Jagadeesh's Elysian Gills

[thespinningsadhu]

I guess I can't leave well enough alone. 

 

Today I took out the powerhead with the spinny thing and put in the magnetic Hydor everyone seems to love. It looks better than I thought and the corals are happy. 

 

Going to test parameters tomorrow. 

 

This scarlet reef crab is the laziest SOB ever. I have to nudge him with a chopstick to see if he's alive. He is. 

 

Oh! Got a nano mag float. Super happy about that. 

 

Oh! Took out the bottom-most wad of polyfil. 

 

Looks like Mondays will be change polyfil day. 

 

Tuesday - parameters. 

 

 

[Lula_Mae]

Sometimes I feel like I do a lot of tinkering before I finally get things how I want them in a new tank lol.

[thespinningsadhu]

I just had an epiphany. I'm going to keep the poly fill on the bottom and get two of those tiny algae clips to hang he two nano sachets of ChemiPure higher in the chamber so they got better flow!!

 

[thespinningsadhu]

First test of the upgraded tank... I'm not happy. 

 

Salinity 1.024

pH - 8.2 

Ammonia - 0

Nitrites - 0.5 ppm 

Nitrates - 10 ppm

 

Where in the hell did nitrites come from????

 

Everyone in the tank is alive and happy. 

 

I added the appropriate amount of Prime. 

 

@Clown79 - Should I stop at the dose of Prime or should I change a gallon of water? Do I change the filter floss? I wouldn't think so on the floss as it's only three days old. I don't want to be drastic as everything is healthy in the tank. Think it would help if I temporarily add the pouch of carbon that came with the tank (I have two nano sachets of ChemiPure Blue in there). 

 

Could it it be possible that nitrites rose temporarily because I feed a smidge of omnivore food about two hours ago? 

 

eta: I also remembered just now that I got a nano mag float yesterday and gave the tank a good once-over as there was a white film on the glass from the live sand. Factor?

 

[Clown79]

Nitrites aren't toxic in saltwater. Ammonia is an issue.

 

Not really sure why your nitrites spiked. The tank is fairly new, if adding to much livestock too soon could do it. 

 

Carbon clears water and removes toxins, it doesn't really effect nitrite.

 

Purigen is a product you may want to research.

[Lula_Mae]

Sometimes transferring to a new tank can cause a mini-cycle.  Maybe that's what is going on?

[GregEmmitte]

7 minutes ago, Lula_Mae said:

Sometimes transferring to a new tank can cause a mini-cycle.  Maybe that's what is going on?

Probably. I'd just keep monitoring and keep up on the water changes until the problem resolves itself.

 

edit: I'm on my 3rd upsize and have added new rock and new sand to existing rock and existing sand and have brown algae. Pretty sure it'll go away. I usually change my water when my nitrates hit 40ppm+. Nitrites come and go.

[thespinningsadhu]

Thank ya'll, so much!! You've put my mind at ease. 

 

The only thing i added that wasn't in there when things were normal was the skunk cleaner shrimp. 

 

I thought the ChemiPure Blue already had Purigen as one of its two ingredients, but I'll research. 

 

So I won't add the carbon. 

 

I thought mini cycle too but ammonia is zero. 

 

I will give the rearrangement of filter floss and ChemiPure and the Prime do some work and I'll test again in 24 hours. 

 

Thanks so much, friends. 

[Lula_Mae]

1 minute ago, thespinningsadhu said:

Thank ya'll, so much!! You've put my mind at ease. 

 

The only thing i added that wasn't in there when things were normal was the skunk cleaner shrimp. 

 

I thought the ChemiPure Blue already had Purigen as one of its two ingredients, but I'll research. 

 

So I won't add the carbon. 

 

I thought mini cycle too but ammonia is zero. 

 

I will give the rearrangement of filter floss and ChemiPure and the Prime do some work and I'll test again in 24 hours. 

 

Thanks so much, friends. 

It could be the bacteria are adjusting to the shrimp's additional bioload.  Might have processed the ammonia before you tested.  Just keep doing what you're doing, do a little water change if you're really concerned, but I think you'll be ok.

[thespinningsadhu]

Woot! You rock!! If things are wacky tomorrow I'll do a gallon. 

[thespinningsadhu]

Well, if anything the nitrites are up a touch. I did a gallon water change. Everything in the tank is still healthy and happy. 

 

Is the Seachem Prime not meant to work on nitrites?

 

On a happier and what some may deem foolish note I took advantage of the SaltCritters $10 sale.I got a lobo, a maxi mini, a purple and green hammer, and some pretty red zoanthids. Even with shipping and the Saturday shipping fee it works out to a metric shit ton less than my LFS. 

[thespinningsadhu]

Marcel is dead. I don't know what killed him. If it were water parameters I would think it would kill the tiny sexy shrimp that are a fraction of his size. 

 

I'm having a nitrite issue. I'm doing a three gallon water change tonight. 

 

Marcel is a mother####er for dying. 

 

 

 

[Clown79]

I believe prime can effect oxygen levels.

 

I do believe that testing will still have results while prime binds the ammonia and or nitrite.

 

How old is the tank? How did you cycle it? How long did you wait to start adding everything?

 

Any addition of new rock after cycling?

 

 

[thespinningsadhu]

The tank was cycled. Remember? I moved it from the three gallon to the thirteen gallon. The only rock I added was the CaribSea Life Rock. 

 

The tank is as as old as this thread and moved into its larger space Saturday. I only added once everything was zero except nitrates which were 5 ppm. I added one hermit crab. He did well and still is. Then I added two nassarius snails. Still well. Then I added one sexy shrimp and a frogspawn. Alive and well. Next a margarita snail. Then a Duncan and two more sexy shrimp. All alive and well. 

 

I think the skunk may have been injured in the powerhead. That's the only thing I can think of. 

 

Could you clarify your second sentence? 

[Lula_Mae]

I think Prime only works on ammonia, and I believe it doesn't remove it, but rather binds it into an inert form that can't hurt anything.

 

How long did you have the shrimp again?  Sometimes stuff just dies for no visible reason.  Shrimp have historically been like that for me.

 

Clown is probably asking if you added more rock after the initial batch as that can spark a mini cycle if the added rock is uncycled.  And sometimes people come in seeing the latest posts on a thread but don't have time to go back and read from the beginning so they might not know the history of the tank.

[thespinningsadhu]

A few days. That's all. It was Life Rock. 

 

I think clown may have meant that s/he thinks the test results will be the same while the Prime works? 

 

The bottle says it does something with nitrites, too. Can't remember. I'm too lazy to go and look. ?

[Lula_Mae]

Oops I misread and thought you meant her last sentence lol.

 

Yes, even after using Prime, ammonia will still register because I believe Prime converts it into ammonium and the test kit can't differentiate.

[Clown79]

Thats what I meant. 

 

You will still see results on your tests but prime detoxifies ammonia and nitrite.

[thespinningsadhu]

I have copepods! I don't know how and at least one is dead because I killed it on purpose as I didn't want to i.d. it here on the forum and then remove it. One sacrificed for the glory of all. LOL. He may have escaped - I took out the little pieces (two) of rock and he was on one of them. I took them out and put them in high salinity water because when I stopped the circulation so the tiny smidge of food could settle I put in there for the sexy shrimp, about six bristle worms came out of these two little pieces of rock. I know everyone says they're good, but I don't want them. 

 

I have a MYSIS SHRIMP!! This dang thing made my heart jump and it is lightning fast. It was red. I. MEAN. FAST. 

 

So I guess my tank is doing good? The skunk cleaner was a fluke. 

[Clown79]

 Bristle worms and copepods are normal and are beneficial

[thespinningsadhu]

I know - I still don't want the worms - I'll rid myself of them when I see them. And I didn't know what the other was. 

 

I can't imagine where they are coming from, though! A mysis shrimp and copepods?? All the rock is Life Rock. Could there have been one or two stuck on one of the frag plugs? That's the only thing I can think of. 

 

You rock, Clown. I always appreciate your help - it's invaluable.

[Clown79]

I'm not really sure how you got the shrimp.

 

All of this is natural though. Its pretty hard to eliminate all bristle worms. You won't see them all.

 

They are great scavengers and great at cleaning detritus. 

 

You're welcome!

[thespinningsadhu]

One of my sexy shrimp just molted!! I saw a "transparent shrimp" still clinging to the rock when she hopped off and it was her old exoskeleton!! Super pleased and excited. 

 

eta: Just watched the duncan snag one of the frozen mysis shrimp and feed himself!

[thespinningsadhu]

I just took delivery of my new @SaltCritters! 

 

Not five minutes after taking them out of the bag and getting the MOST GORGEOUS BLUE MAXI-MINI to stay put (smart ass) one of my sexy shrimp is on him! Zoanthids are opening. I don't know what a lobo coral is supposed to look like - he still looks angry (it's only been about ten minutes) and the hammer is SUPER PISSED. 

 

I think the maxi mini already killed one stalk of my duncan. The current took it over there and I didn't get it fast enough and it brushed against one of the duncan's little tentacles. I love that duncan, and he was just starting to get real fat last night. 

 

Forgive the crap photos, I just wanted to document their arrival asap. 

 

 

 

 

[thespinningsadhu]

I have diatoms. 

 

Yeah, yeah. They'll go away. A part of the maturing process. But they're ugly and make me feel I'm doing something wrong. All inhabitants are alive and well.