3 gallon set up, born 10/10/2013

[Calappidae]

How do you do a 100% water change without hurting the tank inhabitants?

It shouldn't be done... probably just took out a few gal, then filled it up again, then took out more.. etc..

Water changes shouldn't be done during the cycle..you need ammonia and nitrite to adjust the tank to the bio-load. Also, does that filter have any bio media in it? (like a bio-wheel, bio balls, etc..) if not your tank will never cycle.

Mushrooms are a pest in my tank.. can't kill them... you'd have to need some serious skill to kill a mushroom..

Also, +1 on the brine shrimp getting sucked up.. there would be too much flow in there for them..

I'd also be worried about the suction from such a strong filter, strong current, in a small tank.

Calcium was high at first.. calcium is now low but I don't think that matters for mushrooms.

 

[brandon429]

The reason the tank is cycled completely is shown in the pics above. If I had to guess, the live rock is real and has been submerged for X tens or hundreds of years

Even if it's tank grown, coralline takes orders longer to establish vs bacteria

A common misconception in cycling is that your tank itself starts the zero hour for a captive reef

I used real live rock, my pico was maybe a hundred years old on day 1

What you are referring to is dry rock cycling which is an initial start. Be sure and post your take on large wager changes in the thread I linked above from the advanced forum

 

[brandon429]

Another specific reason to actually do large water changes on this tank is because animal life needs to be preserved in the event of any concern about ammonia, the cycle was never required on this tank, it was an instant start
If we are wrong about there being no ammonia, to preserve the worms as requested, ammonia free must not be present. You would either export it all out or neutralize it


A myth perpetuated online is that purple coralline live rock transferred among tanks has to die off and recycle. If someone wants to not do water changes during the early phase of a tank, or do them, both methods have threads showing success you just select your path and go. I cannot count the number of pico and nano reefs I've set up here in Lubbock of my own and for contacts. Every single one was a no cycle reef using live rock and arrive alive live sand. Predictable like clock work

 

[Wingity]

So, do the high level of nitrates indicate that my cycle is not complete? How do I know when it is complete? months? weeks? years?

My sand and filter may not be established yet, although my live rock is. The sand is very fine and is easily blown around by the strong current from the filter and by water changes, even when I pour water into the filter or over the rock on refilling. Will this prevent beneficial anaerobic bacteria?

I have polyester floss and carbon in the filter. I am interested in better media if you can suggest something.

What is it that prevents the coralline die off? I assume this has to do with nitrate and calcium levels.

Holding off on introducing the brine shrimp until I need them to feed something else. Afraid of raising the phosphate and nitrate levels. WHen and if I do introduce them, I will wrap the filter intake with silk.

 

[Wingity]

We are planning to build a protein skimmer with lime wood, an air pump, and a custom glass piece. Any thoughts?

 

[Calappidae]

So, do the high level of nitrates indicate that my cycle is not complete? How do I know when it is complete? months? weeks? years?

My sand and filter may not be established yet, although my live rock is. The sand is very fine and is easily blown around by the strong current from the filter and by water changes, even when I pour water into the filter or over the rock on refilling. Will this prevent beneficial anaerobic bacteria?

I have polyester floss and carbon in the filter. I am interested in better media if you can suggest something.

What is it that prevents the coralline die off? I assume this has to do with nitrate and calcium levels.

Holding off on introducing the brine shrimp until I need them to feed something else. Afraid of raising the phosphate and nitrate levels. WHen and if I do introduce them, I will wrap the filter intake with silk.

Usually 0 ammonia, and 0 nitrite signals the end of the cycle. A WC can then be done to get rid of the nitrate build up after words. Calcium does affect coraline.

These worms have been shipped over night or two nights, in a bag without water, attached to the live rock, collected, put into a LR holding tank at an lfs or online supplier without acclimation.. put into your tank without acclimation.. I wouldn't worry about them getting killed off from the cycle. mushrooms are hardy.. sometimes too hardy and get annoying.

 

[brandon429]

So, do the high level of nitrates indicate that my cycle is not complete? How do I know when it is complete? months? weeks? years?

My sand and filter may not be established yet, although my live rock is. The sand is very fine and is easily blown around by the strong current from the filter and by water changes, even when I pour water into the filter or over the rock on refilling. Will this prevent beneficial anaerobic bacteria?

I have polyester floss and carbon in the filter. I am interested in better media if you can suggest something.

What is it that prevents the coralline die off? I assume this has to do with nitrate and calcium levels.

Holding off on introducing the brine shrimp until I need them to feed something else. Afraid of raising the phosphate and nitrate levels. WHen and if I do introduce them, I will wrap the filter intake with silk.

I recommend some of the new tank cycling threads up top here

Nitrates means they are done cycling and can produce the endpoint oxidation stage for ammonia

Filter media is a personal choice

Skimmer is good Ive never used one you can't go wrong with extra export

 

[Wingity]

totally not worried about mushrooms being too hardy, lol, anything that can survive in these conditions is my friend. haha

 

[Wingity]

In fact if you can suggest other such overly hardy species, I'd appreciate it

 

[Calappidae]

In fact if you can suggest other such overly hardy species, I'd appreciate it

Star polyps and mushrooms are extremely hardy corals. You may have to keep fragging them as they are fast growers.

Pom pom crabs, sexy shrimp, and maybe even a small goby like green banded seem to fair well in my tanks which have ammonia spikes.

Mantis shrimp are the best.. but do note that high lighting is one factor to the growth of shell rot on them.

Kharn says if water quality is up to scratch, then the rot may not be in there to grow off the light.

 

[Wingity]

Star polyps and mushrooms are extremely hardy corals. You may have to keep fragging them as they are fast growers.

Pom pom crabs, sexy shrimp, and maybe even a small goby like green banded seem to fair well in my tanks which have ammonia spikes.

excellent, I'm interested in all of those. What about neon gobies.

Doing a large water change later today and brushing off the algae, I'll let you know the numbers before and after, and how the life survives. Then I'm adding a snail.

 

[Calappidae]

excellent, I'm interested in all of those. What about neon gobies.

Doing a large water change later today and brushing off the algae, I'll let you know the numbers before and after, and how the life survives. Then I'm adding a snail.

I wouldn't add turbo snail sp. in such a small tank. They are like little bull dozers and mine constantly fall off the glass nearly crushing my scooter blennies..

Neon goby should be fine.

 

[Wingity]

Just did a 2.5 gallon water change.

Temp 78 F
Salinity 1.022
Ca 320 (API)
KH 11 (API)
PO <.25 (API)
NO 0 (API)
NO 10 (Salifert)

I accidentally lowered the salinity from 1.025.

Added what was being sold as a "coralline snail." I think it's a margarita snail?

Brushed off much of the algae.

 

[brandon429]

so hows it going a couple months into the aging process

i better not see any green on yer update pics

 

[living_waters]

dude nanos are so easy you dont need nothing crazy its a nano....allthough if your like me with a 5.5g mixed reef with 2 clowns a overflow leading to a filter sock with chemipure elite to 10g refugeium, remora skimmer, dsb in fuge with cheato and letuce macro, 10lbs of live rock in display another 10lbs of live rock in fuge, cuc in display cuc in fuge, all neatly hid under the nightstand and go crazy you can lol but the mushrooms idk if theyll be good with intense led lighting my ric i had under a mini cave in the aquscape cause it wouldnt open up in direct light and you could do a 100% water change although i would only do 1g a week and my total water volume of id say 10g but then again i went crazy on filtration lol what you could do is fill up 7 water bottles of ready saltwater and change 1 water bottle for each day of the week siphon 1 bottle of display water out one bottle in less then 5 min of time a day for maintenace with my nano i never cleaned it the cuc would do everything snails would clean my glass and crabs clean the sand bed and ect...

 

[living_waters]

for corals i had everything sps acro frags ric mushroom frogspawn lps daisy polyps zoa frags trumpet lps little bit of everything if you keep your water clean you can have anything