Quincyman Posted June 11, 2003 Share Posted June 11, 2003 Hey Guys, I am in the process of cycling a Tenecor 8 gallons mini reef tank w/ a built in wet/dry filter. I just recenlty set this tank up( 5 days ago) . I had to use tap water( yes the water was treated with the neccessary chemicals) but eventually will replace that with deironized water. I am using Vita Reef DNA, Calcium supplements, Cycle, and another additive ( the name escapes me ) similar to the MArc weiss product. I eventually would like to have a calm or two some hard and soft corals a 4 spot ( yellow) wrasse, and a clean up crew. I just want to know if anyone had any horror stories using tap water or this tank, from clams in general. I really want to know is how long generally can I wait before adding any " life " to the tank. I know generally it is about 6 weeks but with the seeding of the tank I was wondering can that time be tweeked. I have read a lot of different post and books but this site seems the best to me. Any help or suggestion would be appreciated. Forgot I have around 10- 12lbs of live rock and also a nice bed of live sand as well. I guess the overall quesation is is this set up ok?? Again any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance Link to comment
palaegic Posted June 11, 2003 Share Posted June 11, 2003 Welcome to the asylum Quincyman. If you have not already, definitely start Here The fundamental problem with putting down words in a post is that they can be interpreted 20 different ways by 20 different people. You mentioned the supplements you have - are you dosing your cycling tank with these? If so, stop. Completely unnecessary during a cycle. Also, regarding the wet-dry built into your tank; if it is actually operating as a wet dry (meaning that there is a drip plate that allows water to flow over some kind of medium like a pad or bio-balls) you want to remove the biological filter medium. A wet-dry filter is effectively counter productive to the cycling and function of a reef tank. Your rock and sand is the only medium required for denitrification. As for tap water, it is almost universally unsuitable for a reef tank. You will hear folks talk about lighting, dosing, salt - and all of these things are extremely important to success. However, when it comes down to it, it's all about the water you use. Try to skimp here, and you are destined to have problems and end up very frustrated. If you can purchase reverse osmosis and deionized water - that is the way to go. Make sure you have the required test kits: pH, ammonia, nitrite,nitrate,phosphate and calcium. Keep asking questions, learn, and you'll run the gauntlet and get to enjoy your nano-reef. Link to comment
Quincyman Posted June 11, 2003 Author Share Posted June 11, 2003 so basically the only thing that needs to be in my tank right now is the live rock and sand. This seems to be a contradiction to evrything else I have read. Link to comment
Quincyman Posted June 11, 2003 Author Share Posted June 11, 2003 yes I am dosing my tank with the supplements ( pet store advice, should have know better) Ok can I keep adding the Virta reef dna to aid in the cycling? Link to comment
Deimos Posted June 11, 2003 Share Posted June 11, 2003 First off....beat yourself over the head for ever listening to the LFS. Second off, beat yourself again for using tap water. Third..repeat the first two steps again for EVER using a Marc Weiss product...they sell better cures in New Orleans Voodoo shops. The next thing you need to do is strap yourself to your computer..get friendly with doing netsearches on Google for specific information..and surfing the following sites early and often: www.nano-reef.com , www.wetwebmedia.com , www.reefcentral.com , and www.reefs.org . Read everything..even the stuff you don't understand yet..as in the next week of your reefing crash course you WILL get to understand them. Then come back and ask about the stuff you can't possibly find after exhausting EVERY possible avenue of research. HTH Link to comment
palaegic Posted June 11, 2003 Share Posted June 11, 2003 Well - I have never used the product. Can't comment on it's efficacy. I can tell you that your tank will cycle just fine without it. Patience is 90% of the game with a reef when starting out. If you rush to get animals into your system, you'll crash, lose your livestock, and have a serious hole in your wallet. My strong recommendation is to add absolutely nothing else to the tank. Your cycle will complete in roughly 3 to 5 weeks. Link to comment
Rootsayia Posted June 12, 2003 Share Posted June 12, 2003 ....."Read everything..even the stuff you don't understand yet..as in the next week of your reefing crash course you WILL get to understand them. Then come back and ask about the stuff you can't possibly find after exhausting EVERY possible avenue of research"........... Roger that! after five months of research. Im still finding more stuff to research on. You sure do learn alot, especially reading posts from all these nano-reefers, they answers half of all the questions you need to ask so you end up not having to ask???? i guess Link to comment
Billdemart Posted June 12, 2003 Share Posted June 12, 2003 I agree with all these guys. Don't rush no matter how fast you think your tank is going to cycle. Just wait. Wait, Wait, and Wait some more. Let it run its course. There is no harm in waiting. And the risks of rushing things especially in a small tank is not worth it. Link to comment
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