Water Parameters for the Newbie

engelphotos · Apr 20, 2015

So,

I didn't know where this goes since I'm a Newbie and it's about Water Parameters.

So here goes, I just setup my system 150 gallon with live sand and live rock and was adding stability under the impression it would cycle tank. With help from forum i was educated about stability. I went to grocery store and got large single shrimp and dropped him off in the tank to do his thing. First off i gotta say that thinking stability was cycling tank i added clean-up crew prior to shrimp addition. First after 3 days shrimp has dissappeared ? Here are my water pramaeters as of yesterday

ammonia 0.8 ppm
nitrate 0.50 ppm
alkalinity 9.2 dkh
salinity 1.025 d SG

Questions ?

Shrimp missing ? will tank ammonia continue to rise ?
Should I do a water change and when

Fred:wink:

glb · Apr 20, 2015

You're tank is still in the earlier stages of cycling if you still have ammonia. What are your nitrites? You may need to continue adding some source of ammonia to keep the cycle running until you no longer have ammonia or nitrites. I wouldn't change the water yet as that could slow down the cycle. I'd just leave it for now.

engelphotos · Apr 20, 2015

O.K. I will put another shrimp in their. I also will continue to check levels and wait to see how things go. I'm wondering if their is any validity to the following article i read about cycling tanks. THe article was online i forget where but it mentioned that regular interval water changes would remove some of the ammonia wewhere intoducing into the tank, but the beneficial bacteria although growing at a astonishing rate could handle the full load. Removing or more precise performing a water change during the cycle actually helped the cycle move along ? Any thoughts. It didn't say when to start these water changes but, based on the authors logic I would suppose i would start at peak ammonia load.

Fred