Newbie with a few question

[howiehok34]

Hello everyone, been scouring site and internet for last few weeks having set up my first saltwater tank (had tropical tank for previous 7/8 years)

i hope you don't mind me asking a few questions that i couldn't get definitive answer elsewhere to - they are probably stupid, but there is a certain amount of caution and even fear at putting in my first fish without being sure it is absolutely perfect - so apologies if these questions are stupid!


1. I have a 40 gallon tank, that i have in 20kg of live rock (it came cured), 2 inch bed of live sand and of course RO water that i produce at home. Salinity is 1.025, ph about 8.4 (even the best test kits are hard to judge colours on i find sometimes?), have 2 powerheads one right rear facing across tank and up, one left, nearer to front, facing forward, not overly powerful ones.


anyway, my stupid questions:

got bubble magus e3 skimmer, and was wondering if there is a dangerous amount of bubbles (micro?) to be firing into the tank - can this harm fish? It is a temperamental thing getting the balance right between the water level in the skimmer itself and how it acts in the tank.

the nitrogen cycle - have i ruined it through impatience? After a couple of weeks of waiting, i did not see an ammonia spike, so i bought some ammonia to move things alone (ammonia specific to this task) - it worked, but the ammonia was removed within days, and within a week the nitrite had gone too - is this suspiciously quick? Nitrate now high (about 40ppm) for a week now, moderate water changes don't seem to have significantly lowered it, are water changes the only option - do you think i may have messed up the cycle through impatience? Are water changes only way to rid nitrates in initial cycle? And does tank need constant stability (temperature, salinity etc) to cycle correctly pre-fish/critters?

RO machine i have bought that feeds into my cold water pipe under sink was giving out higher readings last night - about 30ppm (was 0-2) before - i reckon i have produced about 350 litres of water through it over a month - surely this is too early for filters to need replacing?


Thanks in advance, sorry for all the questions.

One thing i have learnt is don't rely on a swing hydrometer - accidentally bought 2 online and they give completely different readings...

 

[billdogg]

Sounds to me like you are off to a great start! I would do a good sized water change to lower the nitrates and then get yourself a fish!

As for your ro unit. Is it DI as well? That's way too quick to deplete it unless your water is coming straight from the Fukushima cooling ponds

 

[DrPheel]

for the skimmer it will need a break in time to calm down with the bubbles , even if its new or used , give it a few days for it to settle down with both wide open return and air , it will need a bio load to start pulling gunk and to be able to tune it properly.

for the cycle depending on how much ammonia you added your tank will be able to handle that specific bio load, lots of ammonia calculator online , find how much you need to add for a 2ppm spike and if its gone in 24hrs then the tank is cycled . If sand was live and rock was live also it can be quick but remember to go slowly adding fishes so the tank can get used to process the extra load.

Nitrate can be diluted by either a big water change followed by daily small ones until you get the numbers in check. many other filtration methods (mechanical / chemical) can aid to keep the numbers down.

for your RO unit I would try and play with the valve after the membrane for the waste water untill you get 0 PPM out of the clean water tube. you should have 1/3 of the flow that is being rejected on the clean water output. as for filters the first 3 stages should be replaced every 6 months , the membrane can be used for 2-3 years if flushed properly and your DI resin should be changed every 6 months also , you will see the resin turn from clear to a reddish / iron tint kind of like GFO if you have clear tubes and that would be a indication that it needs to be changed

 

[howiehok34]

Hi,
Thanks for quick replies. My RO unit is following, the V2 pure 50 standard, will have a fiddle with it tonight - tubes coloured so can't see "inside".
http://www.oasisaquarium.co.uk/product/v2-pure-reverse-osmosis-system/

my plan is to put 2 fish in at first and afew critters as clean-up, but obviously don't want to act until nitrate is low and i know i have ready supply of RO water "on tap".

the skimmer is definitely pulling gunk, as it is pulling up a few bits of loose sand in tank so is taking stuff on board...the problem is with water changes is it then is difficult to re-start, takes quite a lot of random fiddling.....

once tank is established will it be better at ridding tank of nitrate or will it still require water changes? My main worry is maintaining salinity and temp levels - ie - stability.

can't remember how much ammonia i originally placed in tank, it is what was recommended by the manufacturer for my tank size, and the ammonia cycled quickly so i should be glad i guess!


thanks for helpful replies.