New Nano Reef

[Abhijit]

1 hour ago, seabass said:

Can you wait a little longer?  I'm still seeing ammonia on your test results.  I'd like to see it closer to undetectable.  At the very least, make sure to have some Seachem Prime (or another ammonia detox product) on hand.  But really, I encourage you to wait a little longer.

@seabass Oops! I got the fish and the snails. I already acclamatized them and dropped them in. Read your msg just now. 

[seabass]

I don't know, sometimes a picture makes the test result look a little darker.  I figured that you were leaving shortly after your post, and I was probably too late.  I'm hoping for the best though.

 

Do you have an ammonia detox product like Prime?  It's nice to have on hand, just in case.  Closely monitor how your livestock is doing, and continue testing for ammonia.

 

It's possible that some of the ammonia was from the water change itself.  I hope that's the case, and that it quickly clears. I wish you luck.

[Abhijit]

2 hours ago, seabass said:

I don't know, sometimes a picture makes the test result look a little darker.  I figured that you were leaving shortly after your post, and I was probably too late.  I'm hoping for the best though.

 

Do you have an ammonia detox product like Prime?  It's nice to have on hand, just in case.  Closely monitor how your livestock is doing, and continue testing for ammonia.

 

It's possible that some of the ammonia was from the water change itself.  I hope that's the case, and that it quickly clears. I wish you luck.

@seabass It's been about 5 hours since I dropped the goby in. So far so good. He has dug out the sand around my biggest rock and made himself comfortable. The snails are busy munching away the algae. I've kept the lights off today, don't want to freak the goby out since it's his first day. 

 

I use Prime every time I change water, when I mix the salt. So when I changed water this morning, I did add Prime in the recommended dose.

 

I also added Purigen to my filter today morning. The bag of Purigen is meant for 100 gallon, and my tank is just 7.28g, but I thought what the heck, extra Purigen won't do any harm. 

[seabass]

OK, so another wrinkle, Regular use of Prime (and products like Prime) can cause most ammonia test kits (including API) to report higher ammonia levels than what is in your tank.  I'm not exactly sure how much Prime or how great an effect it has on the results.

 

I assume you always use Prime because you are using tap water.  Do you have access to RO/DI or distilled water?

[Abhijit]

50 minutes ago, seabass said:

OK, so another wrinkle, Regular use of Prime (and products like Prime) can cause most ammonia test kits (including API) to report higher ammonia levels than what is in your tank.  I'm not exactly sure how much Prime or how great an effect it has on the results.

 

I assume you always use Prime because you are using tap water.  Do you have access to RO/DI or distilled water?

@seabass Damn! I didn't know that. So are you saying Prime actually drives up my ammonia? Or are you saying API gives a false positive on the ammonia? 

 

I use RO/UV water with reverse osmosis. I'm not very sure if it's DI as well. It has worked great with my planted tanks, never had issues. 

 

I use Prime because I'm not absolutely certain about my water being DI. So don't wanna take chances. 

 

I use tap water on my cichlid tanks with Prime added ofcourse. But all my planted tanks and now my nano reef gets RO/UV water

[seabass]

30 minutes ago, Abhijit said:

So are you saying Prime actually drives up my ammonia? Or are you saying API gives a false positive on the ammonia?

Prime doesn't drive up ammonia, it temporarily converts ammonia to ammonium (which isn't as toxic to fish, but can still be processed by your bio-filter).  However, a side effect is that Salicylate based kits (which most ammonia kits are) react to the ammonia/Prime complex, which affects the reading (not the actual level).  API isn't a factor, nor is Prime specifically (as most test kits react to most detoxifiers).

 

42 minutes ago, Abhijit said:

I use RO/UV water with reverse osmosis. I'm not very sure if it's DI as well. It has worked great with my planted tanks, never had issues.

RO should remove the majority of contaminates.  Depending on the membrane used, it might remove 98% of the contaminates.  However, things like phosphate can still be present.  Your planted tanks should enjoy some of these nutrients.  However, likewise, algae in a reef tank might enjoy excess nutrients.  I'm not saying that you will have problems, just that it's a possibility.

 

In a RO/DI system, the DI removes the remaining contaminates.  In the system that you are using, UV sterilizes the water (killing bacteria to make it safer to drink).  Most of these systems have prefilters (including activated carbon which will remove chlorine added to the water supply).  The RO/UV is probably sufficient for use in your reef tank, although RO/DI or distilled would be even better.

[seabass]

One thing you might consider using (if available in your area), is an Seachem Ammonia Alert Badge.  This kind of ammonia testing (which is also used in Seachem's MultiTest Ammonia kit) uses a gas exchange sensor which isn't affected by use of Prime (or similar products).

[Abhijit]

@seabass Damn! How do you know so much man! I'm guessing years and years of reefing experience? You have been nothing short of a mentor to me, and I can't thank you enough for that. I have learnt so much from you!

 

I don't want to invest in a RO/DI system at the moment. Maybe in a few months, once I start planning for a bigger reef tank. When you say distilled water, do you mean the water I add to my inverter batteries? Because I can get that, and it's cheap as hell. 

 

If I have algae, I'll just add more snails I guess. They're cheap, roughly about $2 each. 

 

I looked up Seachem Ammonia Alert Badge on Amazon. Its available, I'll get that. Will that help me cut down my weekly water checks? Or do I still continue doing the water checks as is? 

 

Btw, Goofy is doing so well (yes! I named him. Ha!). He keeps digging tunnels and stuff, spitting out sand, and it's so much fun watching him. I'm so thoroughly enjoying this. 

[seabass]

Good, glad he seems to be doing well, and that you are having fun.

 

Yeah, distilled water is pretty much just that (pure water).  We'd normally consider RO/UV to be drinking water.  You can buy a handheld TDS meter pretty cheap (I assume on Amazon).  You might wish to check the TDS of your RO/UV water (and even the TDS of distilled).  Distilled usually has a TDS between 0 and 2 (it will pick up some from the atmosphere and even the plastic bottle it came in).  RO water will usually have about 2% of the TDS that tap water does (so it depends on your water supply).

 

The Alert Badge is a continuous reading; so yes, it should cut down on the need for ammonia testing.

[Abhijit]

7 hours ago, seabass said:

Good, glad he seems to be doing well, and that you are having fun.

 

Yeah, distilled water is pretty much just that (pure water).  We'd normally consider RO/UV to be drinking water.  You can buy a handheld TDS meter pretty cheap (I assume on Amazon).  You might wish to check the TDS of your RO/UV water (and even the TDS of distilled).  Distilled usually has a TDS between 0 and 2 (it will pick up some from the atmosphere and even the plastic bottle it came in).  RO water will usually have about 2% of the TDS that tap water does (so it depends on your water supply).

 

The Alert Badge is a continuous reading; so yes, it should cut down on the need for ammonia testing.

@seabass I woke up this morning and my water is all cloudy!!! I read up a little and i think I have a bacterial bloom, it's quite normal after adding new fish. True statement?

 

Should I change water? Or will it go away on its on in a couple of days?

 

Here are my parameters. Ammonia is almost 0 (as always, lol), Nitrite is 0, Nitrate surprisingly is also 0, for the first time ever. (maybe because I changed my water just yesterday) 

[seabass]

I'm finally liking your ammonia levels.  I think you might be ready for livestock. 

 

There's a possibility that it's a bacterial bloom.  However, I'd guess it's from your goby disturbing the sand.  Check your new livestock to make sure that everyone is alright.

 

I wouldn't necessarily change the water just yet.  Now that you have a fish, I wouldn't want to stress it out for no reason.  Let's give it a little time and see what it does.

 

I can't remember if you have a filter.  But (while it's still cloudy) frequently check the floss.  If it appears to be catching something, it's probably not bacterial (and keep rinsing the floss until the water clears).

[Abhijit]

38 minutes ago, seabass said:

I'm finally liking your ammonia levels.  I think you might be ready for livestock. 

 

There's a possibility that it's a bacterial bloom.  However, I'd guess it's from your goby disturbing the sand.  Check your new livestock to make sure that everyone is alright.

 

I wouldn't necessarily change the water just yet.  Now that you have a fish, I wouldn't want to stress it out for no reason.  Let's give it a little time and see what it does.

 

I can't remember if you have a filter.  But (while it's still cloudy) frequently check the floss.  If it appears to be catching something, it's probably not bacterial (and keep rinsing the floss until the water clears).

@seabass Whew! Finally you like my ammonia levels! Haha! 

 

I checked on the goby and the snails.. the snails are happy munching away.. the goby however has made a tunnel and hid. He rarely comes out. Probably because the environment is still new for him. I've kept my lights off, barring last night, when I turned them on for an hour or so, just to see my tank shimmer. Couldn't help myself, I was sitting watching Netflix and drinking some single malt, I had to see my tank! 😬

 

I do have a filter.. it's a Ehiem Liberty 150 HOB. I'll check and wash the floss tonight, once I'm at home from work. 

[seabass]

Being shy at first is pretty normal for a new fish.  Nothing too concerning there.  It might even be a picky eater for a few days.

[Abhijit]

36 minutes ago, seabass said:

Being shy at first is pretty normal for a new fish.  Nothing too concerning there.  It might even be a picky eater for a few days.

@seabass I usually don't feed my fish for 2-3 days after I get them.. I want them starving so that they start eating properly after 2-3 days. I usually tell the LFS to overfeed them a day or two before I get them home. 

[Abhijit]

20 hours ago, Abhijit said:

@seabass I usually don't feed my fish for 2-3 days after I get them.. I want them starving so that they start eating properly after 2-3 days. I usually tell the LFS to overfeed them a day or two before I get them home. 

@seabass Here he is! Doing what he does best - DIG! He finally ventured out today morning, dropped in a couple of pellets, not sure if he ate those though. But atleast he's not shy anymore 

[Snow_Phoenix]

22 minutes ago, Abhijit said:

@seabass Here he is! Doing what he does best - DIG! He finally ventured out today morning, dropped in a couple of pellets, not sure if he ate those though. But atleast he's not shy anymore 

That's a very nice Diamond Watchman Goby. 🙂 

[seabass]

So it looks like the cloudiness has improved.  That's good.

 

Diamond watchman gobies grow up to 6" long.  Here's some info on them: https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/220/diamond-watchman-goby?pcatid=220&c=15+31+220

 

I'd be trying to feed it frozen mysis shrimp instead of pellets.  I don't really think this fish will find enough food in the sand bed of your new little tank.  Probably not the best goby to try to keep.

 

Some more threads about them: https://www.bing.com/search?pc=MEWI&form=AMZNS2&q=site%3ANano-Reef.com+diamond+watchman+goby

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

Seabass is right. It'll deplete the microfauna in your sandbed pretty quickly and starve unless you get it onto prepared food. 

[Krish87]

@Abhijit Bhai . . . 🙂 Welcome to the hobby! So good to read through your post. Good luck with your tank.

 

Cheers! 

[Abhijit]

1 hour ago, seabass said:

So it looks like the cloudiness has improved.  That's good.

 

Diamond watchman gobies grow up to 6" long.  Here's some info on them: https://www.liveaquaria.com/product/220/diamond-watchman-goby?pcatid=220&c=15+31+220

 

I'd be trying to feed it frozen mysis shrimp instead of pellets.  I don't really think this fish will find enough food in the sand bed of your new little tank.  Probably not the best goby to try to keep.

 

Some more threads about them: https://www.bing.com/search?pc=MEWI&form=AMZNS2&q=site%3ANano-Reef.com+diamond+watchman+goby

 

@seabass @Snow_Phoenix The guy I got him from kept him on Hikari Marine S. So that's what I got, didn't want to feed him anything else since he is already accustomed to eating Hikari Marine S. 

 

I plan to rehome him once he gets to that kind of size. I'm not sure how long it'll take for him to reach full size, but right now I'm just throughly enjoying him.

34 minutes ago, Krish87 said:

@Abhijit Bhai . . . 🙂 Welcome to the hobby! So good to read through your post. Good luck with your tank.

 

Cheers! 

Thank you bhai! You from India?

[Clown79]

On 3/17/2019 at 8:47 AM, seabass said:

OK, so another wrinkle, Regular use of Prime (and products like Prime) can cause most ammonia test kits (including API) to report higher ammonia levels than what is in your tank.  I'm not exactly sure how much Prime or how great an effect it has on the results.

 

I assume you always use Prime because you are using tap water.  Do you have access to RO/DI or distilled water?

Apparently tests like Api will continue to show ammonia(even if its  reduced) while prime is being used 48hrs after dosing.

 

When I used Prime for my spike I contacted Seachem. They told me to get an accurate ammonia reading either wait 48hr with no Prime dosing then test or use seachem ammonia badge

[Abhijit]

2 hours ago, Clown79 said:

Apparently tests like Api will continue to show ammonia(even if its  reduced) while prime is being used 48hrs after dosing.

 

When I used Prime for my spike I contacted Seachem. They told me to get an accurate ammonia reading either wait 48hr with no Prime dosing then test or use seachem ammonia badge

@Clown79 That's good info. I unfortunately don't want to take a chance not using Prime, since I'm pretty sure my water is not 100% contamination free. I'm gonna check my parameters on Thursday, so about 4 days after WC, hence 4 days after prime dosing. Will get back on this forum with my readings. 

 

[Snow_Phoenix]

2 hours ago, Abhijit said:

@seabass @Snow_Phoenix The guy I got him from kept him on Hikari Marine S. So that's what I got, didn't want to feed him anything else since he is already accustomed to eating Hikari Marine S. 

 

I plan to rehome him once he gets to that kind of size. I'm not sure how long it'll take for him to reach full size, but right now I'm just throughly enjoying him.

Thank you bhai! You from India?

Hikari Marine S alone won't be enough for him. Try to get him on meaty foods such as chopped shrimp or squid and frozen stuff like mysis if you can. 

[Abhijit]

2 hours ago, Snow_Phoenix said:

Hikari Marine S alone won't be enough for him. Try to get him on meaty foods such as chopped shrimp or squid and frozen stuff like mysis if you can. 

@Snow_Phoenix Sure thing. Will try feeding him shrimp once he settles in a little bit more. 

[Abhijit]

@seabass Here are my parameters. Just checked today. Looks like everything is going well. I feed Goofy twice or thrice a day in small quantities. So I was actually expecting a spike in ammonia and was ready to change water today. But this is good, right?