LF: Chaeto & have a question...

[MurphysLaw]

I am cycling my tank and my Nitrates have gotten pretty high so I figured now would be a good time to put a ball of Chaeto in my sump to complement the WCs. If anyone has any they need to cut back please let me know. I don't need much as the center chamber where I am going to place it is not that large but will be used solely for rubble and chaeto. I am centrally located near Speedway/Swan.

Also, Since I am cycling with Ceramic "dry" rock and "Dry" sand using a bacteria in a bottle product,(dosing ammonium chloride to feed the bacteria) my system is extremely sterile. There are no hitchhikers. There is no algae due to no spores being introduced into the system. I know it wont stay like this forever but I would like to keep it like this as long as possible.

So my question is, Is there a way to dip Chaeto to remove any unwanted stuff from it? I know down the road I will want diversity through coraline algae, copepods, amphipods, phytoplankton, zooplankton... but right now I don't want to risk acquiring any pests.

Is this a ridiculous concern? Should I just throw some in there?

Thanks,
Wade

 

[brettinteriors]

IMHO, ditch the ammonia. Wait until everything but your nitrates zeros out and add a fish.

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[scubabum1983]

You may be able to use a dip like revive, or coral rx. Or a freshwater dip?

 

[brettinteriors]

Do you have a qt system set up. The only way to really keep pests out is a good qt. Coral rx and the like are a good idea but do not kill eggs and a host of other things. I watched a gorilla crab live for 24hrs in a coral rx dip. He was hitch hi king in an acro and I just happen to notice him. I do not have a qt setup but they are a good idea. With coral rx you want to shake and look.

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[CT Grim]

Just a word of caution..again. I would refrain from chaeto until the tank has cycled. You will be fighting the very stuff that you need in you tank to spur the cycling process. Don't run GFO, no macro algae, no carbon, no phosban, etc. In fact, one of the best things you can do now is throw a dead shrimp or clam in your tank and let it decay. Some people even advocate urinating in your DT to accelerate the process (um, yuck). You will see an algae bloom, and that is a good thing. Then, when things settle after the tank has cycled (numbers hit zero) you will see the algae recede and disappear. For now, don't fear the spike in bad stuff..welcome it!
I am not an expert, just sorta familiar with fresh water, and new to reefs, but the process in both is essentially the same. There are many on here that are experts in tank cycling and could probably add much more info, or correct/clarify some of my info..

...and when you are ready for Chaeto, I will have plenty for ya. Just threw away about a soccer ball-size wad after picking the critters out (I am soft like that...)

 

[brettinteriors]

To pee or not to pee, that is the question

 

[MurphysLaw]

Haha I don't think I'm going to be peeing in my tank.

I am just going to be patient(even though it's tough) and wait for the cycle to take its course and then get a fish.

Thanks for the info everyone. I do not currently have a QT tank but I will definitely put it high on my list of priorities.

 

[jrich]

http://www.mrsaltwatertank.com/bacteria-in-a-bottle-snake-oil-or-worth-trusting/
If you are really in a hurry you can use this Dr Tims one and only havent tryed my self but you can see the experiment

 

[MurphysLaw]

http://www.mrsaltwatertank.com/bacteria-in-a-bottle-snake-oil-or-worth-trusting/
If you are really in a hurry you can use this Dr Tims one and only havent tryed my self but you can see the experiment

That is actually what I used. I did the fish less way using Dr. Tim's Ammonium Chloride as a food source for the bacteria. I just hit day 19 and my NH4 is down to 0.0ppm but my NO2 has been hanging at 1.0ppm and NO3 has stopped at 50.0ppm. This has been my parameters for 8days straight. So I got a bottle of Microbacter 7 to dose as well maybe just for the sake of variety in bacteria strains. There are a lot of people that claim it works great, but maybe I got a dead bottle. I did have it in the fridge for about 7days before using it... But the directions say you can do that.