I think I did something stupid!

[WhiteTang]

Hi!

Today I started my aquarium. By that I mean I had everything setup and running. I did notice a small aptaisia on one of the rocks, thankfully it was on a small piece so I took it out dosed the ***** with a syringe full of vinegar and left the rock on the balcony to dry out.

I then inspected the rest of the rock carefully and didnt find any other aptaisia.
After a couple hours i noticed a really small starfish. I couldnt identify it so I just removed it from the aquarium. (cant take a photo now, its gone).

Anyhow.. Since i removed the small rock with the aptasia I had to re-aquascape which created a ton of "dirt" on the bottom of the tank (the tank has only live rock for the moment and no sand) so I took out all the live rock and washed it with tap water.

Then I thought, OH NO TAP WATER HAS chlorine!!!! Is my rock DEAD? Did i just throw money away on live rock just to "kill" it?

 

[Crooked Reef]

You will get some die off, but you can get some die off rinsing it with ro/di water as well. As long as you didn't soak it the bacteria living deep in the holes of the rock that make up the biological filter will survive. Just don't make a habit of it. If you just started the aquarium today with new live rock it really won't affect cycle time.

 

[WhiteTang]

You will get some die off, but you can get some die off rinsing it with ro/di water as well. As long as you didn't soak it the bacteria living deep in the holes of the rock that make up the biological filter will survive. Just don't make a habit of it. If you just started the aquarium today with new live rock it really won't affect cycle time.

Ohh thats good news. I did not soak the rocks. I had them under the shower for like 5 second each. With just enough water pressure so any "loose" parts will fall off.
The tank is new and I just started cycling, the water I used in the tank is RO/DI. I even threw in a shrimp to kick start the cycle.
I do have another question though. My water temp has fluctuated from 25°C (77F) to 28°C (82.4F) would that be a problem for the live rock and cycle in general?

 

[julie180]

Temp fluctuation during cycle should not be a problem. But, when you start stocking, it will. During the cycle is a good time to get a controller and learn how to use it. There is not a heater on the market that I would trust without a controller.

 

[UTCReefer]

Everything will be fine. Quit trying to have some kind of clean sterile environment its going to be a losing battle for you in the long run.

 

[WhiteTang]

Everything will be fine. Quit trying to have some kind of clean sterile environment its going to be a losing battle for you in the long run.

I get what you are saying. But I cant help to be nervous. This is my first attempt with a reef aquarium and I have invested a ton of time reading. There are so many parameters and everyone has an opinion which is usually very strict and absolute. So when I think I made a mistake I think the whole tank will come crashing down.
I will soon start posting my progress here with pics and ask questions...

One that I have right now is:
I threw a dead shrimp (ghost feeding) in the tank to kick start the cycle. Should I throw in more after some time? (lets say after it dissolves completely).

 

[Crooked Reef]

I wouldn't. You will actually take it out before it disolves completely. The smell will actually get to you soon. When you do remove it just ghost feed a little pellet or flake food every day or so to keep the bacteria from dying off until your cycle is complete and you add your clean up crew. You can then feed them a bit if you want but it will probably not be necessary.

 

[WhiteTang]

I wouldn't. You will actually take it out before it disolves completely. The smell will actually get to you soon. When you do remove it just ghost feed a little pellet or flake food every day or so to keep the bacteria from dying off until your cycle is complete and you add your clean up crew. You can then feed them a bit if you want but it will probably not be necessary.

Thanks for the tip
Heres a photo of my tank right now. I will add a thin sheet (about 1 inch) of live sand the following days.