So, what's the next step?

brandon429 · Dec 9, 2015

Have you verified with a non API test kit the ammonia is consistent zero

AllSignsPointToFish · Dec 9, 2015

saltyfilmfolks said:
I read back throug your posts. I really have to say slow down. Everything you are experiencing is completely normal.
The technique you used could have been more refined IMO. That's ok. A lot could be said for most of mine.
Sand and water should have been first. Ghost feeding small amounts adding bacterial supplements. To the already cycling sand Add live rock.
With all the awesome life you got on there it clogged/ overloaded the current bio filter.

"Mini cycle" I hate that term. It's wrong.
It is cycling or it is not
period. Read Brandon's work.
Live sand is cycling. Live rock is cycling. Dead sand is not.dead Rock is not.
What is a mini cycle?
By adding such beautiful live rock to the tank it overload the bio filter and your seeing the results. It is ok.
I recommended natural seawater as it contains bacteria. Your correct on that. But only time will help right now. Water change opinions vary. Taking water out reduces stuff but also reduces the bacteria you want too.
Do what your doing limit lighting ( the Chato and macros were brilliant slowly increase lighting over a week.
Clean up big crud. You will have die off

It's hard to understand but you are not having any problems. It's just nature taking its course.
It's also a downer but your tank is going to look great! In three months. And you tank will have a pretty fully established cycle much sooner than than the guys dosing ammonia and peeing in the tank.
Style points!

We want pics. I want to see that awesome rock you got. It sounds like that should have gone into a more established tank. Bummer it's marketed that way I would not have wanted to lose any of what came in on it.

With care and regards
Jedi reefer.

To be honest, it's not that I'm trying to rush here. I ordered the rock on the Monday before Thanksgiving expecting that it would be at least a week before the rock was harvested, packed, and shipped. Well, I was wrong. It showed up the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, so I had to hurry up and add the sand and saltwater so I didn't completely kill all of the higher order life on the rocks. I already had the rock waiting in boxes two days more than I wanted, so I was really surprised when the coral colonies actually looked like they might still be alive. I was even more surprised when they not only rode through the ammonia and nitrite spikes but actually looked pretty good considering all they've been through. My only "rush" is to try to improve the water conditions so that these native colonies have some chance at actually being alive in my tank three months down the road.

Having said all of that, I will definitely try to post pictures this evening of all of the stuff on the rocks. I have at least a dozen bivalves that made it through all of the cycling, at least two species of macroalgae that took a licking but are making a comeback, and even some sponge-like critters that I need help identifying

AllSignsPointToFish · Dec 9, 2015

brandon429 said:
Have you verified with a non API test kit the ammonia is consistent zero

I have not. This is one of the many things I still need to do

Unfortunately, the LFS is a 30 minute drive away, so it's difficult for me to get there on a weeknight before they close.

brandon429 · Dec 9, 2015

no prob at all, we work with what we have. A really neat way of bioindicating that (free ammonia) without a test kit is to simply look to see if tiny feather duster worms are opened. They will not come out in free ammonia even at low levels. Same with micro pods, if they are alive then there is none or the ammonia is so trace it wont matter. The rock you brought in has a better and more diverse marine bacterial complement in it now than it will have in 5 yrs when they streamline out to the niches and variables in your tank, your rocks will either exhibit high levels of ammonia currently making corals not open, or it will be zero and not much in between due to the natural nitrification abilities of the rock. so far your indicators are zero ammonia, as long as you are going to use a high quality test kit. a low level one will read .25 most likely, and from your drinking water as well, and from distilled water on and on lol.

mailing them doesn't sterilize the rock or even kill off the resident bacteria, they will actually be fed by the dieoff. interesting discernment so far having no tests.

saltyfilmfolks · Dec 9, 2015

Amazon prime baby! A reefers other best friend. Really jealous of your rock btw. We don't get that on this coast. I recently was reading about it again. More Indo corals cheaper I think. Definitely watch the sponges. That kind of die off can be real bad. Good luck! And il stay tuned.

AllSignsPointToFish · Dec 9, 2015

Actually, I have at least a dozen or so very small feather dusters that have been active for at least a week. Haven't seen any pods so far, but I did see what I believe was a small bristleworm as well.

AllSignsPointToFish · Dec 9, 2015

I wasn't so worried about bacterial die off as I realize they will live through just about anything we can throw at them short of bleach and antibiotics. The rock I purchased had more marine life due to it being aquacultured here in Florida, and I just wanted to preserve as much of that as possible.

brandon429 · Dec 9, 2015

the sum result of all of this to me is: wow nice prep and your rock makes me jealous and not wanting mine which is now all coralline but diversity boring lol.

AllSignsPointToFish · Dec 9, 2015

Thanks

i can't wait for the coralline to take off in my tank. lol

saltyfilmfolks · Dec 9, 2015

+1 Brandon. Took me a lot of time , study and getting lucky to get anywhere close to that diversity. Blows me away that most people seem to want to kill it with fire.
It's not a couch.