First Timer with some ideas

Yeah I've been testing it and all seems to be well. I've added a small amount of pure ammonia and it looks good. I add and test again before I get livestock. You guys are right, better safe than sorry!

I'm not sure on the brand of the pump although it's squareish and looks similar to the mags I've seen, but who knows? The pump does make some chatter but it's what is to be expected. I think it's more or less from a little bit of vibration in the fuge which I'll try to combat later. It's somewhat annoying but more just a hum sound.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11272408#post11272408 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kinghokus420

throw a couple cocktail shrimpys from the store in there for a few days just to make sure the cycle is kicked off. then sit back and wait for a few while it does its thing. even if you rock is "cured" or whatver the shrimps will guarantee it is.
Click to expand...

Nothing against you Josh but this is one of the worse ideas I have ever seen on the internet. ( this is not the first time I heard of this) Why throw something dead in your tank and cause an ammonia spike that you may not ever have had? I have set up 50+ saltwater tanks with 100% cured Live rock and have NEVER had to deal with a cycle.

Everyone has there own way of doing things but there is no way you will catch me putting any dead shrimp in the tank unless it is to feed an animal that is in the tank.

My entire store was set up using cured Live rock and NO live sand at all, I had no cycle to speak of and have lost maybe 10 corals out of the hundreds that I have had in stock and IMO those were sick when I got them!

My advise is to just be patient and test the water until it is ready to go.
 
Yeah the rock was from an established tank of over a year and the sand was the live sand (however "live" it may be) so I wasn't anticipating much cycle if any.

I'd used the ammonia method in freshwater and just assumed it would be fine in saltwater. I only added enough for it to register and then the next day It was gone so I think i'm good. Fully cured (with some coraline) live rock and live sand should've done it.
 
With that small of a tank I would use maybe one shrimp or better yet just some fish food finely grounded up. Plus, use some decent test kits - I prefer salifert. The cheap ones can read all over the place. And even then depending on your lighting could indicate any color depending on how you look at it. I swear when I use one of my test kits for pH it could be 7.8, 8.0, or 8.4? :rolleyes:

Nitrates are preferred to be low to zero but may continue to climb as the cycle continues. the cycle processes are generally aerobic as where the dinitrifcation process (removal of nitrates) is generally anerobic and may take some time to establish beyond the cycle. Water changes are the best way initially to maintain nitrates IMHO. Generally for an easier soft/LPS tank Nitrates less the 40-50 are the upper limit of acceptable but the lower th YMMV.

I know you're excited but this is the most important part where patience is needed. Plan you fish load carefully, and introduce in proper order to minimize agressive behavior tendancies.

Its always a sad day and sore spot on the pocket book when you loose a SW fish so please... plan ahead and take your time. But most of all enjoy. :rollface: :D :D :D
 
The pure ammonia should replace the shrimp as well as me not needing to remove it later on. I expect the nitrates to rise as more inhabitants are added but Nitrates are a lot better than 'trites' and ammonia.

I certainly don't want to lose any fish and will have my LFS check my water again prior to adding any livestock.

I've added the flake food as well as the ammonia and nothing has change on the tests.


20 Gallon High with a 10 gallon sump. I have it set up so the sump has roughly 7-8 gallons of water in it and can accomodate any water due to pump failure or power outtage. I think I'm going to add a Koralia 1 for more flow if I end up needing it.
 
Ok that's right. I asked and then saw that the tank on page 4 was one of Josh's - not yours. My mistake. Yeah, I like the Koralia's - sounds good!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11272519#post11272519 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Underwaterparadise
Nothing against you Josh but this is one of the worse ideas I have ever seen on the internet.
Click to expand...
its all good rob :love2: . it just seems to be the most common method that i have seen/read about. i did it with my 1st tank and honestly i didnt get squat for readings. but, i only left them in there for a couple days. i do understand the idea of decomposing matter causing a spike although i dont know where the origin of the shrimps is.
im using the same rock in my current tank so i didnt have to worry about it.



this thread has gone on way too long without pics of the tank.
so cough em up.
better yet post them over on our site. kane has been busy. things are coming together nicely<-----shameless plug:D
 
Alright, Alright, Alright... Pics have been posted to the chico reef club website under my user name lairj84... That's a L at the beginning not an I like it is here... For some reason the iairj84 nickname wasn't working at all.

The light had only been on for 30 seconds or so and was just warming up so it hadn't reached full intesity and it's not quite as blue.... Also the tubing for the return will be shortened when I change the water. I just need to cut it down.

I will post these to photobucket as well in a few for you guys on reef central.

DSCN1352.jpg


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DSCN1357.jpg


<br>
DSCN1356.jpg
 
Ahhh pics finally! :D Yes looking good.

One thing I saw was your heater was in your sump's return pump section which will be where you will show your evaporation losses. Just ensure you don't loose too much water by evaporation such that your heater/pump are exposed.

I don't know the cons of putting your heater in the sump inlet area other than bubbles but it seems to me that area will most always have water and be the most turbulent flow to provide optimum hx from the heater.

And once you get setup, unless you need it for maintenance, I recommend removing that excess loop in your tubing. :D
 
Thanks!

I can easily move that heater to the return and there's plenty of space for it. I didn't know where to put it so I just put it there :D

The evaporation shows up in the middle part of the return for me, at least that's what I go off of for topping it of. the water levels seem to stay pretty constant between chambers. I am manually topping off with RO water right now but will get my float switch here in a few days and will rig it up to a super low wattage pump that will top off for me.

Evaporation appears to be about 1/2 gallon a day which seems ok? I don't know what is normal but I have 5 other tanks in that room so It gets a little humid :D
 
I just added the auto top off today and it's pretty cool. If you haven't done it yet it's as simple as they come. Ordered the float switch and "Mold-a-Holder" from floatswitches.net I never thought of it until I got it but you could very easily just use plumbers strapping to secure the float switch to the tank.

The main reason I went with the auto top off is just because it's so easy to do that and I'm going to vegas for 4 days in January and want to automate it as much as possible. I can find someone competant to feed but the more their is to do the less likely it is to get done.
 
Yes, ATO are great and helpful in maintaining optimum salinity, plus, one less thing you have to have a sitter do except be aware of (hopefully).

I find fish can generally go a couple of days without being fed if needed but not preferred of course.

I was thinking you might have misunderstood me about where you'd see evaporation... I was refering to where the level in your sump would reflect the evaporation. It seems to me the middle part of your sump has two baffles set at the same height so as long as you have flow the water in this area should not be less than the level of the baffles. Usually you see the evaporation loss (level loss) in the last chamber.

That being said you can add the water top off anywhere but put the sensors where it is going to fluctuate.

BTW, are you running your sump level higher than the top of the lower baffles? You're right then - it won't matter where you place the ATO but i'm cautions about running this way... I have to think about why but not certain at this point... ;)
 
Haha yeah I am cautious about the water levels and checked to make sure the sump would be able to handle any pump malfunctions. Yes the water level is higher than the lower baffles. I don't think the fish should have any problems as I can feed the day I leave and the day I get back and they would be fine. I will have the sitter feed on the middle day just to make sure everything gets fed. I have freshwater tanks too.
 
I added some various snails and blue leg hermits as well as some extra shells for those devilish hermies....

I also added a couple frags I got at Underwater paradise in Marysville. I wasn't really planning on getting anything but he has some fantastic stuff... After a day of checking out stuff in sacramento I can honestly say we have it better here in Chico and with Underwater Paradise than they do in Sacramento. I went to 5 different fish stores and I would take what I see here in Chico and Marysville over any of those places ANY day! If I was looking for freshwater fish they've got you covered but their saltwater stuff was HIGHLY lacking from what I could see.

Anywho if you're still reading I got 2 heads of frogspawn as well as some zoanthids! They're looking great in the tank and I'm looking forward to seeing them grow... Pictures will come tomorrow.
 
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