Lost

[Clueless22]

My mother bought a biocube 32 for my nephew . She bought 230.00 of live rock and live sand and saltwater. My nephew had to leave out of town for work. So the live rock was left out of water for about 25 hours. There is nothing in the tank but the dead live rock the sand and water just sitting there and my mom was wanting to know is there any way to get this going or should we just take the loss and forget it.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

My mother bought a biocube 32 for my nephew . She bought 230.00 of live rock and live sand and saltwater. My nephew had to leave out of town for work. So the live rock was left out of water for about 25 hours. There is nothing in the tank but the dead live rock the sand and water just sitting there and my mom was wanting to know is there any way to get this going or should we just take the loss and forget it.

Well for what it’s worth if you were to order live rock online from a company it would be at least 1,2 or 3 days before you got it and you’d be in the same situation so you put the sand and the rock in the water and set up the filtration with your heaters and let it run and start testing for ammonia nitrite nitrate and phosphates to see if your tank has cycled or is going to cycle and when it’s done

 

[((FORDTECH))]

My mother bought a biocube 32 for my nephew . She bought 230.00 of live rock and live sand and saltwater. My nephew had to leave out of town for work. So the live rock was left out of water for about 25 hours. There is nothing in the tank but the dead live rock the sand and water just sitting there and my mom was wanting to know is there any way to get this going or should we just take the loss and forget it.

After you have tested these parameters ammonia nitrite nitrate and phosphates along with salinity and temperature post them here and we can move forward

 

[davidcalgary29]

Well for what it’s worth if you were to order live rock online from a company it would be at least 12 or three days before you got it and you’d be in the same situation so you put the sand the rock in the water and set up the filtration with your heaters and let it run and start testing for ammonia nitrate nitrate and phosphates to see if your tank has cycled or is going to cycle and when it’s done

Exactly. There's no "loss" here: while some of the superficial beneficial microbia probably did die off as the surface dried, it's likely that a great deal of it did survive, and will repopulate whatever did become barren. Don't throw in the towel!

 

[Clueless22]

After you have tested these parameters ammonia nitrite nitrate and phosphates along with salinity and temperature post them here and we can move forward

Okay what do I need to get to test these things?

 

[Clueless22]

Exactly. There's no "loss" here: while some of the superficial beneficial microbia probably did die off as the surface dried, it's likely that a great deal of it did survive, and will repopulate whatever did become barren. Don't throw in the towel!

I have tried reading so much and it's all getting so confusing. I read that if the live rock dies you have to soak it in vinegar and let it dry out for a couple of months. I do have a pump in there now and a heater. Should there he water in the chambers in the back of the biocube? Theres only water in the one with the pump.

 

[Clueless22]

After you have tested these parameters ammonia nitrite nitrate and phosphates along with salinity and temperature post them here and we can move forward

Should I add the super fast 900 now? The man at the fish store sold us that an said we needed it.

 

[Uncle99]

Rock, saltwater to 1.023, heat to 76-78, no lights, add bacteria bottle, get some water flowing through the system, give it a week, add your first fish or two, clowns are perfect.

Be prepared to make a 10% water change each week forever.

For best results, you need 0TDS water to start with when your making salt. Buy it or make it yourself.

The most important thing is you get that tank started as maturity takes some time.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Should I add the super fast 900 now? The man at the fish store sold us that an said we needed it.

not sure what super fast 900 is so I assume you didn’t need it

 

[Bfragale]

Hello.

yes the back chamber is the filter. When the pump is on it should have enough water to pump out of the back chamber on one side and the other side should have water over flowing into the chamber. (Hope that makes sense lol).

i would not throw in the towel! Set it up and let it cycle!

congratulations and welcome to the hobby!

there is a lot of information and can seem overwhelming but don’t get discouraged. One step at a time and we’re here to help.

take care my friend and happy reefing!

 

[davidcalgary29]

I have tried reading so much and it's all getting so confusing. I read that if the live rock dies you have to soak it in vinegar and let it dry out for a couple of months. I do have a pump in there now and a heater. Should there he water in the chambers in the back of the biocube? Theres only water in the one with the pump.

No, don't do that. I've bought LR a number of times and had it shipped to me (usually covered with wet newspaper): transit time has averaged about three days over the past year. It was all still damp when I got it, and I just rinsed it off and put it in the new builds I was creating (risky from a quarantine standpoint, but fish didn't go into these for months). And most of the bacteria must have lived, as the tanks cycled in days.

FWIW, I bought fifty pounds of LR last January. I transported it for five hours in temperatures hovering right around the freezing mark. I did that because the seller had cultivated a beautiful collection of majanos and aiptasia in his tanks. The LR survived. Unfortunately, so did the pest anemones.

 

[Clueless22]

No, don't do that. I've bought LR a number of times and had it shipped to me (usually covered with wet newspaper): transit time has averaged about three days over the past year. It was all still damp when I got it, and I just rinsed it off and put it in the new builds I was creating (risky from a quarantine standpoint, but fish didn't go into these for months). And most of the bacteria must have lived, as the tanks cycled in days.

FWIW, I bought fifty pounds of LR last January. I transported it for five hours in temperatures hovering right around the freezing mark. I did that because the seller had cultivated a beautiful collection of majanos and aiptasia in his tanks. The LR survived. Unfortunately, so did the pest anemones.

No, don't do that. I've bought LR a number of times and had it shipped to me (usually covered with wet newspaper): transit time has averaged about three days over the past year. It was all still damp when I got it, and I just rinsed it off and put it in the new builds I was creating (risky from a quarantine standpoint, but fish didn't go into these for months). And most of the bacteria must have lived, as the tanks cycled in days.

FWIW, I bought fifty pounds of LR last January. I transported it for five hours in temperatures hovering right around the freezing mark. I did that because the seller had cultivated a beautiful collection of majanos and aiptasia in his tanks. The LR survived. Unfortunately, so did the pest anemones.

I have read about things that can come with the live rock. Like worms ewww. Hopefully I killed all of those. I'll get a test kit tomorrow and get the results from that. Also was reading that you want coraline to grow on the live rock. Is that how you know it has cycled? I really dont like not knowing any of this. One other question... when you say cycled..what exactly does that mean?

 

[Clueless22]

Hello.

yes the back chamber is the filter. When the pump is on it should have enough water to pump out of the back chamber on one side and the other side should have water over flowing into the chamber. (Hope that makes sense lol).

i would not throw in the towel! Set it up and let it cycle!

congratulations and welcome to the hobby!

there is a lot of information and can seem overwhelming but don’t get discouraged. One step at a time and we’re here to help.

take care my friend and happy reefing!

Thank you so much! Yes and a lot of what I read contradicts each other so its hard to know which one is right. But I'm determined to give it my best. I appreciate the help!

 

[Clueless22]

not sure what super fast 900 is so I assume you didn’t need it

I think it makes the tank cycle fast or something. But I don't even know what cycling means . The lady at the fish store said I needed it so I got it lol

 

[davidcalgary29]

A cycled tank refers to an aquarium that has established a sufficient base of beneficial bacteria (on and in live rock, but also in substrate, on glass, and on equipment) to allow waste products created by livestock to be broken down quickly enough so it doesn't kill or harm them. This usually takes anywhere from two to six weeks, but live rock already has established microbial communities, and some reefers (few these days) just add rocks and then the livestock. Some people cycle their tanks with fish in it, but that's never a good idea unless you know what you're doing, monitor constantly, and keep ammonia neutralizers/binders ready for immediate use.

Coralline algae growth is not related to cycling. It's usually pink and hard (but can be green) and encrusts itself on everything. It's the sign of a mature or maturing tank that can be ready to support sensitive organisms, but that's not very useful as a rule-of-thumb, as some people rarely or never see it. I built my builds with live rock, and I gauged them ready for some corals after about two months. I didn't see coralline growth until month four, and it's just now -- about seven months later -- that it's just taken off everywhere.

 

[Clueless22]

A cycled tank refers to an aquarium that has established a sufficient base of beneficial bacteria (on and in live rock, but also in substrate, on glass, and on equipment) to allow waste products created by livestock to be broken down quickly enough so it doesn't kill or harm them. This usually takes anywhere from two to six weeks, but live rock already has established microbial communities, and some reefers (few these days) just add rocks and then the livestock. Some people cycle their tanks with fish in it, but that's never a good idea unless you know what you're doing, monitor constantly, and keep ammonia neutralizers/binders ready for immediate use.

Coralline algae growth is not related to cycling. It's usually pink and hard (but can be green) and encrusts itself on everything. It's the sign of a mature or maturing tank that can be ready to support sensitive organisms, but that's not very useful as a rule-of-thumb, as some people rarely or never see it. I built my builds with live rock, and I gauged them ready for some corals after about two months. I didn't see coralline growth until month four, and it's just now -- about seven months later -- that it's just taken off everywhere.

I got a test kit and the high range PH is 7.8
Nitrite is 0 ppm, Nitrate is 5.0 , Ammonia is 0. So do you think I should pour in the bottle of bacteria now? And I so appreciate your time in explaining this. I hope to not kill any fish.

 

[Clueless22]

Hello.

yes the back chamber is the filter. When the pump is on it should have enough water to pump out of the back chamber on one side and the other side should have water over flowing into the chamber. (Hope that makes sense lol).

i would not throw in the towel! Set it up and let it cycle!

congratulations and welcome to the hobby!

there is a lot of information and can seem overwhelming but don’t get discouraged. One step at a time and we’re here to help.

take care my friend and happy reefing!

Thanks for the help. I tested the water and the high range PH is 7.8 , Nitrite 0 ppm, Nitrate is 5.0 and Ammonia 0. Is it cycled? Should I pour in a bottle of bacteria?

 

[davidcalgary29]

I got a test kit and the high range PH is 7.8
Nitrite is 0 ppm, Nitrate is 5.0 , Ammonia is 0. So do you think I should pour in the bottle of bacteria now? And I so appreciate your time in explaining this. I hope to not kill any fish.

Ammonia is really the reading on which you need to focus at this point. As long as it remains at or near 0, and that's the case for a period of several days, your tank is likely cycled. You can see if this is actually the case by adding an ammonium chloride drop into the tank (hopefully, with no fish in it): it should momentarily raise ammonia levels, and then drop back to zero within hours if you've built up a satisfactory population of bacteria.

You can add beneficial bacteria to the tank, but just remember that you want to see bacteria established on the aquascape and substrate -- not just in the water column. Additional bacteria can help you boost the population of your target bacteria, but it multiplies well on its own.

 

[Clueless22]

Ammonia is really the reading on which you need to focus at this point. As long as it remains at or near 0, and that's the case for a period of several days, your tank is likely cycled. You can see if this is actually the case by adding an ammonium chloride drop into the tank (hopefully, with no fish in it): it should momentarily raise ammonia levels, and then drop back to zero within hours if you've built up a satisfactory population of bacteria.

You can add beneficial bacteria to the tank, but just remember that you want to see bacteria established on the aquascape and substrate -- not just in the water column. Additional bacteria can help you boost the population of your target bacteria, but it multiplies well on its own.HI

Ammonia is really the reading on which you need to focus at this point. As long as it remains at or near 0, and that's the case for a period of several days, your tank is likely cycled. You can see if this is actually the case by adding an ammonium chloride drop into the tank (hopefully, with no fish in it): it should momentarily raise ammonia levels, and then drop back to zero within hours if you've built up a satisfactory population of bacteria.

You can add beneficial bacteria to the tank, but just remember that you want to see bacteria established on the aquascape and substrate -- not just in the water column. Additional bacteria can help you boost the population of your target bacteria, but it multiplies well on its own.

Okay I'll get the ammonia level tested tomorrow. One question if you don't mind. You said I should see the bacteria on the aqua scape. Will that be algee? Because I see stuff in the water but there isn't anything growing on the rock that I can see. Again thanks for all the advice.

 

[davidcalgary29]

You can't literally see the helpful bacteria: you can, metaphorically, "see" if the bacteria are present by 1) testing, 2) adding a drop of ammonium chloride, and 3) testing again a few hours later to determine if ammonia levels have changed. If ammonia has disappeared by that time, chances are that bacteria is present in sufficient numbers that the tank is considered to by "cycled".