Jimbhoy13
7500 Club Member
Welcome to R2R and the salty world. Lots of knowledgeable and helpful people here who will support and advise you when needed.
Where in the UK are you?
You can get the UK banner here: Click Account then “Join User Group”, scroll to the bottom and click on “United Kingdom User Group‘’
Where in the UK are you?
You can get the UK banner here: Click Account then “Join User Group”, scroll to the bottom and click on “United Kingdom User Group‘’
jabberwock
2500 Club Member
No criticism for you, but your LFS should be ashamed. They gave you horrible advice in my opinion.
You can also do daily micro water changes. Scoop out a pint of water and add a pint of new water. As others have said go slow. Be slow to add "treatments" or "fixes". They generally don't do anything but evaporate your wallet.
ConchLife
Community Member
Thanks Jim, I've just done it. I'm in North West England mate.Welcome to R2R and the salty world. Lots of knowledgeable and helpful people here who will support and advise you when needed.
Where in the UK are you?
You can get the UK banner here: Click Account then “Join User Group”, scroll to the bottom and click on “United Kingdom User Group‘’
I meant to ask, if my alk continues to drop by 1-2dkh every few days, should I keep using my 1/4tsp of Bicarbonate of soda method to raise it by 1dkh a day, to try and keep it at around 7/8?
Also, what were people's thoughts about being advised to put half a capful of MicroBacter7 in each night, I haven't done it for a few nights now.
Jimbhoy13
7500 Club Member
I’ve never used bicarb. I dose stuff from Reef Zlements.
Never used Microbacter 7 either. So can’t advise on that.
ConchLife
Community Member
I've seen some people say that they wouldn't dose during cycling or worry about alk very much but obviously I have the 3 corals in the tank 
I've since heard that the staff in that LFS work on commission which I think is grim when it comes to selling animals/livestock.
I wish I'd done more research before starting this whole venture and trusting that LFS. I wish I'd cycled without any fish.
I've since heard that the staff in that LFS work on commission which I think is grim when it comes to selling animals/livestock.
I wish I'd done more research before starting this whole venture and trusting that LFS. I wish I'd cycled without any fish.
Rick's Reviews
2500 Club Member
The best thing you have done is ask for help, reef2reef members don't criticise anyone as each aquriam is different, In regards to chemistry I would recommend just take a step back and allow it to happen, you have used so many chemicals in a short period of time so now let them work, i think a little more patience'sHi everyone, been reading the forums for a few months but haven't registered until now.
Brand new to the hobby and starting with a Fluval Evo 13.5 (52L).
My head is going to explode from all the different advice that I've had from various different sources and I would like some help please
I'm fully ready to get criticised for how this has played out as well...
Based on advice from my very popular and reputable LFS, I started the tank on the 21st July with a 100ml bottle of JBL Denitrol and later that same day, I added a pair of clownfish, a fire shrimp and 3 corals (in hindsight, adding corals at this point seemed like bad advice and strikes me as the LFS trying to make more £).
About 6 or 7 days later, I had a diatom bloom and some green algae on my rocks so I added 2 trochus snails and 2 nassarius snails (I started with non-live sand and dry rock).
I was testing twice a week and not seeing a great deal of anything. The pH was good at around 8.1-8.3. Ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and phosphates barely showing anything. My alkalinity dropped to as low as 3/4dkh at one point so I was adding 1/4 tsp of Bicarbonate of soda each night to increase that by 1dkh per day until it got to about 8dkh.
A week later I added a Tailspot Blenny and a Strawberry lipped conch - that's me done as far as livestock goes in a tank of this size.
Basically, I'm 6 weeks in and today I've done a 10L water change (LFS said to wait 6 weeks til first water change). I wanted to do the water change because my calcium was down at 325. I'll test again tomorrow but as of yesterday, I still wasn't seeing any nitrates or phosphates, I've been adding half a capful of Brightwell Aquatics MicroBacter7 every night for the last few weeks on the advice of a different LFS but I think I should stop this now tbh.
I've been changing the filter floss in the top of chamber 1 every few days, could this be slowing things down? Am I removing the organic matter that the bacteria wants to feed on?
I suppose the reason that I'm posting this is because I kind of feel that I don't know what I'm doing or whether the tank has cycled or not. Everything is alive and well which is obviously a good sign.
The corals are:
Green Sinularia Finger Leather - Not doing well at all. Shows signs of wanting to be happy and then goes back to sulking.
Hairy Rhodactis Mushroom - Growing nicely and looks good.
Purple Bee Zoanthid - Not doing badly and some new heads have grown.
The other thing that I've had lately is a big influx of spirorbid worms which people say are a good thing.
My test kit is the JBL Combiset.
I did see a very small nitrite spike last week.
Sorry for the essay, I'm probably overthinking the whole thing, apologies if I've missed anything and please go easy on me
Rick's Reviews
2500 Club Member
I don't Think ALK would affect the corals you have at the moment as long as you keep within reasonably close parametersHi everyone, been reading the forums for a few months but haven't registered until now.
Brand new to the hobby and starting with a Fluval Evo 13.5 (52L).
My head is going to explode from all the different advice that I've had from various different sources and I would like some help please
I'm fully ready to get criticised for how this has played out as well...
Based on advice from my very popular and reputable LFS, I started the tank on the 21st July with a 100ml bottle of JBL Denitrol and later that same day, I added a pair of clownfish, a fire shrimp and 3 corals (in hindsight, adding corals at this point seemed like bad advice and strikes me as the LFS trying to make more £).
About 6 or 7 days later, I had a diatom bloom and some green algae on my rocks so I added 2 trochus snails and 2 nassarius snails (I started with non-live sand and dry rock).
I was testing twice a week and not seeing a great deal of anything. The pH was good at around 8.1-8.3. Ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and phosphates barely showing anything. My alkalinity dropped to as low as 3/4dkh at one point so I was adding 1/4 tsp of Bicarbonate of soda each night to increase that by 1dkh per day until it got to about 8dkh.
A week later I added a Tailspot Blenny and a Strawberry lipped conch - that's me done as far as livestock goes in a tank of this size.
Basically, I'm 6 weeks in and today I've done a 10L water change (LFS said to wait 6 weeks til first water change). I wanted to do the water change because my calcium was down at 325. I'll test again tomorrow but as of yesterday, I still wasn't seeing any nitrates or phosphates, I've been adding half a capful of Brightwell Aquatics MicroBacter7 every night for the last few weeks on the advice of a different LFS but I think I should stop this now tbh.
I've been changing the filter floss in the top of chamber 1 every few days, could this be slowing things down? Am I removing the organic matter that the bacteria wants to feed on?
I suppose the reason that I'm posting this is because I kind of feel that I don't know what I'm doing or whether the tank has cycled or not. Everything is alive and well which is obviously a good sign.
The corals are:
Green Sinularia Finger Leather - Not doing well at all. Shows signs of wanting to be happy and then goes back to sulking.
Hairy Rhodactis Mushroom - Growing nicely and looks good.
Purple Bee Zoanthid - Not doing badly and some new heads have grown.
The other thing that I've had lately is a big influx of spirorbid worms which people say are a good thing.
My test kit is the JBL Combiset.
I did see a very small nitrite spike last week.
Sorry for the essay, I'm probably overthinking the whole thing, apologies if I've missed anything and please go easy on me
jabberwock
2500 Club Member
All of it. Fish day 1, corals day 1. Add this, add that. Typically you want to cycle a tank before you add any livestock.
ScottJ
Well-Known Member
Weekly 10% water change should keep all your parameters (alk, cal, mag, etc) in check for quite awhile. As far as MB 7, I use it. A cap full after water change. Does it do anything? I don't really know to be perfectly honest. But I wouldn't dose it every day. I think that's just a waste.
This reef is fully cycled. Several clues in the description prove it, if we use updated cycling science. If we use old cycling science, more proofs will be requested and guessed at as to whether it’s done. Fish disease from skipping all preps is the risk, that will take a little while to show up and has nothing to do with the cycle.
cycled does not mean your rock is mature, when it has coralline it’s mature. Ability to carry fish and life happened here because it’s cycled for that ability. Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate no longer matter here.
you can 100% stop testing for the cycle here or even thinking about it, you’re into reefing now, cycle is done a while back.
cycled does not mean your rock is mature, when it has coralline it’s mature. Ability to carry fish and life happened here because it’s cycled for that ability. Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate no longer matter here.
you can 100% stop testing for the cycle here or even thinking about it, you’re into reefing now, cycle is done a while back.
