Nano_Addict Posted January 23 1 hour ago, onthefly said: Suhweet! Sitting at 7week..and no email yet! BTW...I just saw that AI "nerf"d" their HD line with a firmware update...making it so people can "overdrive" their LEDs...and potentially burn their lenses (probably for the best!). Anyway, I just called WB and switched from 3x Primes to 2x Radion G5 Blues....so excited! The waiting is the hardest part! Have you called Waterbox to see if you can get any additional details? Chris was very helpful, the other girl who works CS, not as much. Mine ended up getting stuck in a container at customs for an additional two weeks after it "arrived". That's crazy about AI, I hadn't heard that! Can't imagine you'll be disappointed with the Radions, they're top notch. When I was doing the research it came down to the XR15 and the Kessil A360X. I ended up with the Kessil because I really liked the simplicity and small form factor. The fact that with their "Kessil logic" you can adjust the color to whatever is pleasing to your eye and still be providing the correct spectrum to the corals was very appealing. Seemed almost idiot-proof 😆 Quote Share this post Link to post
Nano_Addict Posted January 23 Daily update: Day 10 Ammonia: 0.25-0.50ppm Nitrite: >2ppm doesn’t match color chart. Potentially higher than available readings. Nitrate: 50ppm So in summary, ammonia is headed down which is good, but nitrite is sky high. Based on the current trend it looks like I should hit ~0 ammonia in the next 2-3 days. Hopefully after the ammonia has been processed the Nitrite will begin to subside as well. Guessing I'll need at least another week to see any results. There's also the nagging idea in the back of my head that I could just go buy a piece of live rock from the LFS and plunk it in the tank... patience, patience, patience! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
JonathanS Posted January 24 It will be filled with coral in no time at all. Quote Share this post Link to post
onthefly Posted January 25 On 1/23/2021 at 4:55 PM, Nano_Addict said: "Chris was very helpful, the other girl who works CS, not as much." You NAILED it right there! She was useless, Chris is awesome! Their popularity is booming right now, so the demand has definitely overpowered supply....oh well! I can wait...and it's giving me time to think, re-think, re-re-think, wake up in the middle night think....things over LOL On 1/23/2021 at 4:55 PM, Nano_Addict said: That's crazy about AI, I hadn't heard that! Can't imagine you'll be disappointed with the Radions, they're top notch. When I was doing the research it came down to the XR15 and the Kessil A360X. I ended up with the Kessil because I really liked the simplicity and small form factor. The fact that with their "Kessil logic" you can adjust the color to whatever is pleasing to your eye and still be providing the correct spectrum to the corals was very appealing. Seemed almost idiot-proof 😆 I looked REALLY hard at the Kessil....love the look and simplicity. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
Nano_Addict Posted January 26 Day 11 Ammonia 0.0-0.25 Nitrite - 2-5ppm Day 12 Ammonia - 0.0ppm or as close as the API test is going to show to 0 Nitrite - 2-5ppm Nitrate - 75ppm Finally, ammonia is at zero. Now onto the nitrite! Hopefully it starts to subside soon. Quote Share this post Link to post
Nano_Addict Posted January 28 I'm sure this is getting repetitive, but just to keep a record going... Day 13 Ammonia - 0.0ppm Nitrite - 2-5ppm Nitrate - 75 ppm Day 14 Ammonia - 0.0ppm Nitrite - 2-5ppm I've found some interesting information regarding cycling and nitrite in reef tanks. Specifically, this article ( http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-06/rhf/index.php ) points to the idea that we really don't need to worry about nitrite at all since the levels that would actually be considered toxic are hundreds or thousands of times higher than what we see in our tanks even during a cycle. Also after reading this entire thread ( https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/how-to-unstick-any-seemingly-stuck-cycle.742202/ ) I'm debating giving the tank several large water changes, testing the parameters and seeing how things go. Either way, nothing is happening until this weekend. Quote Share this post Link to post
Nano_Addict Posted January 29 Day 15 - performed 15 gallon (~40%) water change in an attempt to bring down nitrites and nitrates. Ammonia - 0.0 Nitrite - 2-5 Nitrite test kit coloration is worthless, it's impossible to really tell where the kit is reading. Nitrates did come down after the water change. I plan to perform 1-2 more to bring the nitrates closer to an acceptable level (aiming for 10-20 to start). Once I hit that point I'm going to test the waters with a snail and hermit. If all goes well fish will be in there soon! Quote Share this post Link to post
Nano_Addict Posted February 8 Day 15- Day 23 (today) Ammonia - 0.0ppm Nitrite - 2-5ppm So..... after testing that the tank was processing ammonia, on Day 15 I introduced a hermit and a snail to see how it handled some life and began lightly feeding. After another 7 days I decided it was time to move the clowns over from the 20 gallon. The 20 is still up and running in case for some reason ammonia were to spike in the new tank. However after two days the clowns are fine and the ammonia is still reading 0. If this holds, the 20 will be coming down next weekend and this tank will be fully up and running! 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
onthefly Posted February 10 Sweet! My 90.3 is supposed to ship next Monday 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
Nano_Addict Posted February 10 1 hour ago, onthefly said: Sweet! My 90.3 is supposed to ship next Monday Awesome! The wait is almost over! Quote Share this post Link to post
brucebruce327 Posted February 10 23 hours ago, onthefly said: Sweet! My 90.3 is supposed to ship next Monday I'm waiting for a 90.3 as well. I just ordered it last week so I'm probably down on the list. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
JonathanS Posted February 16 Excellent choice of clownfish @nano_addict ! Quote Share this post Link to post
onthefly Posted February 16 On 2/10/2021 at 6:56 PM, brucebruce327 said: I'm waiting for a 90.3 as well. I just ordered it last week so I'm probably down on the list. Gonna be good! Worth the wait! Quote Share this post Link to post
Nano_Addict Posted February 22 So here we are, day 32 of Brightwell's "quick" cycle 🙃. Just tested the tank as I have been semi-regularly of late and ammonia still 0 and nitrites still 2-5 or higher. Clownfish have been in the tank a full two weeks and are completely fine as is the pistol shrimp I added last week. I've done 10g (~25%) water changes weekly for the past three weeks and that has done nothing for the nitrites. The next step for this tank is to go lights on. However, before I do that I need to get these nitrites under control so I can get an accurate reading on my nitrates. I don't want to turn on the lights full blast with 100ppm nitrate and have a tank so thick with algae I can't see anything. So, begrudgingly (mostly because I had a bottle lying around) I'm sticking with Brightwell and adding Microbacter7 beginning today following a slightly lower dose than the recommended for "high nutrient" systems. Let's hope this works 🤞 Quote Share this post Link to post
