Icewing726
New member
Show off... seriously nice job though. Find some hardy fish to cycle with and bio spira is amazing stuff (lion fish, 2 wrasses, foxface, and an even worse prior experience to back it's potency).
First SW Tank : 80G Aquarium Build
- Thread starter Boochika
- Start date
DO NOT cycle with fish. It's mean and inhumane. Use the biospira. And maybe a shrimp (like I did). That way you don't take the risk of half killing your HARDY fully alive fish.
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homer1475
New member
No he's not being sarcastic, it's how it was always done in the old days. The hobby has moved on from this cruel and inhumane method of cycling a tank.
Anyways, bacteria have been shown to live for well over a year with 0 food source. You don't have to continually feed them. If you added ammonia, just let it cycle.
Anyways, bacteria have been shown to live for well over a year with 0 food source. You don't have to continually feed them. If you added ammonia, just let it cycle.
homer1475
New member
While you certainly can do a WC, I like to just let things ride while cycling. You can actually stall the process with a WC.
My process is to add ammonia up to 2ppm with heater and PH running(no lights), let it ride till I have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and high nitrates. Then I redose the tank up to 2ppm ammonia to "stress test" the system. If it process the ammonia down to nitrates in 24 hours it's good to go. 100% or as close to it as possible water change to clear the high nitrates(bacteria will live a while out of water), add a small CUC and maybe my first fish if it's out of QT.
My process is to add ammonia up to 2ppm with heater and PH running(no lights), let it ride till I have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and high nitrates. Then I redose the tank up to 2ppm ammonia to "stress test" the system. If it process the ammonia down to nitrates in 24 hours it's good to go. 100% or as close to it as possible water change to clear the high nitrates(bacteria will live a while out of water), add a small CUC and maybe my first fish if it's out of QT.
Icewing726
New member
Bio Spira says to add fish 15 minutes prior to adding fish. In fact a mini cycle occurs every time you add fish. While using Bio Spira I have seen 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites, not sure what's inhumane about it so long as you keep after it with testing and fresh water if necessary.
Icewing726
New member
Too each their own on cycling method, but like I said in my previous post Bio Spira kept my Ammonia and Nitrites at 0 and I tested daily starting on day 1. My fish have acclimated beautifully and shown 0 signs of stress during the process because there was no process on them... Then again I added a full dose with each group of fish so I may have seen some different results due to my over kill... :shrug:
Your method will work, but I would encourage you to seek the science behind their reasons to make sure it's not all opinion. Take ich for example. People say you have to go fallow in the display tank for 72 days or longer to rid yourself of ich. The research behind that number showed that 72 days was the longest life cycle observed at 50ish degrees whereas at normal temps it was more like 21 days. So is it really 72 or did those who didn't want to ready latch on to someone who decided you had to go worst case? I can't say, just an example of why you need to dig deeper. You may think you bought an aquarium, you really bought a research project. But hey, that's what makes this hobby awesome.
So make sure you understand why you do something instead of blindly following (including anything I said :fun4
.
Boochika
New member
Did a water test last night. My nitrites are rising nicely up to .5 ppm from .2 a few days ago. However my nitrates we're at least st 50, and this seems extreme to me.
Perhaps a bad test or as stated above an interesting of nitrite and nitrate in test.
I've got a lot of decaying food in the sand built up, should I stir it you to let it get taken out by socks and skimmer or just let it ride.
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Perhaps a bad test or as stated above an interesting of nitrite and nitrate in test.
I've got a lot of decaying food in the sand built up, should I stir it you to let it get taken out by socks and skimmer or just let it ride.
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homer1475
New member
You have high nitrates from all the decaying matter turning to ammonia, which in turn becomes nitrite, then nitrate.
Nitrate is the end process and is the least bit harmful to inhabitants. With you ghost feeding your adding more ammonia then you initially added, which in turn becomes high nitrates. Just let it ride, with 0 inhabitants you can do a 100% WC once everything settles on 0's to rid yourself of the high nitrates.
I personally would try to stir up that uneaten food so it at least breaks down or gets sucked out by mechanical filtration.
Nitrate is the end process and is the least bit harmful to inhabitants. With you ghost feeding your adding more ammonia then you initially added, which in turn becomes high nitrates. Just let it ride, with 0 inhabitants you can do a 100% WC once everything settles on 0's to rid yourself of the high nitrates.
I personally would try to stir up that uneaten food so it at least breaks down or gets sucked out by mechanical filtration.
homer1475
New member
Too each their own on cycling method, but like I said in my previous post Bio Spira kept my Ammonia and Nitrites at 0 and I tested daily starting on day 1. My fish have acclimated beautifully and shown 0 signs of stress during the process because there was no process on them... Then again I added a full dose with each group of fish so I may have seen some different results due to my over kill... :shrug:
Your method will work, but I would encourage you to seek the science behind their reasons to make sure it's not all opinion. Take ich for example. People say you have to go fallow in the display tank for 72 days or longer to rid yourself of ich. The research behind that number showed that 72 days was the longest life cycle observed at 50ish degrees whereas at normal temps it was more like 21 days. So is it really 72 or did those who didn't want to ready latch on to someone who decided you had to go worst case? I can't say, just an example of why you need to dig deeper. You may think you bought an aquarium, you really bought a research project. But hey, that's what makes this hobby awesome.
So make sure you understand why you do something instead of blindly following (including anything I said :fun4
Most people don't want to know the science behind it, just that it works and this is what I need to do to make it work. Most people just want a beautiful tank with the least amount of work possible.
With that said I totally agree with you, I actually enjoy the research and science behind everything. It's one of the reasons I got into the hobby.
Boochika
New member
I do enjoy the science behind it as well and have done a fair amount of reading and watching. Just doesn't always apply to the practical side of things with actually 'doing' something. I will stir it up to see if I can start to remove some of it as I'm sure I have more than enough decaying food in there now.
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homer1475
New member
And this is one of the problems with the internet. Everyone's a pro at everything, and if you do enough digging you can definitely find a post somewhere that agrees with what you think whether it is right or wrong. It's wading through the BS and "this worked in my tank" posts to find the stuff that will actually work is the tough part.
Boochika
New member
Picked up my first fish yesterday, a nice little firefish (Nemateleotris magnifica) and he/she is ruminating in quarantine. I've read they're not so susceptible to disease so if anyone has any idea what I should keep an eye out for specifically while it's in there please let me know. I was planning to do 4 week quarantine but not sure if I need that long since this is first fish going in the tank.
In other news my tank is showing zero ammonia and nitrite has dropped to .1 ppm. I still have a ton of nitrate and was planning to do a 35 gallon water change next weekend. I was then going to shock test it as others have recommended and see how it performs processing ammonia.
If all goes well I was going to pick up some nassarius snails to eat decaying food in the sand bed prior to transferring the firefish.
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In other news my tank is showing zero ammonia and nitrite has dropped to .1 ppm. I still have a ton of nitrate and was planning to do a 35 gallon water change next weekend. I was then going to shock test it as others have recommended and see how it performs processing ammonia.
If all goes well I was going to pick up some nassarius snails to eat decaying food in the sand bed prior to transferring the firefish.
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Boochika
New member
Looking at my tank right now it's doing quite well, didn't have time to do the 30% water change last weekend, but I'm just wondering if my powerheads are a little weak.
I have 2 Koralia evolution 850's right now at either side with my pump also pushing out directly into the tank. The Koralia's seems extremely weak given their rating as I can hardly feel any flow when I'm 10 inches from them.
Is this normal?
My plan is for a mixed reef tank with mostly LPS and very few SPS mixed in. Maybe some softies too.
I also understand the 850's were undersized for my when I bought them but they seems very weak. They have been running for over a month.
I have 2 Koralia evolution 850's right now at either side with my pump also pushing out directly into the tank. The Koralia's seems extremely weak given their rating as I can hardly feel any flow when I'm 10 inches from them.
Is this normal?
My plan is for a mixed reef tank with mostly LPS and very few SPS mixed in. Maybe some softies too.
I also understand the 850's were undersized for my when I bought them but they seems very weak. They have been running for over a month.
homer1475
New member
I would not trust what korralia has posted for flow for their pumps. While I have no experience in their larger pumps, I do have a couple of their mini PH in my mixing station. They certainly do not push anywhere whats stated on the box.
In my 80 cube I have 2 mp10's on reefcrest mode @ 80% on opposite sides of the tank, and 2 jebao PP8's on 75% on the back wall firing off at random intervals for 3 second bursts. A lot of high turbulent flow up high, with slow and steady flow toward the bottom of the tank. Just like a real reef!
Just a thought as I have a long standing rule on the advise you get on forums such as these... Never take advice from someone not willing to show the fruits of their knowledge. With that said, if anyone wants to see what my tank looks like with the advice I give out, my build thread is right here on RC.
Kind of like how someone will ask for help, get help, but then want to see the tank of the person giving said advise to see if it's viable advice.
In my 80 cube I have 2 mp10's on reefcrest mode @ 80% on opposite sides of the tank, and 2 jebao PP8's on 75% on the back wall firing off at random intervals for 3 second bursts. A lot of high turbulent flow up high, with slow and steady flow toward the bottom of the tank. Just like a real reef!
Just a thought as I have a long standing rule on the advise you get on forums such as these... Never take advice from someone not willing to show the fruits of their knowledge. With that said, if anyone wants to see what my tank looks like with the advice I give out, my build thread is right here on RC.
Kind of like how someone will ask for help, get help, but then want to see the tank of the person giving said advise to see if it's viable advice.
Boochika
New member
Quick update since I was last here, I've quarantined and added some clowns as well as set up my ATO and kessil light.
Haven't checked CA or mag year but will plan to add some more inverts next month. So far all I have is some nassarius snails a banded shrimp and emerald crab.
Just now starting to see some algae form, it's the brown diatom stuff. Not too worried about it as I think I'm gonna get a lawnmower blenny next and he should help me out.
I've also been dosing red seas NoPox and I'm reading under 2ppm nitrate and 0 phosphate.
Still figuring out the skimming situation and how much flow I should have over the weir in my sump. I had a baffle in there which was dropping it 3 inches now it only drops a half inch. So little turbulence, this was to accommodate my skimmer height and stand height. I don't know if my PH has raised because of it but maybe. It's gone from 8.0-8.2/8.4. Could just be livestock addition I guess.
Haven't checked CA or mag year but will plan to add some more inverts next month. So far all I have is some nassarius snails a banded shrimp and emerald crab.
Just now starting to see some algae form, it's the brown diatom stuff. Not too worried about it as I think I'm gonna get a lawnmower blenny next and he should help me out.
I've also been dosing red seas NoPox and I'm reading under 2ppm nitrate and 0 phosphate.
Still figuring out the skimming situation and how much flow I should have over the weir in my sump. I had a baffle in there which was dropping it 3 inches now it only drops a half inch. So little turbulence, this was to accommodate my skimmer height and stand height. I don't know if my PH has raised because of it but maybe. It's gone from 8.0-8.2/8.4. Could just be livestock addition I guess.
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