Questions towards cycling ap 12

[gkimble]

Hi my name is Garrett Kimble and I am new to the forums. I am also new to nano reef keeping. I have a 12 gallon aquapod and am planning to host a reef/fish tank. Right no my tank is cycling at 1.022 80 F and a ph of 7.8. I feel that the ph is a little low and I think it should be in the 8.2 8.3 range. The tank has been running for 3 days and has 12 lbs of live orock in it. Is this ph ok for the live rock? Should I raise it? If so what chemicals do you guys or gals suggest? I am very excited about this whouls saltwater deal. I have owned all sorts of cichlids for 4 years. Also what is a cooler fish: a 6 line or a yellow watchmen with a pistol shrimp?

 

Also what do you use to attach coral to live rock?

 

Sorry for the intermediate questions. Just trying to put forth as much effort as possible. Reef keeping is pricy but hopefully woth the costs.

[Blacktone]

Hi my name is Garrett Kimble and I am new to the forums. I am also new to nano reef keeping. I have a 12 gallon aquapod and am planning to host a reef/fish tank. Right no my tank is cycling at 1.022 80 F and a ph of 7.8. I feel that the ph is a little low and I think it should be in the 8.2 8.3 range. The tank has been running for 3 days and has 12 lbs of live orock in it. Is this ph ok for the live rock? Should I raise it? If so what chemicals do you guys or gals suggest? I am very excited about this whouls saltwater deal. I have owned all sorts of cichlids for 4 years. Also what is a cooler fish: a 6 line or a yellow watchmen with a pistol shrimp?

 

Also what do you use to attach coral to live rock?

 

Sorry for the intermediate questions. Just trying to put forth as much effort as possible. Reef keeping is pricy but hopefully woth the costs.

 

I wouldn't add any chemicals just yet, durring the cycle your mainly looking at ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels, it should spike in that order after both the N's are back to Zero you can put a cheap test fish in there to make sure all is clear. Sometimes it's 2 weeks sometimes it can be a month. you shouldn't have too much trouble speeding up the cycle because of all the Live Rock you put in there. for now you can watch those. if your looking for something to toss in there cause your getting impatent would be some hermit crabs and maybe a peppermint shrimp or something hardy. Fish would just be waay too stressed for the heavy cycle its going to have.

 

as for coral to live rock we all seem to use super glue but the type I'm sure someone else can tell you, I'm not that far I'm about a week and half ahead of you. so I usually sit around all day looking at my empty tank lol

 

Welcome to Nano-reef.com don't worry about noob questions I ask them all the time, people are very patient around here. although you should read some of the articals in the information button at the top of the page. Lots of good info, also you can do a search for specific info. oh yeah and watch out for the Tang police they will arrest you if they hear anything about Tangs in a 12G nano.

 

I'm still a noob so some of what I said might not all be true but that's what I understand so far.

[reefdan]

don't worry about the pH, it's fine for now and not terrible anyway.

 

people use regular super glue. you can't (as far as a know) apply it underwater. there is some underwater stuff available for sale if you want, however.

 

sixlines are very interesting to watch and they'll eat all the flatworms and bristleworms that will appear in your tank sooner or later. i haven't seen too many shrimp/goby pairs but people seem to enjoy them. you can probably do both in your tank once it cycles -as long as you keep up with water changes.

[gkimble]

Thank you very much for your responses.

 

I have tested for nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia. All levels are at 0 allready supprisingly.

 

It must be the live sand and rock I have in there.

 

I would love to do teh six line as well as teh goby.

But I am set on having a clown in there as well. Would it be to much of a bio load for those 3 fish? That is what I previously thought. I would love to have all three and would do frequent water changes weekly if at all posible. But I want whats best of the fish, and corals.

 

Adding a fish of some sort would help spped up the process, but what do I do with the fish after the tank is cycled. I am sorry but I am not sure I would like to keep a unnatrative fish in there after the tank has fuley cycled.

 

As far as the crabs and hermitts go... Teh shrimp are more sinsitive to water parameters. And hermits need algae to survive. I would love to add an aditoin to help the process but I am no rush. I was planning on cycling teh tank for 6 weeks before putting corals in tehre.

 

Sound good.

 

So the ph will fluctuate as teh tank cycles?

 

Thanks again.

[Blacktone]

Thank you very much for your responses.

 

I have tested for nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia. All levels are at 0 allready supprisingly.

 

It must be the live sand and rock I have in there.

 

So the ph will fluctuate as teh tank cycles?

 

I might be wrong.. but I don't think the tank can cycle in 3 days.

here's two links.

http://www.nano-reef.com/articles/?article=8

http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/startinga...qsetupstep6.htm

[gkimble]

Thank you for your help. I read teh article and I think my cycle hasn't even started I guess. It's just wierd how everything reeads 0. I think that the rock just has to go through its process. Should I take teh carbon out, add something in the tank to speed it up? Well I am in no rush considering that I won't put anything in it for 6 weeks from now.

 

Also what do thin about the 3 fish. To much of a bioload I am thinking.

 

What would be a better pair: clown and 6 line

or: Clown and yellow watchmen/pistol shrimp

or all three fish.

Thanks again

[Blacktone]

Thank you for your help. I read teh article and I think my cycle hasn't even started I guess. It's just wierd how everything reeads 0. I think that the rock just has to go through its process. Should I take teh carbon out, add something in the tank to speed it up? Well I am in no rush considering that I won't put anything in it for 6 weeks from now.

 

Also what do thin about the 3 fish. To much of a bioload I am thinking.

 

What would be a better pair: clown and 6 line

or: Clown and yellow watchmen/pistol shrimp

or all three fish.

Thanks again

 

yeah, nothing much you can do. it's one of the most painfull things to wait for. some people buy bacteria packs but most of us on here think it's a waste of money really not doing much. The cycle is just the amount of backteria trying to keep up with the tank. I think you would be pushing it with 3 fish but I've seen a few tanks pull it off. You might end up changing the water more often if the bioload is too high. while your waiting for the cycle to complete I'm sure you could toss some hermit crabs in there to watch. sometimes it doesn't take 6 weeks to cycle a tank, seeing as you have a fair amount of LR the die off should spike the ammonia soon. It's hard to say how long it can take, I'd just leave it be while checking the cycle. There are a few ways to speed it up but you already have the LR which is one of the ways. I doubt it will take 6 weeks to cycle the thing, I could be wrong but I'm thinking more like 3 weeks for a 12gallon that's just kind of the time frame some guys here get. What would really help, is to find a reef club in your area. Go to one of the meetings and you'll end up talking the night away.

[grink dude]

you could go with 2 fish, wait a few months for the tank to mature, thenm when you are sure the tank is ready add a 3rd fish. but you would have to do weekly water changes , of around 10-15%, and don't miss out on them too much. and if you follow this, then you can keep the goby and the sixline. i have a clown and a sixline, and they are cool, so if you do want to just stick with 2, get the sixline wrasse, you will see it more than you will see the yellow watchman goby

[gkimble]

Thanks for the great advice guys. Yeah I might add a third fish but not for a while. I would like to see a yellow watchman and the pistol shrimp, but I would rather have a 6 line. They are a verly neat looking fish.

 

Also I have some wierd like spiderweb white ###### growing on my live rock. Is that algae. It is some ugly stuff.

[gkimble]

Never mind i just think it is just sponges. Will it stink once it dies off?

 

Let the cycling begin.

[gkimble]

UM yeah I got I did a testing today on amonia, nitrate, nitrite and after teh 3rd day my amonia has sky rocketed to 8.0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah wow. nitrires and nitrates are aroun the .25 range. I figured this cycle would begin around the third day. Is that ammonia to high or is that normal

[Blacktone]

UM yeah I got I did a testing today on amonia, nitrate, nitrite and after teh 3rd day my amonia has sky rocketed to 8.0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah wow. nitrires and nitrates are aroun the .25 range. I figured this cycle would begin around the third day. Is that ammonia to high or is that normal

 

 

Yeah, sounds about right.

[gkimble]

really I dont need to perform a water change that is perfectly normal? Soem people say it is wy to high and that I need to perform a water change?