I just started my first saltwater tank 5-21-16 it's ine day old I got a nuvo fusion 30L 30lbs live rock 30lbs live sand . I plan on making it a reef tank with fish . I have the api salt water test kit as well as the Api master reef test kit as well I'm monitoring my tank to cycle how often should I test for ammonia nitrite and nitrate and do I have to test for anything else at this stage. Anything would help thank you
New tank what and when to test water
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How live was your rock?
I would test daily but you don't have to. If it's been 9 days and the live rock was truly live, and kept wet you may have little cycle.
Have you been adding anything to the tank for an ammonia source, like fish food or something?
I would test daily but you don't have to. If it's been 9 days and the live rock was truly live, and kept wet you may have little cycle.
Have you been adding anything to the tank for an ammonia source, like fish food or something?
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http://reef2reef.com/threads/new-ta...d-cocktail-shrimp-live-rock-no-shrimp.214618/
From that thread, you can see you may never have an ammonia spike at all. It depends on the kind of rock you use, that thread will cycle your tank 100%
Of two common types of rock we start tanks with, one kind should never be exposed to raw ammonia as a spike, and we give pics to show which kind of rocks those are
From that thread, you can see you may never have an ammonia spike at all. It depends on the kind of rock you use, that thread will cycle your tank 100%
Of two common types of rock we start tanks with, one kind should never be exposed to raw ammonia as a spike, and we give pics to show which kind of rocks those are
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johnsamm7
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The rock sat in styrofoam with water in the bottom for about four hours was planning on puttin it in the tank that night when I got home from work had some issues with dong that so I had to put them in a bucket with r/o and salt mix with one of my power heads to keep the water circulating and put a heater in Ther and kept it at 78 till the next day till I could get it in the tank I haven't put anything in there but the sand and rock no fish food or ammonia source
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If your rocks are group b, then per the thread that activity does not kill bacteria, you simply have to see if die off from the rock is occurring. Non api methods to assess are salifert test kit #1, if not avail then smelling as #2, combined with looking at the rock as it sits now to see if fanworms are open, any bugs are crawling etc. (if none of these, you may not have group b rocks)
Group b rock requires you to do nothing to add or support bacteria, these rocks must be made sure they are not leaking ammonia, then you begin reefing after that's verified.
Group b rock requires you to do nothing to add or support bacteria, these rocks must be made sure they are not leaking ammonia, then you begin reefing after that's verified.
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That does help, the rock isn't porous enough to have large dying worms inside it that looks like the type of rock we labeled unverified group b (not leaking ammonia or the worms wouldn't be opened as they are)
The worm accreted to the rock, with an extended crown showing its live, does take a few mos submerged to adhere to the side of the rock but these rocks may have been cured in full darkness, or in a vat with literally zero coralline seeding to begin the transfer to the rocks and make them obvious group b. Based on pics and details, if your tank was mine I'd treat it as group a and verify digestion ability to know when your cycle ends.
We go on and on about not killing hitchhikers with free ammonia spikes, but you have few and vs guessing with that much non coralline rock I'd simply digest test/cycle w dr tims as we listed. It probably already has some inherent bac, recycling it to verify as a stress test won't hurt.
Regarding the Api the choice is clear, proceed on with it and see if it's possible to use or get a salifert ammonia for thirty bucks and be sure of the reading. Api isn't bad and can indicate level changes, but getting it to read zero accurately, and know when your cycle is done, is the challenge.
A helpful aspect of the thread regardless of brand name used is that only what ammonia does matters, so there's only one param to bother with.
The worm accreted to the rock, with an extended crown showing its live, does take a few mos submerged to adhere to the side of the rock but these rocks may have been cured in full darkness, or in a vat with literally zero coralline seeding to begin the transfer to the rocks and make them obvious group b. Based on pics and details, if your tank was mine I'd treat it as group a and verify digestion ability to know when your cycle ends.
We go on and on about not killing hitchhikers with free ammonia spikes, but you have few and vs guessing with that much non coralline rock I'd simply digest test/cycle w dr tims as we listed. It probably already has some inherent bac, recycling it to verify as a stress test won't hurt.
Regarding the Api the choice is clear, proceed on with it and see if it's possible to use or get a salifert ammonia for thirty bucks and be sure of the reading. Api isn't bad and can indicate level changes, but getting it to read zero accurately, and know when your cycle is done, is the challenge.
A helpful aspect of the thread regardless of brand name used is that only what ammonia does matters, so there's only one param to bother with.
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Yes good call I keep forgetting. Anything is upgrade to Api for this purpose, and that's not thirty bucks I'll link this thread to our cycling thread above so that'll stick
Curious about one aspect of the badge just because I haven't used one...they are designed to usually read zero, then indicate a change of status. If we reverse that and use them w 2 ish ppm for a month straight and then ask them to revert back to zero, are they still as accurate? Wasn't sure how they do constantly indicating higher levels...does it use up reagent on the device etc
Curious about one aspect of the badge just because I haven't used one...they are designed to usually read zero, then indicate a change of status. If we reverse that and use them w 2 ish ppm for a month straight and then ask them to revert back to zero, are they still as accurate? Wasn't sure how they do constantly indicating higher levels...does it use up reagent on the device etc
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that's a good setup you got for sure no tweaks required. One reason people mature rocks in darkness or without nutrients (side effect no coralline, yet, it'll come as you add things it rides in) is zero algae hitchhiking- zero-and that's the grand trade off between group a and b rock. A total benefit to you here
Group b get to skip a cycle, but who knows what just rode in, and it may not even pop up until 2018.
Algae is not part of cycling, it's part of algae farming and that's indicated in some setups, not in others. Darn sure not in mine...I have time for zero risk and extra work. You have begun with a non algae favor...so I recommend reading up tank quarantine procedures for all that you add.
that's what preserves your kind of start. To take careful group a rocks then start adding animals/corals/rocks importing this or that changes you back to happenstance
If something is quarantined correctly then it expresses its growth in controlled settings before it infects your tank. Quarantine additions is my recommend
Group b get to skip a cycle, but who knows what just rode in, and it may not even pop up until 2018.
Algae is not part of cycling, it's part of algae farming and that's indicated in some setups, not in others. Darn sure not in mine...I have time for zero risk and extra work. You have begun with a non algae favor...so I recommend reading up tank quarantine procedures for all that you add.
that's what preserves your kind of start. To take careful group a rocks then start adding animals/corals/rocks importing this or that changes you back to happenstance
If something is quarantined correctly then it expresses its growth in controlled settings before it infects your tank. Quarantine additions is my recommend
