Arkayology Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 Oh really? I was thinking they were $75-100. I may pick one up then. I was planning on using it for quite a while, my LFS sells it pretty cheap and its just a lot easier. haha LFS usually sell their water at less then 1.025 IME. I would ditch the swing arm and get a refractometer. One of the best things you can buy for your tank. Link to comment
cswan19 Posted May 6, 2014 Author Share Posted May 6, 2014 LFS usually sell their water at less then 1.025 IME. I would ditch the swing arm and get a refractometer. One of the best things you can buy for your tank. Thanks, I'm going to be getting one. I plan to check with my two LFS tomor to see if they have any for $35-40 or less, if not I'll be ordering one for $30. Thanks to everyone who has helped me so far btw, I really appreciate it Link to comment
cswan19 Posted May 6, 2014 Author Share Posted May 6, 2014 Parameters 5.6.14 pH: 7.8-8.0 Ammonia: 1.0ppm Nitrite: 0.25 ppm Nitrate: 0-5 ppm My ammonia went up after adding the shrimp late last night! Woohoo! So should I leave the shrimp in for a bit longer or take it out now? What should my ammonia reach before it will start converting into nitrite? It looks like my nitrate went up as well from 0 to 0.25 ppm does that mean that the ammonia has already started converting? Thanks guys Link to comment
ETucc Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 Parameters 5.6.14 pH: 7.8-8.0 Ammonia: 1.0ppm Nitrite: 0.25 ppm Nitrate: 0-5 ppm My ammonia went up after adding the shrimp late last night! Woohoo! So should I leave the shrimp in for a bit longer or take it out now? What should my ammonia reach before it will start converting into nitrite? It looks like my nitrate went up as well from 0 to 0.25 ppm does that mean that the ammonia has already started converting? Thanks guys I'd take it out and fish out any remaining pieces. Wait for that Ammonia to go down and you should start seeing a lot of algae, don't be alarmed! Link to comment
Kijho Posted May 6, 2014 Share Posted May 6, 2014 Omg look at that ammonia spike!! Haha it went WAAAAAYY up there... That's good. Take it out!!!!! Then watch those levels go down slowly... As they go down you'll see algae and such begin real quick. Like.. RAPID. Then go buy some CUC!!! Link to comment
cswan19 Posted May 6, 2014 Author Share Posted May 6, 2014 Woohoo!! I'm excited my cycle has started!! Thanks for the help guys Link to comment
justinmb Posted May 7, 2014 Share Posted May 7, 2014 Woohoo!! I'm excited my cycle has started!! Thanks for the help guys Wooty woot! Link to comment
cswan19 Posted May 7, 2014 Author Share Posted May 7, 2014 Update: 5/7/14 No visible signs of algae growth just yet. Today's parameters: pH: 7.8 Ammonia: 1.0 ppm Nitrite: 0.25 ppm Nitrate: 0-5 ppm Everything seems just about unchanged, not much of an update lol Hoping for this cycle to kickstart here pretty soon, I'm dying to add some life to my tank haha Link to comment
justinmb Posted May 8, 2014 Share Posted May 8, 2014 Update: 5/7/14 No visible signs of algae growth just yet. Today's parameters: pH: 7.8 Ammonia: 1.0 ppm Nitrite: 0.25 ppm Nitrate: 0-5 ppm Everything seems just about unchanged, not much of an update lol Hoping for this cycle to kickstart here pretty soon, I'm dying to add some life to my tank haha Just give it time, my ammonia skyrocketed at 8ppm and stayed there for like a week, then all the sudden in about three days it dropped, nitrates went up then they dropped and I'm all cycled. Don't rush it, let those bacteria grow. Link to comment
cswan19 Posted May 10, 2014 Author Share Posted May 10, 2014 I've been sick the past day or so, so thats why I didn't post yesterday. Here are todays parameters from earlier: pH: 8.0 Ammonia: 0.5 - 1 ppm Nitrite: 0.25 Nitrate: 5.0 ppm Again, not much of an update, but it does seem like the ammonia may have gone done the slightest bit! woohoo! Lets hope it cycles fully soon ! Link to comment
ETucc Posted May 10, 2014 Share Posted May 10, 2014 A couple of days and your cycle will be completed sweetheart. I'd put money on it Link to comment
edavis402 Posted May 10, 2014 Share Posted May 10, 2014 love your setup dood i just started my tank about a week ago and im sitting with about the readings as you Link to comment
cswan19 Posted May 10, 2014 Author Share Posted May 10, 2014 love your setup dood i just started my tank about a week ago and im sitting with about the readings as you Sweet thank you! This is such a great place for learning! What kind of tank did you get? Link to comment
cswan19 Posted May 10, 2014 Author Share Posted May 10, 2014 Got some goodies in the mail today InTank Surface Skimmer and a swedish fish lol it was a nice touch Hydor Koralia 240 Marineland Visi - Therm 50 w Heater Chemi - Pure elite I will be putting everything but the CPE in my tank later on tonight. I'm going to wait until I am cycled to put the CPE in. Link to comment
Kijho Posted May 10, 2014 Share Posted May 10, 2014 Same heater, powerhead, CPE, as me! Link to comment
edavis402 Posted May 10, 2014 Share Posted May 10, 2014 Sweet thank you! This is such a great place for learning! What kind of tank did you get? i have the newer fluval edge 6 gallon and i also have the same heater and power head as you. what lighting are you using i read all 3 pages but maybe i missed it. thats my obstacle right now. Link to comment
Kijho Posted May 10, 2014 Share Posted May 10, 2014 I think she's just got the stock light right now. I'm fully endorsing the Par 38 Halo light!!! Link to comment
cswan19 Posted May 11, 2014 Author Share Posted May 11, 2014 Same heater, powerhead, CPE, as me! Great Minds think alike haha i have the newer fluval edge 6 gallon and i also have the same heater and power head as you. what lighting are you using i read all 3 pages but maybe i missed it. thats my obstacle right now. Nice, Fluval is a great brand imo, and I haven't tried the power head or heater but have heard really great things about them, so I'm excited to get them in the tank. And yes, I am currently using the stock light as I just had to pay for my summer term college classes so I have to wait to spend more money haha but I'm looking to get the Current USA Orbit lighting system. I've heard really good things about the orbit. But like Kijho said the par 38 is great too and looks phenomenal on his tank! haha also welcome to NR! Link to comment
NanoClown Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 AHHH yes the Orbit Marine LED system, You wont be disappointed! Link to comment
cswan19 Posted May 15, 2014 Author Share Posted May 15, 2014 Minor Update - May 14, 2014 I haven't been posting my parameters as they were not really changing much and I didn't want to post basically the same thing a few days in a row. Parameters from earlier today: pH: 7.8-8.0 Ammonia: 0 ppm Nitrite: 0 ppm Nitrate: 5 ppm So does this mean my tank is cycled? Or do I wait for Nitrate to hit 0 before adding a clean up crew? It doesn't look like there has been much algae growth, there has been some though. Also when should I do my first water change? And when would you recommend adding my CPE media? I was also thinking of getting Purigen? Took some pictures to show the small amount of algae growth. Also finally put my Koralia and InTank surface skimmer in the tank. I would hear a strange buzzing noise coming from the powerhead and thought I had a faulty unit. Then I realized it was just rattling the stock Fluval plastic lid, so I'll have to cut some kind of notch in the lid to keep the rattling from coming and going. Glad its not a broken power head though Have yet to put the heater in the tank yet. I can't seem to get it to fit well in the sump so I'll have to play around with that tomorrow. Also I plan to get some epoxy/glue to finally secure the aquascape tomorrow! I think I might also rearrange the two smaller rocks to provide a bit more room on the sand bed. So I should have some more updates tomorrow. Anyway here is a FTS EDIT: I also ordered a refractometer too! So I'm just waiting to get that in the mail Link to comment
cswan19 Posted May 16, 2014 Author Share Posted May 16, 2014 Got a little something today It had me calibrate it with distilled water.. I thought you weren't really supposed to do that? Should I go out and pick up some calibration fluid? It didn't come with any. Refractometer vs. Hydrometer: Refractometer Salinity: 1.025 Hydrometer Salinity: 1.021 - 1.022 Pretty big difference lol Also sorry for the lack of updates, summer semester has had me swamped. I also found out I will be having to go up North to Ohio for some family stuff that is going on at the end of June and won't be back until the end of July, so this means I will most likely be holding off on any corals (as much as I really really don't want to wait) since my mom, who does not know much about how to maintain the tank, will be in charge of maintenance while I am gone. I am also wondering if I should hold off on any livestock until after I get back. I'm not sure she could handle a water change, and 3-4 weeks is a long time to go with out a water change with a goby, pistol shrimp, clownfish and cuc. What do you guys think I should do? Link to comment
Kijho Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Cswan! I'm sorry I haven't posted here in a few days I've been so busy and bailed out I feel bad now because I have to tell you some fantastic news.... I'm going to go over your progress so far: You put in your dry rocks and 1 live rock. Then took the advise of putting 1 table-shrimp in the tank. That table-shrimp made all your parameters HIT THE ROOF. Very very good. I've literally never seen such high ammonia/ nitrite in anyone elses build thread for the Spec V's other than yours here hahaha!! You've waited it out a week or more now it looks like... and now you have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and 5 nitrate? ... You have less nitrate than me haha. I have like.. 5-10 nitrate almost always. I think it's alright, as long as it's not like 50ppm and you keep up with water-changes. Do a water change NOW!!! Check the levels an hour or so after the WC. That nitrate might fall. If it doesn't fall it doesn't even matter. Go buy the CUC!!!! CUC CUC CUC!!! Look at that brown on the sand - JUST LIKE ME!! I'd get maybe 3 or 4 snails if I were you. I've got more now, but that's because I've got my fish/ corals now. You might add some more down the road, I'd start with only a few. Okay. Here's the TL;DR because It's late at night for me and I'm a bit tired and my post above might be rambling. Sorry! 1. I think your cycle is DONE. 2. Do a small water change. 10%-20%. Simple. Your nitrates might come down, but if not - it's still fine. I've never had 0 nitrate lol. 3. Buy the CUC. I'd suggest 3 or 4 snails. You can get all the same, or some diversity. I'd personally suggest the diversity route - I'd definitely find something sand-sifting though if I was you to conquer that brown on the sand. (I just picked up a nassarius today for this) If you can find a conch like Etucc has - that's good too! Once you have CUC monitor the levels!! See if they go up or down. Probably won't see any change at all. Then go add a coral (with a light) or a fishy! Ps: Look at how accurate that refractometer is compared to the hydrometer! OMG. Way better. Mine is the exact same brand but it came with some calibration fluid. The manual documentation that came with mine told me to use distilled water though soo... I dunno the difference haha. Just needs to be exactly 0ppm forsure whatever it is you're using to calibrate. Distilled "should" technically be 0ppm so should be fine. Calibration fluid is dirt cheap I think and last a while.. I've only calibrated twice so far. Link to comment
edavis402 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Cswan! I'm sorry I haven't posted here in a few days I've been so busy and bailed out I feel bad now because I have to tell you some fantastic news.... I'm going to go over your progress so far: You put in your dry rocks and 1 live rock. Then took the advise of putting 1 table-shrimp in the tank. That table-shrimp made all your parameters HIT THE ROOF. Very very good. I've literally never seen such high ammonia/ nitrite in anyone elses build thread for the Spec V's other than yours here hahaha!! You've waited it out a week or more now it looks like... and now you have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, and 5 nitrate? ... You have less nitrate than me haha. I have like.. 5-10 nitrate almost always. I think it's alright, as long as it's not like 50ppm and you keep up with water-changes. Do a water change NOW!!! Check the levels an hour or so after the WC. That nitrate might fall. If it doesn't fall it doesn't even matter. Go buy the CUC!!!! CUC CUC CUC!!! Look at that brown on the sand - JUST LIKE ME!! I'd get maybe 3 or 4 snails if I were you. I've got more now, but that's because I've got my fish/ corals now. You might add some more down the road, I'd start with only a few. Okay. Here's the TL;DR because It's late at night for me and I'm a bit tired and my post above might be rambling. Sorry! 1. I think your cycle is DONE. 2. Do a small water change. 10%-20%. Simple. Your nitrates might come down, but if not - it's still fine. I've never had 0 nitrate lol. 3. Buy the CUC. I'd suggest 3 or 4 snails. You can get all the same, or some diversity. I'd personally suggest the diversity route - I'd definitely find something sand-sifting though if I was you to conquer that brown on the sand. (I just picked up a nassarius today for this) If you can find a conch like Etucc has - that's good too! Once you have CUC monitor the levels!! See if they go up or down. Probably won't see any change at all. Then go add a coral (with a light) or a fishy! Ps: Look at how accurate that refractometer is compared to the hydrometer! OMG. Way better. Mine is the exact same brand but it came with some calibration fluid. The manual documentation that came with mine told me to use distilled water though soo... I dunno the difference haha. Just needs to be exactly 0ppm forsure whatever it is you're using to calibrate. Distilled "should" technically be 0ppm so should be fine. Calibration fluid is dirt cheap I think and last a while.. I've only calibrated twice so far. how long after the CUC is in do you add the fish or coral? Link to comment
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