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Ani! Ani! Mesa lika new rock! Allsa so sparkly glowy!!! Oooh! Ahhhh!!!
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Haha. Tony's been a little TOO close to some bad diapers today.
So I went out and picked up the Elos nitrite. What a JOKE. For starters it comes with a 5mL syringe. I fill it twice carefully and put it in the 10 mL glass vial. The water was like 3mL over the 10 mL mark on the vial if you trusted those markings. Then I go to put the included stopper into the vial. It's way too big. Doubt it's even the right one so I used my thumb. Honestly if I pay a premium I want to feel GOOD about it. Good news is the test actually did something. It appears that my 'trites are at around 0.35 (middle of two pink bands). Now I have something to measure and watch fall to 0. Woohoo. Was I supposed to like...add a dead shrimp or anything? I sort of thought the dry rock would have plenty of crap in it to feed bacteria. Anyone? |
If you're using dry rock alone, I was under the assumption that all the goodies that trigger a cycle are dead and long gone. That you have to season your tank with something. Maybe someone can spare you a little chunk of live rock? Additionally you can also go with the shrimp method. Raw shrimp will deteriorate and kick off the proper bacteria. No idea how long it's going to take though.
Don't do the damsel method though... Incidently, how long are you going to cycle for? Or, if I can be more specific, how long are you going to wait after your params hit zero to add livestock? |
Yes I do have a few pounds of live rock from a couple LFS in the tank as well.
Once nitrites hit zero I'll see what nitrates look like. I don't plan to add a huge clean up crew. How long I wait before adding fish remains to be seen. Once nitrites are zero and I've done a few waterchanges it's going to be pretty tough to resist adding SOMETHING. |
Elos aren't TOO bad - their main advantage is "ease of use" (although I suppose that's a bit subjective). Don't listen at all to the 10ml mark on the test tube, that's complete fiction. Also (as you sort of figured out for yourself already), DON'T use the cap. I have broken so many test tubes trying to put on the cap, or take it off, that it's not even funny. Those test tubes break if you so much as look at them wrong. :neutral:
if you ask me, cycling is a bit of an art. The problem is that adding something like shrimp (or even household ammonia) and then leaving it, is that it's an addition of the catalyst; but then as it's used up, it isn't replaced, which tends to pull the bacterial numbers back down. In "real life" it tends to be a little more steady state and thus you get the population numbers to be constant. But in this case I think you're better off to let the grunge from the rock to cycle out before you really push forward because that has to be fairly gross stuff in there if you even found a dead fish it it (:eek:). I'd probably want to let that cycle out and then and a bunch more live rock in the sump and then maybe some hermits or something and see how that goes. The more I think about it, the more I realize I kind of have no idea what to suggest on how to manage the cycle properly when starting a tank from scratch like this. |
Yeah I pulled that redish piece of tissue off the shelf last night. It wasn't a fish but looked like some sort of clam bits or something. I don't know enough to say. And I thought this rock would have all sorts of stuff dying and falling to the sand but my sandbed is pristine, the water nearly crystal clear and my skimmate after getting darker is slowly getting lighter and producing less. Hell even the stink I thought was the tank...it was a load of laundry my wife forgot in the washing machine. Putting my nose above the tank...the smell is barely noticeable.
Since there is nothing really living in the tank I'm thinking I'm only going to get so much bacterial action in there. Depends what is in all that rock and I'm suspecting the rock isn't that gross after all. When nitrites hit zero...if I add nothing to the tank won't the bacteria populations actually start decreasing with nothing new to eat? |
Maybe try one of those cycling products like "Cycle".
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If Ammonia and nitrite are zero and nitrates aren't too high what is actually BAD about adding a fish and letting the bacteria adjust accordingly? There will certainly be some bacteria and a single fish would be pretty light biologically speaking?
I thought that Cycle stuff was for freshwater lol. |
As long as the fish is of hardier stock, I think that's pretty much what you HAVE to do at some point. Basically it's like revving the engine and it comes back down. Like you say, without something adding more ammonia it will come back down, which is self defeating.
I've used Cycle in SW. There are also some similar products intended for SW, they say it's different bacteria. (FWIW.) |
Precisely what I'm thinking. This isn't me being impatient at all. I just can't see time working in my favour without a food source for the bacteria once my params are ideal. I think a single fish in the tank for a couple weeks and then see where things are. I don't plan to turn my lights on for the fish either so It's not like I'd have some massive algal bloom in the display without a crew to pulverize it.
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I liked the first aquascape because the formations reminded me of giant Cylon Basestars flying through your tank! I like the new aquascape because it looks like a reef. :lol:
This won't be the end of your aquascaping be the way :-) Things will change once you start stocking fish and corals. Probably not a lot, but you will probably face the odd, "Oh man, I need a rock right here" moment (or two). :biggrin: |
If ammonia and nitrite are zero I would recommend you start adding fish slowly. I think you really need to start to add them as soon as possible after getting to that point so that you keep the bacteria colonies going. It has always worked for me anyways...as long as I went slow :wink:
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My idea of slow is a fish per month. Is that normal?
This new nitrite kit just became my most prized possession. |
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Actually I think it depends on the size. A bunch of blue eyed cardinals may put about the same load on a tank as a large tang. As the tank gets more established, you can add more fish at once. For now, I would go one a week depending on size but that is just my experience. Add the tangs last if possible and at once if more than one. Again just my opinion. Eventually the Alk test kit with become your prized possession if you get heavy into SPS :D |
You sure it was 400g? I want to get to sleep tonight too and I sure as hell can't find it. :lol:
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I hate my Alk test kit... I always chase it trying to make the number go UP! :lol: |
My Alk and Calc test kits sit next to the baby bottle drying rack in the kitchen :lol: (clean baby bottles - rinse - dry - test aquarium Alk - rinse - dry - repeat)
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I've used Cycle numerous times and it does seem to speed the process up. |
Just to clarify...my nitrites are at 0.35 ish. But I was looking for advice on what to do when it is zero. It seems that regardless of whether I start with all live rock or all dry with a bit of live...it means the same thing.
Naturally I have to wait far longer for coraline etc but I'm asking about fish and they require bacteria which I would have at that point. |
When nitrite hits 0, I would definitely add something to keep the nitrogen cycle going.
And I have some Cycle in my fridge, it says for fresh or saltwater on the packaging. |
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Yeah I'm ok just waiting the extra day or two. It gives the skimmer longer to pull more tank fudge out =)
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Could definitely start with something small....just go slow with the bio-load:wink:
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Well...pictures are more interesting than a "fish list".
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That's quite the colorful assortment of fish. :mrgreen:
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Not a big fan of the shape of those fishes.
I'm going to get lynched but there isn't a single reef-safe wrasse I like. No I'm not running a fever =) |
Im not a huge fan of the wrasse either. There are really only a few i might consider getting myself.
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I see you have the orchid dottyback listed. A friend of mine got a few of these guys a few years back. They looked so awesome.
http://www.orafarm.com/images/indigodottyback.jpg |
Wow I really like those as well.
On top of my list...whatever I see at the LFS that I like...I'm also getting haha. Assuming my wife's in a good mood and we're not bust-ass broke. |
How close are you to the big day? :mrgreen:
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I'll let you know in 10 minutes.
...yeah I hate having to decide which pink a tube of water is closer to. Damn color looks like BOTH. Don't think nitrites have moved...0.3 - 0.4. |
How about a wetmorella sp. wrasse (Possum wrasses)?
http://www.liveaquaria.com/images/ar...sum-wrasse.jpg http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/oct2004/fish.htm They're neat looking buggers - I saw one at a local LFS once. In retrospect I should have got it then and there, cause I want one now. |
I wonder if the Black Cap will fight with the Orchid if you put them together?
Cheers, Vic |
I bet they would scrap. I'll try my best to get the black cap first and if nothing pans out I'll go for the easier to get orchid or look into that sweet indigo.
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Cheers, Vic |
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