cycle is done!!!! advice needed

[BluePhish]

hey reeferboy or anyone, how often do you feed your drgonetes, i got a scooter blenny who is eating enriched brine shrimp, i use the glass jar at the bottom of the tank method to feed him. how long should i leave the food in the tank for. How do you feed your dragonetes?

is it normal to get a reading of ammonia and nitrite when you add new live stock?

[reefboy23]

Originally Posted by Jason McKenzie

Could you explain to me how a refugium would increase live pods in the main system. Since with most designs there is a pump between the refugium and the main tank. Pods and impellers don't mix

J

I never said the refugium would increase live pods in the main system i said a refugium will increase pod population in general. I would always take my chaeto out of my sump and shake it out over the top of my display and watch it snow pods. Personally i never worried about the pods arriving in the display alive anyways the fish eat them regardless. all my refugium is to me is a food breeding ground and nutrient absorber.

[reefboy23]

ammonia and nitrite should'nt show up once your tank is cycled so thats not because of adding livestock maybe nitrates because of uneaten food fish poo etc.. You should probably do a water change if you show these things on the test kit. Ammonia and nitrite is highly toxic to the livestock. I would feed my scooter and mandarins when i would feed the rest of the fish....in between feedings they would peck on the rockwork and scoot around on the bottom all day.

[BluePhish]

i just got my skimmer going now, too rid any extra waste in the water.is this a good idea? i think i was leaving the jar with food in the tank to long and i had my arm in the tank alot.
dose any body know what this is? i did my water change last night and when i woke up today there was this ash like residue on the glass and my water is cloudy. my water was crystal clear befor, i used the same water, and same bag of salt, my bucket was new and clean. stuff's starting to go downhill a lil bit.
also a pic of my scooter. dose he look like he was not fed at the pet store?

[reefboy23]

always mix new salt the night before and drop a powerhead in the mixing tub or whatever and then add it the next day just make sure the temp. is 78-81 degrees. Do yourself a favor and get a ro/di ASAP leaving food in the tank is not a good idea. Good flow helps to keep nasties in suspension.

[BluePhish]

ok now im in serious need of help! my ammonia and nitrites are going threw the roof! my tank cycled for 4.5 weeks , was steady at zero for an additional week, i added a fish and 3 hermits, and did a very small water change , now every thing is going crazy, what is happening? how large of a water change should i do? will a large water change destroy my biofilter thats ive just waited 4.5 weeks to develope or is it already collapsing. please urgent im going to the LFS to get some more salt so i can preform a large water change, will a 50% change help get things back to normal? help please any ideas whats going on.

[bulltrader]

When did you at the fish? If only this week I won't be too concerned!!
This is going to happen because you don't have enough nitrifying bacteria yet and you've kind of overloaded the system. As long as the fish you added were hardy they will be OK.
So your tank is going thru another cycle and it will be OK, I would think in a few days.
Just don't add anything else until to gets back down to Nitrite=0, Amonia=0, Nitrate<20
This stuff happens at first...don't panic.
I don't think you need to do a water change.

[BluePhish]

thats what i was hoping, ill do another small water change just to take the edge off. thanks man lifted a lil weight off my shoulders. i did the raw shrimp method, i really think this is why. because the shrimp started the cycle so after it was gone there was nothing producing any more ammonia so my bactieria were at a stand still for a lil while, not reproducing any further. i think the 3 hermits the fish and feeding the fish. was a lil too much now the bacteria need too catch up . thank you for reasuring me, i started to panic a lil. I will def wait a while befor i add anything else. i knew i should have not got the fish and just got the hermits to start. well now i know.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread. with out you who knows what i might be doing, I might have a shark in a nano cube> ha

[bulltrader]

Good Luck.
Cut way back on the feeding for awhile also. Maybe every second day or 3.

[BluePhish]

will do.
thanks for the quick response.