Here we go!

[jramy123]

When I saw that skimmer, I knew that the "Bio bale" was really a bubble trap with an interesting marketing term.. try packing it in as opposed to having it be loose. You may have to adjust the flow accordingly..

They say it's for bacteria growth actually lol but yeah I packed it in thinking same thing. Also I'm not handy at all with wood working lol. I'd worry anything I make will nt be sturdy enough and all come crashing down from weight

 

[WWIII]

Since I've never had a skimmer like this, take my advice with a grain of salt. But if it were me, I'd run them a little "heavy" for awhile, pulling a littlw more water/skim for a day or so, even if it means more micro bubbles. They won't hurt anything for now. Then after it's been running a day or so adjust it to where the micro bubbles are manageable and the skimmer pulls enough out that your cups are halfway full within a week or less. Keep in mind, you probably won't get a whole lot of nasty dark skimmate right now, since there's no mess makers in the tank.

It will probably take awhile to get it dialed in. You just have to mess with it. New plastic on the skimmer needs to get a little worked in on all skimmers to get them working properly. I was adjusting my latest skimmer for about a month before I left it alone.

 

[jramy123]

Since I've never had a skimmer like this, take my advice with a grain of salt. But if it were me, I'd run them a little "heavy" for awhile, pulling a littlw more water/skim for a day or so, even if it means more micro bubbles. They won't hurt anything for now. Then after it's been running a day or so adjust it to where the micro bubbles are manageable and the skimmer pulls enough out that your cups are halfway full within a week or less. Keep in mind, you probably won't get a whole lot of nasty dark skimmate right now, since there's no mess makers in the tank.

It will probably take awhile to get it dialed in. You just have to mess with it. New plastic on the skimmer needs to get a little worked in on all skimmers to get them working properly. I was adjusting my latest skimmer for about a month before I left it alone.

would that mean open the air hoses all the way up for more bubbles? ive put the cups where the instructions say but all i get is water in them so maybe i am doing what u suggest lol? closed i see less bubbles going into cups, open (louder noise) i get more bubbles going to cup. either way got a ton of micros going back into the tank.

 

[jramy123]

So tested this morning and something has got to be off right? No way 0 nitrite. Could the skimmer sku my result? Did I just recent the cycle using the skimmer lol?

 

[ndrwater]

I'd say you are getting really close if not already done with your cycle.


Now... This a very important..

Don't go crazy and think "all good, adding all the fish I ever wanted!"
Each addition to your tank will affect the amount and effectiveness of the beneficial bacteria available to you in your tank. That means.. Go slow, wait a week or so (or longer) between each new addition to allow the bacteria to catch up. The longer the tank is up and running the more stable it will become. Now, being a very new tank, every addition can and probably will cause an ammonia spike to some degree. How much depends on the timetable between each new addition.

 

[jramy123]

that works cause really i cant afford to go crazy money wise lol. i was thinking the cleaner crew(need advice on that for a 60g) and either 1 fish or a mated pair of clowns. tell me what you think of that, if i should just do the cleaning crew or a fish or if both are ok. also i read about doing a water change right around now any advice there?

 

[ndrwater]

Clowns would be a good choice. As far as a clean up crew, be a bit cautious about how many and what. It is common to buy so many snails etc per gallon, but this isn't a good idea IMO. There is only so much food to go around, and often most of the crew starves to death.
A water change at this point isn't a bad idea, but stability is key with long term success. If you were to do a water change at this point, just change water, don't go crazy and gravel vac, clean filters etc. Your biological filtration is still new and relatively fragile at this point. Not to scare you, but messing with things could potentially do more harm than good.
You'll know when it's time to go in for a good clean when algae starts going bonkers. At this point I would check Nitrate and see where you are. Maintaining a low, but moderate level of Nitrate (3-10ppm) is actually a good thing. Shooting for zero as many people seem to be doing these days has actually been shown to be more of a negative than a positive for coral growth and coloration.
"New tank uglies" are common at the point where you find yourself now and in the near future. Things like Cyano can be pesky, but all part of a new tank. Things will mellow out over time.
Keep asking questions, you are in for a fun ride..

 

[jramy123]

Clowns would be a good choice. As far as a clean up crew, be a bit cautious about how many and what. It is common to buy so many snails etc per gallon, but this isn't a good idea IMO. There is only so much food to go around, and often most of the crew starves to death.
A water change at this point isn't a bad idea, but stability is key with long term success. If you were to do a water change at this point, just change water, don't go crazy and gravel vac, clean filters etc. Your biological filtration is still new and relatively fragile at this point. Not to scare you, but messing with things could potentially do more harm than good.
You'll know when it's time to go in for a good clean when algae starts going bonkers. At this point I would check Nitrate and see where you are. Maintaining a low, but moderate level of Nitrate (3-10ppm) is actually a good thing. Shooting for zero as many people seem to be doing these days has actually been shown to be more of a negative than a positive for coral growth and coloration.
"New tank uglies" are common at the point where you find yourself now and in the near future. Things like Cyano can be pesky, but all part of a new tank. Things will mellow out over time.
Keep asking questions, you are in for a fun ride..

Is there any bad effect if I do wait? Will the bacteria die off? The shrimp is still in there lol. I read u should see a diatom bloom. If I add livestock at this point are there any negatives? Are there add my negatives if I don't add anything?

 

[jramy123]

also nitrate is showing 10-20ppm

 

[ndrwater]

Yup, water change time.
By adding some Inhabitants, they will producing the Ammonia that the shrimp has been doing. Once a couple of fish (clowns?) are in there, the shrimp is no longer needed.

As I mentioned before, just do a water change. 20-25% will be jst fine. Don't mess with anything else for the time being. Mix your water to 1.025 +/- and get the temp correct to your tank, and then siphon off the amount of water you plan on replacing.
Kep in mind, using treated tap water is NOT the best answer now or moving forward. RODI is rally the best answer, with a 2nd option being getting salt water from your LFS.
The reason your LFS is the 2nd best option is that there can be inconsistencies in water from the store. Making your own allows you to control all variables.

 

[jramy123]

Ok well I am mixing it here at my house. I'll lower the water temp,was running it high for bacteria. Guess I'll head to lfs for fish in few days

 

[jramy123]

After water change I tested today and both ammonia and nitrite back up. .25ppm so I think I should wait on adding anything right? Is this cause the shrimp is still in there? Should I remove it now?

 

[ndrwater]

Definitely don't add anything yet.. ammonia and nitrite being up means you still walking a razors edge as far as your cycle goes.
You still need a source of ammonia to maintain the biological, so leave the shrimp in till you maintain zero ammonia and nitrite..
Once the biological keeps up with ammonia and nitrite production, then you are really ready for new friends.

 

[jramy123]

Cool that's what I thought. I knew one week wasn't enough time and something had to be up with that 0 test the other day. Just wanted to check with u guys to make that was what I should do. Definitely don't wanna wast money on a fish but especially don't wanna hurt one

 

[tom reilly]

thats about what i got. one tub was a bit higher but other was a bit low so figure they will even out. Sand and water in, rock up, heaters up and running and i ghost fed today till i go get some shrimp. also got my maxspec gyre stirring it up inside! i read about 88-95 for the cycle temp, is this true? i know its not that high once i add fish.

That looks too small to hold a sump big enough lol. So they go bigger? How much of a water hazard is that?

Available with 500 plus gal per hour flow. Eshopps makes them. I use on my cichlid tanks. Keep the tubes clean and have no water probs

 

[jramy123]

So was a bit confused again today. Did a water test 2 days after water change and these are my results. Is this still good? Also I added another pic of what I think are diatoms correct me if I'm wrong. What's going on at this point? Again not impatient just asking questions cause I like to learn lol.

 

[ndrwater]

Your tank is still trying to figure itself out... The algae is good sign.

I'd let it go as is another week just to see where you stand.

The shrimp still in the tank is going to produce quite a bit more Ammonia at this point. It's a good thing, don't panic. The more beneficial bacteria you have now means a more stable (Nitrogen cycle wise) in the future.

 

[jramy123]

Cool. Yeah shrimp looks like a gooey ball of ugly attached to my rock lol. That's kinda what I figuered was needed. I knw there was supposed to be 2 or 3 different blooms from diatoms to algae. I almost feel the bio Spira was a bad idea cause my levels go all over and not in the pattern I read

 

[jramy123]

little update. testing shows nitrite 0 still but ammonia is between 0 and .025 ppm and nitrates have come down to about 10-20(its color is in between those 2) most my rock and glass is brown and icky from diatoms. hoping to see ammonia go all way to 0 this week some time and ill maybe add small cleaner crew see how it goes.

 

[jramy123]

so i have had 0 0 ammonia and nitrite and 10 ppm nitrate for the last 4 days no fluxes so took out the shrimp and added 2 turbo snails. the tank has new inhabitants! ill watch them for about a week and test every few days to make sure is all clear but i think ill be bringing home my clown pair, hopefully for my bday next week! woohoo!