Dennis_said Posted June 23, 2003 Share Posted June 23, 2003 I'm in the first week of cycling... my live rock.. the biggest one.. .has a filmy thing that's like molting off of it... looks kind of like spider webs... it looks kind of slimy.. but I know it's really thin because the water flow makes it flow back and forth while attached onto the rock... I'm sorry I don't have a digital camera to better illustrate LIVE ROCK IS UNCURED... that's all. Link to comment
Raise Posted June 23, 2003 Share Posted June 23, 2003 I wouldnt worrya bout it. Uncured LR comes with alot of ######e on it that will most likely die.....this may be one of those things Link to comment
caja Posted June 23, 2003 Share Posted June 23, 2003 Relax! You will see all kinds of things that seem disturbing. As long as you keep up with the water testing and don't rush through the cycling process, it'll all be good. Don't worry, be happy! Link to comment
SeaMountain Posted June 23, 2003 Share Posted June 23, 2003 Grab yourself a big plastic turkey baster and suck it out of there. Most likely it's due to some die-off occurring on your LR. What's your water test out at as far as Ammonia and Nitrites? Link to comment
Dennis_said Posted June 23, 2003 Author Share Posted June 23, 2003 My ammonia is as high as it will go on the scale... 3.0 I believe? No Nitrites yet... any idea when it might come around? ??? PH at about 8.0 how do I bring up my PH level? Thanks! Link to comment
runna4 Posted June 24, 2003 Share Posted June 24, 2003 get something called ph buffer, I use some made by Kent. It brings it up to 8.2 or so, and you can't over dose on the stuff unless maybe you dump the whole jar in there. Link to comment
seabass Posted June 24, 2003 Share Posted June 24, 2003 I wouldn't worry about your pH levels until after your cycle is complete. With your Ammonia that high, I'd do 10% weekly water changes during your cycle. After after your cycle has completed, if your Nitrates are above 10 ppm, I'd perform 20% changes to get your Nitrates back to 10 ppm. After that, 10 to 15% weekly water changes should be enough to keep your Nitrates in check as well as buffer your pH levels. Just be patient and wait for your cycle to complete. After your cycle, but before you get corals, water changes should be able to correct most of your water parameters. However, you will likely need to dose Calcium after you introduce corals. Link to comment
Vincerama Posted June 24, 2003 Share Posted June 24, 2003 I thought we were supposed to avoid water changes during the cycle??? Vince Link to comment
zizmans Posted June 24, 2003 Share Posted June 24, 2003 Get some Nitromax from your LFS (7-10$) It will speed your cycle. Link to comment
blk_g20 Posted June 24, 2003 Share Posted June 24, 2003 i was under the same impression. Link to comment
zizmans Posted June 24, 2003 Share Posted June 24, 2003 I don't like the Kent buffer. I swear by Warner Marine Calxmax. I will use it forever. Link to comment
Dennis_said Posted June 24, 2003 Author Share Posted June 24, 2003 How does Nitromax speed up the cycle? What does it do exactly? I think at this point I'm just going to let the cycle take its natural course Only 3-5 more weeks (I hope =T) Link to comment
seabass Posted June 24, 2003 Share Posted June 24, 2003 Vincerama, it might be better advice to postpone any water changes until after the cycle has completed; however, I have also read that doing small water changes during the cycle can help preserve the life on your rock by reducing the stress of a cycle. I performed 10% weekly changes during my cycle without problems, but each cycle is different. Others suggest only doing water changes if your tank smells bad. During my cycle, I also ran SeaGel (carbon and PhosGuard mix) and had my lights on 10 hours a day. Again, there are different opinions on lighting and running carbon during a cycle (or anytime for that matter). I run carbon (SeaGel) all of the time. Small water changes can effect your cycle times, but they shouldn’t halt the cycle completely. I don’t believe that either way is wrong. I would do whatever your research suggests that you should. The point I was trying to make was that low pH during a cycle is nothing to worry about (after the cycle, water changes should correct this situation). I also feel that you're better off if you can avoid unnecessary additives in your tank. Link to comment
~_~ Posted June 24, 2003 Share Posted June 24, 2003 High ammonia = bad If your rock has no life, then theres no point in doing water changes when cycling. If your rock has life and you want to save/preserve it, you do water changes to lower the ammonia, so there more likely to live. You only need a small amount of ammonia to cycle. You don't need/want the ammonia to go off the charts (or even above 1 or 2ppm really) Link to comment
Dennis_said Posted June 24, 2003 Author Share Posted June 24, 2003 I have these plant like things coming out of my LR... they seem to be like BRANCHES... literally, they look like little plant branches steming out... they are a light green color... So unless this is a bad thing, I'm guessing there is stuff that is surviving for me =) Link to comment
seabass Posted June 24, 2003 Share Posted June 24, 2003 There is definitely stuff living in your tank. You'll be surprised at all the stuff that will start showing up. In addition to the macro algae that you see, those spider web like things in your tank are most likely a mucous-like substance secreted from animals like snails or small corals. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.