Day 10 no nitrite / nitrate

[5star]

Just checked . Nitrite 0 nitrate 0 ammonia maybe 0.75?

 

[5star]

Just flipped my LR over , what is this? It's really pink under the blue led

 

[Brew12]

Just checked . Nitrite 0 nitrate 0 ammonia maybe 0.75?

Not sure what that is in the photo.

What are you using for filtration?

 

[5star]

Right now just a HOB filter, plan on removing soon

 

[brandon429]

nm

 

[5star]

Brandon I just did a 65-70% WC. First pic is ammonia on Tuesday night, second pic is ammonia after this WC.

What shall be the next step - don't add anything else into tank (ammonia, "bacteria" boosters etc) and just wait it out ?

 

[5star]

Also Brandon any idea what that pink thing is on my LR? I just realized it now under blue led's. It's a real deep pink, about the size of a penny

 

[Legal Reefer]

I wouldn't add anything at all. I recently went through my cycle with live rock and added nothing. My rock was shipped wrapped in a heavy cotton towel in plastic with water. It was in shipping for two days. The die off on my rock caused a big ammonia spike the first few days, then the bacteria in the rock was finally able to catch up and process the ammonia. I had a very short cycle caused by the die off. I am also using a HOB filter and API test kit. Be patient would be my suggestion. If you have ammonia already that will feed the bacteria for now. Keep testing and follow the cycle. I didn't do a water change until I kept testing everything and had a spike in nitrates.

 

[Legal Reefer]

BTW, that's some great looking live rock in your pics. Mine had a lot of die off even though it was packed good and kept wet. Yours looks nice! I started with some snails, small reef hermits and a small emerald crab for livestock, but I had some algae for them to eat growing in the tank. Even though a lot of people advise against the emerald crabs I figured I would try one. I now have 1 fire fish, 1 watchman goby, 4 astrea snails, 1 nassarius snail, 3 reef hermits and one unkown orange zoanthid that is my avatar. Water parameters have been perfect and I haven't had anything die...knock on wood. Keep us posted on your progress.

 

[5star]

Do you guys think I should remove the small HOB filter I have and let the live rock do all the work?

 

[Legal Reefer]

I wouldn't. I'm using an aquaclear 70. I took out the thick sponge and use a thinner filter pad with ceramic bio media and live rock rubble on top of it. The filter helps trap some detritus and uneaten food and other stuff that's floating around, helping to keep the water clean. I take a baster and blow the detritus off my rock, let the filter pull it out of the tank, then rinse the pad in RO/DI water. You can also place some filter bags filled with products made to pull out ammonia or phosphates if the need arises.

 

[5star]

I'm using the regular filter pads that come with the carbon inside, should I just be using floss ?

 

[Legal Reefer]

I left mine like it was for the first three weeks. Sponge on the bottom, carbon filled bag in the middle, ceramic bio media on top. I did rinse the sponge a few times though. Carbon might be good for a while but from what I understand once it becomes saturated with impurities it will start releasing it back in the tank. I took mine out and didn't replace it, but may put a bag in if ever needed.

 

[5star]

Update- ammonia 0.25 nitrite 0 nitrate 5-10ppm

Are these diatoms?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Update- ammonia 0.25 nitrite 0 nitrate 5-10ppm

Don't over interpret the nitrate numbers when cycling. Many people don't realize this, but nitrate values can be interfered with by even a small amount of nitrite.

You might have no nitrate and an undetectable amount of nitrite that is causing the apparent nitrate values.

Or it might be exactly as you state.

 

[Brew12]

Update- ammonia 0.25 nitrite 0 nitrate 5-10ppm

Are these diatoms?

Yup, that is what diatoms look like. You can consider a 0.25ppm ammonia test on API to be the same as 0ppm. I would dose back up to 1ppm ammonia and wait for it to drop back down but I think your tank is on track now.

 

[5star]

A lot happened in the past couple of days ! Will dose it back
Up and let you know outcome tommorow