Hey guys;
I started cycling some rock in a tank with 15 gallons of salt water last week.
40lbs of eco-reefer stuff plus 3 lbs of live rock from the LFS. Threw in a couple raw fresh/frozen scallops from the grocery store, set the heater to 85 degrees and added about 1900gphs of flow to keep the water moving nicely. My basement stunk like a wet towel left in a gym bag for too long.
On Saturday I threw my skimmer in the tank (after letting it run in a vinegar bath and r/o water) and let it run over night. It pulled out the remnants of the scallop and the water tests showed no FREE or TOTAL Ammonia (using the Seachem Marine Kit) Nitrites were reading 25ppm+ (it was more pink then the top end of the scale for the kit) Nitrates were 50+ (also topped out)
Water didnt smell very much but started to look pretty yellow and i could see some crud at the bottom of the tank so I setup another tank. Mixed 16 gallons of fresh salt water and set the temp to 85 degrees again. I transferred the rock over to the new tank but swished it around in the old tank to remove any debris before placing it in the new tank. I set up the powerheads again and the skimmer. This pretty much followed Myka's guide of a 100% water change. The skimmer hasnt been able to get the same foam head since the water change. I am assuming this is because how clean the new water is. Skimmer is just bubbling like fizzy drink - no foam head.
I am also dosing 60 drops of Microbacter 7 daily. Today is day 5 and the instructions advise to dose 4 drops per gallon per day for the first two weeks to help the cycle. It advises to turn off the skimmer for 4 hours after dosing which i do. I was dosing in the old cycling tank as well and the skimmer had no problem getting a good foam head.
On Friday I am leaving for Cuba for a week and
no one will be watching the tank.
Here are my questions;
1. is it okay that the skimmer really isnt performing as it was before?
2. because i am leaving for a week, do i need to add anything to the tank (ie. fish or fish food/organics) to keep the cycle going?
thanks in advance.