About to Panic

[audio101]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11669702#post11669702 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by twomccormicks
I have aragonite reef substrate. Looks like some very small white shells and white rocks. It was not live when I placed it in the tank. Might be why I'm just now starting to cycle. My LR was cured when I added it. Now I read that I need to take all my substrate out!!?? Are you kidding me? If that's the case I might as well start all over.

The crushed corals can cause high nitrates, you don't have to switch it out, since I see that your only doing fish. Down the line though it could cause problems by all the food and fish waste getting trapped under the substrate. Better flow/filtration will help stop this from happening also.

 

[twomccormicks]

I hear ya.....I have a skimmer and 1 Koralia on the way. If I need more flow I'll order another. I'm tip toeing along. I'll see how I do with what's coming. I know I need more LR so I'll probably order a couple more Koralia's to move more water here in the next month or so. Glad I don't have two children....this hobby is just as expensive as having another kid!

Dil....my eel eats with the other fish and if I don't feed them at the right time they are all over the side of the tank running up and down looking for food. This includes the eel. He picks around on the bottom. Hmmm...although I saw some pink stuff on his mouth yesterday....little bugger, I bet he ate a worm! His mouth sometimes looks scratched up I thought from digging in the substrate. Might be digging my worms out of the rock! He does hide most of the time but I read that they can't see very well. He can sure smell the mysis and brine I feed them tho. Think he can smell the worms!? I thought he'd eat the herms before the worms....(poet and didn't know it...ha).

 

[audio101]

I would think about getting a blank black or blue background for your tank also (hides the wires and looks much better. ; )

 

[Sk8r]

Oh, fuges are dead easy: it's plumbing them that's the adventure. When you want to do it, ask.

Yep, he'll be eating the worms. Unless you can pyramid up your rock where he can't get in, he'll eat them.

Re filters and Good Stuff: there is no good stuff in a filter, really: it gets to 'nitrate' and hangs there, if not at 'ammonia,' when it goes bad. Rock and sand can process stuff all the way to nitrogen gas, because they contain complex layers of bacteria to do that job. Your filter just has much simpler stuff. That's why, with a stony reef, which won't tolerate ANY ammonia, and not much nitrate at all, I don't even own a filter. I use only my rock and sand, which keeps it all at 0. [1 lb of each per gallon, up to 2 lbs of rock], plus I have a fuge---just a bit more potency; and the skimmer.
Skimmers get rid of protein waste.
Fuges get rid of phosphate and nitrate.
Sand and rock gets rid of detritus, converting it to harmless gas.
A filter traps detritus to get rid of it, but must be changed weekly, because it has no conversion power. It just stays nitrate.

 

[twomccormicks]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11670062#post11670062 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by audio101
I would think about getting a blank black or blue background for your tank also (hides the wires and looks much better. ; )

Yup, I totally agree. I was looking at them yesterday. Thanks buddy!

 

[twomccormicks]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11670093#post11670093 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sk8r
Oh, fuges are dead easy: it's plumbing them that's the adventure. When you want to do it, ask.

Yep, he'll be eating the worms. Unless you can pyramid up your rock where he can't get in, he'll eat them.

Re filters and Good Stuff: there is no good stuff in a filter, really: it gets to 'nitrate' and hangs there, if not at 'ammonia,' when it goes bad. Rock and sand can process stuff all the way to nitrogen gas, because they contain complex layers of bacteria to do that job. Your filter just has much simpler stuff. That's why, with a stony reef, which won't tolerate ANY ammonia, and not much nitrate at all, I don't even own a filter. I use only my rock and sand, which keeps it all at 0. [1 lb of each per gallon, up to 2 lbs of rock], plus I have a fuge---just a bit more potency; and the skimmer.
Skimmers get rid of protein waste.
Fuges get rid of phosphate and nitrate.
Sand and rock gets rid of detritus, converting it to harmless gas.
A filter traps detritus to get rid of it, but must be changed weekly, because it has no conversion power. It just stays nitrate.

Still scared of a fuge but when I get this down I'll be sure and ask. I have seen the ones that hang on the back of the tank. Might be worth the investment as well. I want to also get rid of that nasty looking hood. I really, really like the looks of the lighting that hovers over the tank. All on my "want" list.

This post has been very helpful in helping me understand what tank inhabitants have which job. I appreciate the help!

 

[twomccormicks]

Readings

Readings

Okay here are my readings...not bad I think!

Phosphates: .25
Ammonia: 0
pH: 8.6
Nitrates: 5.0
Nitrites: .05
Alkalinity:1.7-2.8
Temp: 79 degrees

Added a turbo snail and a urchin tonight to help clean up the crud on the substrate and glass.

I will clean the filter media tomorrow night. Maybe I"ll have a mini-cycle

Will I spike and fall through this cycle?