Watch your backs!!!

[tonkadawg]

If you see a furious blonde walking your way - turn and run, it's probably my wife. Right now, you all on the top of her hit list!!!

 

After trolling around here for a while, I went to the LFS this weekend - just to check some things out - at least that is what I told my wife. I came home with a 20gal, 20 lbs of Tonga live rock, 15 lbs of live sand, power compacts 2x32, and a rio 90 pump.

 

Well got the tank set up and am anxiously awaiting it to cycle, but I have a few questions. Right now, the tank stinks to high $@#@!# - wifey isn't to happy about that either. Is there anything I can do for this? When the tank finishes cycling, will this smell go away? Also, is that rio 90 big enough? The other thing I noticed is that the PH is low - 7.8 - should I add something to boost this? Or should I wait for it to finish cycling?

 

TIA

 

Matt

[Christopher Marks]

Welcome to the world of nano reef keeping

 

The smell will indeed go away once the tank cycles - it comes from the liverock if it's not been cured before. The Rio 90 is fine, but I would add another powerhead for more circulation. As for the pH -> you'll want it to be at 8.3.

[Dave ESPI]

smell = bad

bad = dead

dead= no life in nano

no life in nano = smell

 

(repete thought process )

 

Get busy with the waterchanges.... ya slacker !

A glass top will help too.

the less death ya have the better your tank will be... and it will be one less person mad at a reefer cause of a stinky hobby LOL

[tonkadawg]

Thanks for the replies.

 

As for the PH - since the tank has only been up for 2 days now, do I really want to add a buffer, or is there something else that will achieve this? (I really hate putting chemicals into a tank)

 

water changes - it has been my understanding to not do any water changes while the tank is cycling. Once the sucker is cycled, I plan on doing weekly 10% changes with RO water.

 

comments??? suggestions???

[Caesar]

What type of salt are you using? I think the salt is suppose to add trace elements and raise your pH to 8.3. Also did you use RO or DI water?

[printerdown01]

I'm with both Caesar and Dave... First, Dave said it first but I'll write it out the long way... The smell is actually the dead stuff on your LR decaying :x . This isn't a big deal, especially if you are using uncured LR (I personally always use uncured, and have never had a smelly problem, but it has been known to happen). The best thing you could probably do is 10% waterchanges to help out. Ok, this is odd for me to recommend this, I know!! I'm usually one that speaks out against water changes durring cycle, but if you are having soo much die-off that your house is smelling your tank is probably going to need a little help (I would ONLY do the water changes until the smell goes away). Hey look at the bright side, you don't have to add a "dead shrimp" or a fish to get your cycle started AND you will have kick ass biodiversity on your rock when you are done cycleing! Def add another PH to the tank (at least another Rio-90 or higher). I have appox 160 gph of movement total on my 12 gallon.

1) What type of salt are you using?

2) What type of water are you using? -ok, ignore this question, I just found it in your post... but make sure your RO or RO/DI water doesn't have any added chlorine (if you are buying if from the grocery store... I use a small amount of water conditioner on mine, as it has trace amounts of chlorine -no where near tap water levels).

3) For god's sake trust your inner judgement! DON'T add the buffer . Good call on your part! A lot of noobs add chems to the tank WAY too soon. Don't use a buffer or additives for at least 2 months in my opinon -if you are new to reefing. This will let you get a feel for the tank, and reefing in general. It is EXTREAMLY easy to over dose (O.D.) in a nano! The label recommendations are NOT to be listened to, lol... Seriously, I dose at 1/2 -1/4 recommended dossages of stuff. I was using .5-.25 of the recommended dosage of DT's phyto and still over shot the intake of my tank. No big deal, algae bloom, water changes, and dosage cutback. You are planning on doing a softie tank, no?

[tonkadawg]

Thanks printerdown, ceasar, dave and of course Mr.Marks (for this incredible site that got me started!)

 

To answer the couple of questions asked of me, I am using RO water from the LFS - premixed with salt. The owner assures me that there is clorine, ammonia etc.. What type of salt that is being used I don't know, maybe I can swing by the store at lunch and find out. Oh yeah, and the live rock is uncycled.

 

Yeah, the smell got so bad last night I had to do a water change.

 

I keep assuring that once the tank is cycled, the uncured liverock will not smell. Will have to see how long I can continue to use that one. The other thing I noticed is that the water is very cloudy - nice green tint to it. Anyone have any guess as to how long I can expect this tank to cycle? I am still cycling my 85 FO and I am at week 5 with the trates finally starting to climb. I was told that with LR and LS the cycling is much faster.

 

The one thing that I hate do is adding chemicals to any tank, if it is something I can avoid all together, I will - so I will continue to do water changes and hopefully the PH will adjust accordingly.

 

I will test again tonight and see what the params are, paying close attention to the ph. But all things considered, it appears I am on the correct path?

[tonkadawg]

please disreguard the question about cycling - I found printerdown's answer in the post from the guy worried about his water hardness.

 

I do have another question:

 

I have read in some places, that while cycling the tank, don't use lights, while in other places it is encouraged to use lights. What is the general consensus of you successful nano reefers?

 

Thanks again

[Dave ESPI]

did you forget to change the kitty cats litterbox this week? or NOT flush the septic system with RID-X ? perhaps the Toilet is overflowed....

[ajroahkni]

What's the griff about the smell? It's NATURE baby.

 

Give it a few months... you'll be sniffing for it like a doggie saying "how'dya do?"

 

Ever smelt raw seafood? It's supposed to smell that way. FRESH and PUNGENT. O'course, not STINKY and PUNGENT - you got a prob there.

[TStaut]

(I'm new here so don't jump my $hit just yet...)

 

Low pH is a result of poor water conditions, which you have because your LR is curing (all that death).

 

Wait till you're finished with the cycle, go through a hefty water change or two, and you pH will probably have taken care of itself.

 

Travis

[blulegend]

Originally posted by printerdown01

I have appox 160 gph of movement total on my 12 gallon.

Hmm...I have about 400 gph on my 15 gallon with no ill effects. Everything loves it.

[tonkadawg]

I understand that smell is all part of the game, but I don't think you fully understand how bad it really is. Came home last night and the whole house stunk. Will have to make sure the wife keeps up with the kitty boxes though

 

I am not really going to focus too much on the water parameters until the tank cycles, do some water changes along the way to keep things bearable and just take my time. I know I am saying this now, but hopefully I can remain this patient

 

Will definitely keep you all post and might even be able to get some pics posted for your viewing pleasure. Now if I can only figure out a way to post the odor, so when you are viewing you can be smelling too

[Dave ESPI]

Originally posted by tonkadawg

I am not really going to focus too much on the water parameters until the tank cycles, do some water changes along the way to keep things bearable and just take my time.  

 

uhhhhh oookkk... :

 

cycle with LIGHTS ON. I do this and it works well. PH drops with lack of light. ALSO ammonia is MORE toxic at higher ph, so please monitor the Amm and Nitrite.

Your inverts will thankyou.

[spoondigity]

I think you are right on track from my experience. You probably could have avoided some of the smell for future reference by taking a toothbrush to the nasty dying stuff on the rock before putting it in the tank. Assuming you didn't do that already... I got a lot of the gunk off some uncured I had and even after that it still had some smell for several weeks while I cured it in a rubbermaid bucket with a heater and current. With some solid water changes along the way it was not bad though and I was able to put it into an established tank within 2-3 weeks with no negative effects on the water quality.

 

I think you are on the right track with pH as well. Since you don't have any life on the rocks anyway at this point that won't matter too much. I don't know if you can bleach out your live rock by having too low a pH for extended periods but I bet you will be fine. You can try to aerate your replacement water really well for several days before using it if you are not already and that may bring up your pH. If you want a real simple way to bring your pH up you can add baking soda to the tank at around a teaspoon per 10 gallons or so. You might have to use some type of additive at some point if you can't bring it up high enough though as baking soda may max its usefullness before it is at the level you need. They say even just opening a window in your house can bring up your pH if your house is really well sealed.

 

Anyway, those are my ideas and some of them have worked for me while others I have just read many times over.

[qsails]

Hows your smell Problem?

[tonkadawg]

the tank is right by my bed and I can't tell it is there anymore. The smell went away after a couple of days and the water cleared right up. I've reverted to doing 10% water changes 1x week.

 

Ammonia has spiked and dropped, Nitrites have spiked but haven't dropped yet, and there has been a slight rise in the 'trates. PH is still low, 7.8. Also getting some nice green alge growth.

[tonkadawg]

Just took some pictures that I thought I would share. Tested the water last night:

PH 8.2

Ammonia 0.0

Nitrite 0.0

Nitrate - looks like 5.0 (hard to tell exactly what shade it is)

SG 1.024

 

Gonna give it about another week before I slowly add a small clean up crew - figure by that time the trates will drop.

 

Well, the pictures I took are too big and I don't have any software here at work to scale them down. If anyone can do this for me, let me know please!

[Kapelakin]

I can do that. I'll be out in the field until about 12:30 mountain time, but after that, no prob.

[Kapelakin]

I'm just going to post one of these to make sure they work, then I'll email them all to you to post as you see fit.

[tonkadawg]

Kapelakin, that looks great - thanks for all your help!