Cycling an Aquarium
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stanleo
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I’m using API freshwater master kit to test ammonia in my reef tank. The only difference I have found is the card to read it is different and I don’t have a saltwater ammonia card only th freshwater. How different is it? By the freshwater card I am reading .50ppm. Should I bite the bullet and buy a ammonia test for saltwater? I was thinking of taking a sample to the store for testing
Sethdarkus
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Maybe emerald crab maybe live rock maybe a snail or hermit crab. A stage of thier life cycle can attach to exoskeletons, shells you name it including rock. Cases of glass anemones hitch hiking on cheato as an example
Sethdarkus
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API kits don’t do very well Red Sea Test kits are more accurate along with Hanna checkers if you don’t mind the extra expense
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Brew12
Electrical Gru
I like Redsea and Hanna for a few test kits, but not ammonia. For the most part, we only care about this being a go/no go test. I don't know anyone that still uses an ammonia test kit a week or two after adding their first fish.
Sethdarkus
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True but usually a spike could equal something going wrong ie a die off of microscopic life indicators of a possible crash before a crash happens but presuming no swings in salinity or a bad PH swing has not happened that shouldn’t happen
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Brew12
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I've never heard of anyone saving a tank pre-crash via ammonia testing but I guess it is possible.
If this is the goal then I feel a Seneye with its continuous ammonia monitoring would be a better method than a test kit. You have to change out slides monthly but it will email you an alert if ammonia starts to climb.
Venzzla
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Brew I just ran home and checked nitrates and I believe it has lowered ever so slightly since this morning. I’m going ahead and changing 85% water out. My pods came in today (day early) wahooo!!!!! So after new water is in I will add those to tank. Getting excited. Pods , soon fish! I really do appreciate all your help !
Venzzla
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Dumb question but is it still better to leave lights off until fish is in tank ? Just curious if the pods would multiply better ? Also do clownfish eat pods ? They will be the first two fish in tank. I’m hoping not so those little boogers will breed like crazy before I add a flasher wrasse or diamond goby
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Brew12
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Good luck with the pods!
I know that marine fish can handle some nitrites, I don't know about pods. Nitrites are very toxic to fish but the chlorides in the water block marine fish from taking them in. In fresh water even small amounts of nitrites will kill fish. I don't know enough about copepods to know if they will be impacted by nitrite levels. They may not absorb them at all, or they may be blocked by chlorides just like in fish. I just don't know.
You may want to consider leaving them in a cool dark place until your nitrites drop.
I would start using my lights if you want to add fish soon. More to get you used to operating the tank than for any other reason. Better to get any bugs worked out prior to adding fish than with fish in the system. I would try to get everything running how you plan on having it work once you add fish.
Venzzla
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I’ll start lights tonight. On the nitrites I will check before adding anything , including pods. If it’s 0, pods will go in. I will also do the responsible thing and make sure it’s still 0 before going to my LFS.
Venzzla
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Would it be ok to add some turbo snails and some emerald crabs to tank assuming parameters are ok while adding the fish or should I wait a little bit to make sure parameters are stable
stanleo
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Are you adding copepods directly to the tank? If so could you point me in a good direction for some research, best ones, how to and the like? I just recently read about them but it wasn’t much and I’m considering it.
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Brew12
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Wait till your parameters are stable and you have something growing.
EHaddad
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Quick question about cycling. My wife is ready for me to get this tank up and going so we can put fish in it.
1) I am about to start curing my rock is there any way to speed that up?
2) once the rock is cured what is the best stuff to put in the tank to speed up the cycle?
1) I am about to start curing my rock is there any way to speed that up?
2) once the rock is cured what is the best stuff to put in the tank to speed up the cycle?
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Brew12
Electrical Gru
What type of rock is it that you are curing? And what process are you using to cure it?
Fritz Turbostart 900 seems to be the best based on the testing I have seen for speeding up the cycle.
Sethdarkus
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I kept lights on during cycle they fed off of the algae I think
Goodair
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I have 2 bins cycling atm, one had rock that was completely dry (~80lbs) and another had a smaller amount (~20lbs) I purchased from someone scrapping a tank that needed a good cleaning and making sure I kill it, since i got it really cheap. (Let it dry and scrubbed off alot of algae and sponge, still might need to scrub it)
If the bigger batch ends up cycling faster than the smaller, would I be able to add them at the same time or should I leave it to cycle separately.
I added a bottle to the main batch and is prob another week or 2 before its ready.
If the bigger batch ends up cycling faster than the smaller, would I be able to add them at the same time or should I leave it to cycle separately.
I added a bottle to the main batch and is prob another week or 2 before its ready.
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Brew12
Electrical Gru
I would do it separately in the event the "used" batch has a lot of stuff still decaying on it.
