Check out these numbers!

[coachfraley]

So I started up my first SW tank yesterday (I have done freshwater in the past). It is a 12G cubematers that I am going to set up as a fish only with live rock tank. Here are the specs on the tank:

 

24 watts T5 lighting

minijet 606 to power the filter

120 GPH pump connected to hydorflo for circ.

I'm using filter floss, LR rubble and carbon in the filter compartments

 

I used SW from my LFS. I also purchased 6 lbs. of "fully cured" live rock and 2 lbs. of "fully cured" rubble from the guy.

 

I bought 10 lbs. of live sand and 4 lbs. of the liverock that is listed below at oceanpro aquatics. This rock is basically uncured.

 

http://www.oceanproaquatics.com/shop/produ...roducts_id/2118

 

Well, I cleaned the oceanpro rock and got the tank up and running yesterday. The only readings I checked were the salt and the PH, which were both ok.

 

Today I checked the other readings and I was shocked to see the following:

 

NH4: 6ppm

NO2: 3ppm

NO3: 15ppm

 

Good thing there are no fish in there!!! Anyway, if someone has an idea of what the heck is going on, I would appreciate the insight. My assumption is that the cycle has pushed along because the "fully cured" rock has some bacteria that is working in there.

 

If this were a FW tank with fish in it, I would be panicking right now and doing water changes. Am I correct, that I don't need to worry about that when there is only LR in my tank?

 

I would appreciate any answers and comments, and I included a pic of my tank below.

 

Peace.

 

http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/sw1.jpg

[dshnarw]

Sounds like you've got everything under control.

 

Don't do a waterchange until the cycle ends - no ammonia or nitrites - then do a big one to get the nitrates down, and you'll be ready to go.

 

Since you're going FOWLR, you may consider adding some attractive macroalgaes to the display. They'll not only make for a nice display, but add food to the tank (for algae eaters, plus amphipods and copepods will take shelter there, reproduce for other fish), and reduce nitrates in the tank.

 

Good luck!

[RayWhisperer]

Your fine. It's just cycling. Agreed with most of what dshnarw said. All except the end of cycle. I usually recommend waiting till nitrates drop to 40 to 20 ppm before doing a water change. Everyone has their own way though. On my own tanks, I wait till nitrates read 0 before doing anything. I'm just anal though.

[dshnarw]

Your fine. It's just cycling. Agreed with most of what dshnarw said. All except the end of cycle. I usually recommend waiting till nitrates drop to 40 to 20 ppm before doing a water change. Everyone has their own way though. On my own tanks, I wait till nitrates read 0 before doing anything. I'm just anal though.

 

 

Yeah - I'm just too impatient for that.

[coachfraley]

Thanks guys!

[duderubble]

I hope this isn't hijack, but "wait til the nitrates come down to zero"? How's that happen? I'm also coming from the FW world. Without a fuge growing macroalgaes how do nitrates come down? Is there something other than photosynthesizing algaes that reduce nitrates in a SW Tank? Some super bacteria in the LR? Anerobic activity deep in the bowels of the rock?

[reefone]

Don't do a waterchange until the cycle ends - no ammonia or nitrites - then do a big one to get the nitrates down, and you'll be ready to go.

 

this was answered^^^^^

 

 

I hope this isn't hijack, but "wait til the nitrates come down to zero"? How's that happen? I'm also coming from the FW world. Without a fuge growing macroalgaes how do nitrates come down? Is there something other than photosynthesizing algaes that reduce nitrates in a SW Tank? Some super bacteria in the LR? Anerobic activity deep in the bowels of the rock?

[RayWhisperer]

I hope this isn't hijack, but "wait til the nitrates come down to zero"? How's that happen? I'm also coming from the FW world. Without a fuge growing macroalgaes how do nitrates come down? Is there something other than photosynthesizing algaes that reduce nitrates in a SW Tank? Some super bacteria in the LR? Anerobic activity deep in the bowels of the rock?

Well, without getting all technical on anerobic and anoxic, the short answer is yes. There are anerobic bacteria that reside in the anoxic zones(primarily LR ans LS) and process nitrates into nitrogen gas. Wait, I just did the anerobic/anoxic thing, didn't I?

[coachfraley]

Well, that was pretty fast! My nitrites dropped off to zero today (after only 5 days!). I used Nitromax Marine, and I don't know if that helped or not????

 

Nitrates were at 20. So I did a 50% water change and dropped the nitrates to about 10.

 

PH and SG were good, so I think I'll add my cleanup crew tomorrow. Here was my plan for the CUC:

 

1-2 Scarlet Hermit Crabs

4 Dwarf Red Tip Hermit Crabs

2-3 Nassarius Snails (if available)

2 Turbo Snails

 

I do have a few questions if someone is willing to answer:

 

1. How does that cleanup crew look for a 12g?

2. If I am going to add a skunk shrimp, could I do it with the CUC, or should I wait?

3. For a FOWLR tank, how many hours a day should I run my lighting?

[dshnarw]

Well, that was pretty fast! My nitrites dropped off to zero today (after only 5 days!). I used Nitromax Marine, and I don't know if that helped or not????

 

Nitrates were at 20. So I did a 50% water change and dropped the nitrates to about 10.

 

PH and SG were good, so I think I'll add my cleanup crew tomorrow. Here was my plan for the CUC:

 

1-2 Scarlet Hermit Crabs

4 Dwarf Red Tip Hermit Crabs

2-3 Nassarius Snails (if available)

2 Turbo Snails

 

I do have a few questions if someone is willing to answer:

 

1. How does that cleanup crew look for a 12g?

2. If I am going to add a skunk shrimp, could I do it with the CUC, or should I wait?

3. For a FOWLR tank, how many hours a day should I run my lighting?

 

Yeah - that would do it, although it would have made it there on its own.

I would recommend waiting a few days to make sure it stays there before adding anything - cycles often have smaller spikes after you think its over.

 

Hermits are a preference choice, but I prefer not having them - they'll eat anything, and turn over everything else. If you're going FOWLR, there'll be no coral eating issues though.

 

Nassarius sound fine, as do turbos. Wait a week or two, and then evaluate how well they're cleaning - you may want to add more. Better to add slowly than to add too many and have them die.

 

 

You should wait on the shrimp - let the CUC get in and do its thing and let the bioload increase from the CUC addition be stabilized before adding the shrimp.

 

For a FOWLR, you can run the lights as long as you wish for your viewing pleasure.