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Jigsaw's 10G Coldwater Build!


Jigsaw

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@AlmightyJoshaeus Yes! I love catalina gobies and they are part of the reason I built this tank 😄. For a 5G tank with a catalina or two, I think a thermoelectric chiller would suffice for you, but anything larger than maybe a 10G (no sump), I'd suggest a 1/15th hp chiller.

 

@Tamberav I know used a thermoelectric chiller in their 7G tank, but eventually switched to a chiller, right? Perhaps you could give your advice as well :D.

 

 

@Justind823 Just a beach I go to sometimes that's somewhat isolated ;). 

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BTW just an update on the tank:

 

Anemone is still doing great and the tank is _definitely_ cycling!

 

Ammonia: 0.25-0.5

Nitrates: 25 mg/l

 

Is it worth it to test Nitrites as well in a cycle? Been forever since I've cycled a tank.

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1 hour ago, Jigsaw said:

BTW just an update on the tank:

 

Anemone is still doing great and the tank is _definitely_ cycling!

 

Ammonia: 0.25-0.5

Nitrates: 25 mg/l

 

Is it worth it to test Nitrites as well in a cycle? Been forever since I've cycled a tank.

I test nitrites because the API test kit I have is known to have false positives on the ammonia test. If the nitrites are at zero in a cycling tank that's over a few weeks old, the ammonia should also be at zero. I use a little color-sensor tool that reads the exact colors of the test solutions and charts too.

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Check out Aquarium Note, or a similar app, if you haven't already. It's got some pretty handy tools. Graphs from your test results, journals, reminders, the color reading tool. I like it a lot.

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On 10/23/2018 at 12:42 PM, Firefish15 said:

Check out Aquarium Note, or a similar app, if you haven't already. It's got some pretty handy tools. Graphs from your test results, journals, reminders, the color reading tool. I like it a lot.

You know, I usually just use an excel spreadsheet; Apps are cool and all, but I absolutely hate typing data in on a tiny screen 😩

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Hey all! 

 

Sorry for the lack of updates; I'm still going through a pretty intense cycle. Ammonia is SLOOWWWWLY going down and Nitrites are up! So we are indeed still in the cycling period. 

 

The good news is, the anemone isn't affected AT ALL. Neither are the snails, they are totally happy and a few of the tiny ones are growing 😱.

 

I have a bit of a brown algae problem right now though (I'll post some pics of this), but I attribute it to the natural cycling process as a whole. Tank puberty 😉

 

Also, just for those curious: I have compared my electric bills from last year to this year and have noticed no big difference in energy consumption since having this 1/15th HP chiller. The myth of coldwater tanks being more expensive is hogwash! 

 

In this tank, I have 3 plugs: One for lights, one for the Sicce pump and one for the chiller. Eventually I'm going to add my DIY controller I've been working on as well 😄

 

Happy Tuesday!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey all, not much of a huge update here, but here's the ammonia/nitrite as it stands now:

 

Ammonia: 0.5

Nitrite: 2.0-3.0

 

Diatoms (I think that's what this is) are BLOOMING right now; a lot of sites I am seeing are saying that reef tanks usually have diatom blooms after the cycle is over, but I'm not quite seeing that yet. If this goes on another week, I may add more bioballs to the sump to increase surface area for "good" bacteria.

 

Anyway, here's a few pics to keep you interested 😉 

 

IMG_7661.thumb.JPG.a5fe2bf87e7ca12c011b57c2aa18ec9c.JPG

 

IMG_7660.thumb.JPG.b7910eb49e46125facbc6ab9df2a7788.JPG

 

IMG_7659.thumb.JPG.0b747e515e45151ebe9dab9eee6256bf.JPG

 

Happy Thursday!

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31 minutes ago, Jigsaw said:

@Firefish15 No worries at all! For most everything I use Salifert, but for Nitrite I just got an API test kit because it's so simple.

I was going to say - I was always reading ammonia with my API test kit, about 0.25. Something was fishy when my nitrites and nitrates were reading 0 and 2.5ppm. I did some online research, and apparently, API ammonia tests are notorious for false positives. I was wondering if you might be having the same problem.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Christopher Marks
On 11/8/2018 at 3:57 PM, Jigsaw said:

IMG_7661.thumb.JPG.a5fe2bf87e7ca12c011b57c2aa18ec9c.JPG

Glad to hear the cycle is nearly done, those definitely look like diatoms to me, a good sign of progression! Do you suppose the cycle has progressed more slowly because of the colder temperatures? In this hobby, slow and steady is usually good though! 🙂

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@Christopher Marks Yes definitely! The ammonia is now @ 0! Nitrites are still super high though, so the wait continues... 😅. And to answer your question YES, in coldwater environments, biological processes (such as ammonia eating bacteria multiplying), move much much slower and hence a much slower cycle! This cycle has been going on since SEPTEMBER 10TH! Talk about patience... lol

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just an update, folks! Ammonia still at zero, but Nitrites still sky high :(. One issue I found is that these snails POOP SO MUCH! I took a turkey baster to my "rubble" rock that's my substrate and it's filled with snail 💩. I'm going to vacuum this all out (it's been there since I put the snails in) and do a 2G water change when I simultaneously suck this all out. Hoping my nitrites get a little better with this. I guess I'll be "vacuuming" this  tank somewhat often...or will be getting rid of some snails 😶

 

Also. I'll get a few pics again! The diatoms are slowly going away as well, so it's definitely positive signs! I started the cycle on September 10th. It's been 3 MONTHS for a 10 gallon coldwater to cycle!!! Crazy. I considered adding more bioballs (I probably will) to the sump and have changed/cleaned the filter floss twice thus far. Getting there, but I am super impatient!

Edited by Jigsaw
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Not sure who is still following this, but FINALLY, after 3+ months, THE DAMN THING IS CYCLED!

 

Ammonia at 0, Nitrites at 0. Testing Nitrate tonight. Regardless, I've been waiting WEEKS for Nitrites to go down (constant purple until last night, after I went out of town and came back!).

 

Anyway, I'm super excited and need to revisit my livestock list 😍

56689375853__C7EA8457-316A-4CF4-A849-411F948664F3.thumb.JPG.6e1f31615ed35a3ba25253da8eac93cf.JPG

 

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Just now, Jigsaw said:

Not sure who is still following this, but FINALLY, after 3+ months, THE DAMN THING IS CYCLED!

 

Ammonia at 0, Nitrites at 0. Testing Nitrate tonight. Regardless, I've been waiting WEEKS for Nitrites to go down (constant purple until last night, after I went out of town and came back!).

 

Anyway, I'm super excited and need to revisit my livestock list 😍

56689375853__C7EA8457-316A-4CF4-A849-411F948664F3.thumb.JPG.6e1f31615ed35a3ba25253da8eac93cf.JPG

 

Yay!!! 😀

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  • 2 weeks later...

@caas1496 Thank you so much! It's definitely appreciated :). 

 

Not too much of an update YET, but I am working on getting some Strawberry Anemones from someone in the PNW! Those pics coming in a few weeks 🙂

 

In the meantime, here's what I think is Coldwater Caluerpa growing in the tank from the shells I got off the coast. I thought everything on here was 100% dead, but...life finds a way I guess 😉IMG_7830.thumb.JPG.1e3d70fb00100ac8e5aae4499393a292.JPGIMG_7829.thumb.JPG.d1d9200e0ecbb5f73652a6e0dec55b9d.JPG

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  • 2 weeks later...

Okay people, BIG UPDATE! In fact, perhaps the update YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!!

 

First, let's get stats outta the way:

 

Ammonia: 0

Nitrites: 0

Ammonia: 0

 

Cycle Complete? YES!

 

For about a MONTH now, the cycle has been complete and I was in kind of a "hibernation" mode (aka the holidays), so I didn't do much but let that macroalgae grow.

 

~~~HOWEVER~~~

 

Recently, a fellow hobbyist and I were talking about strawberry anemones and that they had some extras to give away. WELL, I GOT THEM YESTERDAY AND THEY ARE FANTASTIC.

 

The true test of this tank begins! I'm hoping the failsafes of the sump and bio balls are enough to handle daily feedings of these beautiful specimens!

 

Ok ok, on with the photos! The first two are from when I first put them in the tank (about an hour later). The last 3 are from this morning!IMG_7892-1.thumb.JPG.0728df2c7b18755938f50e4f6c72f7b7.JPG

 

IMG_7893-1.thumb.JPG.0c19e3246b973bf10ccc569a8ff6b3fe.JPGIMG_7901-1.thumb.JPG.f56b2311a5e4d05baac29b6d0960c0fc.JPGIMG_7903-1.thumb.JPG.d94e0e5236affeeb59b8e6f3bc536b48.JPG

 

More pictures to come soon 😄

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