Help with new 125 gallon build

[tassod]

Simon,

I drained water from th DT to about just under the vortech pump this morning and did a refill with fresh saltwater that had been mixing since noon yesterday. Once my saltwater container was empty I stoped the pump and I now have this much in the DT:

I just refilled my container and have new saltwater mixing. Do I still have to wait another 12 hours to mix so i can finish filling what seems to be just a bit more left?

 

[SimonSKL]

It seems you need another 12-15 gal more saltwater. Do you have a power head in your mixing tank? If yes, you just need to let it run for 3-4 hrs after mixing and then fill the DT with it.

 

[tassod]

It seems you need another 12-15 gal more saltwater. Do you have a power head in your mixing tank? If yes, you just need to let it run for 3-4 hrs after mixing and then fill the DT with it.

No power head, just the pump that is circulating and mixing. Will that work if I let it mix/circulate for 3-4 hours?

 

[SimonSKL]

That will be fine as long as the water is constantly moving while mixing.

 

[SimonSKL]

Tasso, take another ammonia and nitrite readings before you introduce any fish into the tank after water change just to be sure.

 

[tassod]

Tasso, take another ammonia and nitrite readings before you introduce any fish into the tank after water change just to be sure.

Yup definitely, its in the plan today.

 

[tassod]

Fish!

Fish!

Well ammonia and nitrite tested at 0 so off I went to my LFS. Got 3 chromis and they looked pretty good. So I took a bucket, filled half way with RO/DI water brought temp up to tank temparture and put some Methalyne Blue in it. Then in the chromis went! :spin2:

At first i though i would have to pull them because 2 of them turned over but immediately they recovered and then seemed fine. So they swam around for 5-7 minutes and then i pulled them and put them directly in the DT. Here they are: :beer:

So I need to know what to watch out for next. Also when should i feed them? I figure I would feed them tomorrow. All i have is some flake food right now. Do they like that? Also, when should i do another water test to see if ammonia spikes?

 

[SimonSKL]

So I need to know what to watch out for next. Also when should i feed them? I figure I would feed them tomorrow. All i have is some flake food right now. Do they like that? Also, when should i do another water test to see if ammonia spikes?

The chromis look happy. Yes, start feeding daily. Flakes are fine. I will test ammonia and nitrite daily at least for the next 7 days, then less frequently if fish stay healthy.

 

[tassod]

I did start noticing this evening brownish stuff starting to appear on my rocks and sand. Is this what you were looking for earlier Simon?

 

[SimonSKL]

What you are getting is probably Cyanobacteria which is normal and expected. I was expecting to see this when you start running your light. It is not harmful and eventually go away.

 

[tassod]

tests

tests

Chromis seem pretty happy. They are swimming throughout the tank where as yesterday when i first put them in there they were only staying in one place. I took my tests today. It seems that ammonia has gone to 0,25ppm. nitrite is 0 and nitrate is 10ppm. Alkalinity is 7.39 and Calcium is at 488 and Mag is at 1440. Going to need to bring up Alk.

Do i need to do a water change because of the ammonia?

 

[SimonSKL]

Given the rise in ammonia I would watch the fish closely. This is why we want to start with hardy fish. A $50 tang may not make it for too long with ammonia present. If the Chromis show any sign of distress while the ammonia stays positive, you need to do a water change. At this point I won't worry about alk. It doesn't look too low with no corals.

 

[tassod]

Possible issue

Possible issue

Well, came home today and the first thing i noticed is the rocks and how much they are covered with the cyato and sand...just everywhere...hope it goes away soon.

Second thing is one of the chromis i think has an issue. It is hidding by itself behind one of the rocks and it seems to have something on its tail. Here are some pics:

These are cell phone pics mind you and he looks a lot worse than he is but if you notice by his tail it seems red like an injury or something. What to do?

Here is also a short video taken yesterday and you will notice none of them seem to have that issue:

http://s1273.beta.photobucket.com/user/tassod/media/IMG_0142_zps99363373.mp4.html

 

[tassod]

Ammonia BTW seems almost 0 tonight and nitrite is also 0 but i noticed how my PH has spiked to 8.46! Here are some rocks pictures:

 

[SimonSKL]

That chromis does not look good and probably won't make it thru the night. It looks like some kind of injury. I hope the fish didn't get pull into the Vortech pump. A healthy fish can get away from the pump easily but a sick fish may not be strong enough to swim away. This fish could be sick to begin with. How about the other two fish?

The cyanobacteria will get worse and most of your rocks will be covered by it before it gets better. Are you skimmer producing skimmate as expected?

 

[tassod]

That chromis does not look good and probably won't make it thru the night. It looks like some kind of injury. I hope the fish didn't get pull into the Vortech pump. A healthy fish can get away from the pump easily but a sick fish may not be strong enough to swim away. This fish could be sick to begin with. How about the other two fish?

The cyanobacteria will get worse and most of your rocks will be covered by it before it gets better. Are you skimmer producing skimmate as expected?

The other 2 fish seem fine, you could be right about the pump..i saw one swimming around one of the vortechs this morning when i fed them. Is there anything i can do for that fish?

The skimmer hasn't been really filling the cup lately. Do I need to adjust it regularly or leave it alone? I see it basically foaming up to the neck where the collection cup sits.

 

[SimonSKL]

As long as the skimmer is pulling stuffs out I will just leave it alone. There isn't much you can do for the fish. Hopefully it will pull thru tonight. 8.46 is a little on the high side for Ph. It should drop lower as the lighting intensity is lower at night. Cyanbacteria will disappear during the night but will return tomorrow when the lights come on. Just keep an eye on the PH. Otherwise not much you can do.

 

[tassod]

i'm shutting the lights down early tonight...PH now at 8.49. I keep my PH probe in the bubble trap on the fuge side...that shouldn't matter right?

 

[SimonSKL]

I have my PH probe on the fuge side also but not in the bubble trap. As long as there is good flow thru I don't think it matters.

 

[tassod]

Should i be getting some kind of clean up crew?