges, mini-brittle stars, copepods, amphipods, chitons and limpets and a dozen other fascinating creatures!

~Bruce

 

[Young@Heart]

Thanks for writing the article. Clarified a few things and answered a couple questions I had regarding my new build and initial cycle.

 

[Brew12]

Thanks for writing the article. Clarified a few things and answered a couple questions I had regarding my new build and initial cycle.

Glad you found it useful!

 

[Hugo Garcia]

Hey guys, can someone tell me if this are diatoms?

It's the second day that the live rock is on my tank, and I'm not sure if this is what I should be expecting

This is how it looked on the first day:

 

[Maritimer]

Diatoms are generally a golden / cinnamon sort of brown. They'll become a thin film, before vanishing whence they came.

You _might_ have them already - but they usually take a couple of weeks or so to show up.

~Bruce

 

[Hugo Garcia]

Diatoms are generally a golden / cinnamon sort of brown. They'll become a thin film, before vanishing whence they came.

You _might_ have them already - but they usually take a couple of weeks or so to show up.

~Bruce

Thanks a lot Bruce! I always apriciate your tips and inputs.

Hugo Garcia

 

[Hugo Garcia]

Hey guys, so I've started my saltwater tank 5 days ago and added live rock 3 days ago. I've tested the water today and there is no ammonia a bunch of Nitrate and some nitrite, is my cycling done? I wouldn't think so, but those are some of the indicators, right? Should o so a water change to reduce the level of nitrate?

 

[Brew12]

Hey guys, so I've started my saltwater tank 5 days ago and added live rock 3 days ago. I've tested the water today and there is no ammonia a bunch of Nitrate and some nitrite, is my cycling done? I wouldn't think so, but those are some of the indicators, right? Should o so a water change to reduce the level of nitrate?

It does sound like you are in good shape with your cycle. The live rock is working well. A water change could be in order depending on how high your nitrates are. I wouldn't worry about the nitrites.

 

[Young@Heart]

What size is the tank? Do you have a substrate? Are you ghost feeding the tank?

 

[Hugo Garcia]

It is a 20 gallon tank, with live rock, live sand and I've been ghost feedin since day 1.

 

[Slodoc07]

What filtration should I be running during my cycle? I have an 85g that i'm starting and I plan on using a sump with refugium, protein skimmer and Carbon/GFO reactor.

 

[Brew12]

What filtration should I be running during my cycle? I have an 85g that i'm starting and I plan on using a sump with refugium, protein skimmer and Carbon/GFO reactor.

You can run whatever filtration you want. If you add a bacteria product, turn your skimmer of for a few hours so it doesn't get skimmed out before it gets established.
My personal opinion is to not run a Carborn or GFO reactor unless you have a specific reason to. Your corals will need some PO4 to grow. If you add too much GFO you will stunt the growth of, or kill, any coral you put in the tank.

 

[Rocklin Mike]

It can be a little challenging, as can finding ammonia that doesn't have soap added to it. The easiest way is to order Dr Tims ammonia chloride. It comes with dosing instructions so you know exactly how much to add per gallon.

If you have an Ace Hardware or similar near you, they carry pure ammonia that works great for cycling.