Cycling - Is it Done? I WANT SNAILS

[Jason McKenzie]

Yes I understand. The only way I know of getting your Nitrates down is to perform water changes.

Typically at the end of a Tank cycle you are left with zero Ammonia and Nitrites and high Nitrates just as you have. The next step is to perform a water change of about 10% once a week until your nitrates are lower than 15 or so. Then you can fall into normal water change schedule that suits you.

Keep us up dated and how about some pics?

J

[Linda]

Thank you, Jason. I performed a water change today and will report back next with - with a pix.

Last night I noticed what looked like tiny blue floruescent (sp?) bubbles on top of the live rock. Am I hallucinating?

Linda

[SAW39]

Yes, you were hallucinating. (LOL)

With regard to the nitrates, I agree with Jason that the usual way to reduce the level is to perform a water change. Essentially, you are removing and diluting the nitrates. Assuming that your new water has zero nitrates, a 10% water change will reduce a reading of 40ppm to 36ppm; a 25% change will reduce it to 30ppm, etc.

The other way to reduce nitrates is to increase lighting to encourage the growth of algae that feed on the nitrates. However, this cure is often worse than the original problem.

[This was my 400th post. Woo-hoo!]

[Linda]

I will stick with water changes -- I already have enough algae (I think).

I took pictures last night and are hopefully attached. What is the brown gunk (on the water pump, sand) Is it supposed to be there? As far as you can tell by the pictures, does the tank look like it should at day 20? It look dirty to me and it's driving me crazy!

My water readings are pretty good. My SG is only at 1.022. Is that good enough, or should I try to increase it. The pH is at 7.8 - do I need to increase that and, if so, how? Ammonia & nitrites still at zero -- yeah!! Nitrate is at 40 - boo. I'll perform another water change this Friday (a week after the first change). This time, though, I'll change more than just 3 gal. (The tank is 29gal) -- at that rate it'll be Christmas before the nitrates reduce to 20!

Thanks for all the great advice. This site and all of you who answer my questions really help keep me from getting discouraged and making stupid mistakes.

Linda

[amcarrig]

Looks like a diatom bloom to me which is perfectly normal in a new tank. You can add snails once you get your water parameters up to par. Ditch the ph test and get calcium, alkalinity and magnesium test kits. Testing your water for those levels will determine which supplement you might need to add to get your ph back up (either buffer, calcium or magnesium). You want to raise you salinity slowly up to 1.024.

With the tank being only 20 days old, I honestly think that you should avoid water changes as it's only going to stall the cycle. The nitrates will drop on their own and once they do, you tank will be completely cycled.

Other than that, your tank looks just the way it's supposed to at 20 days

[Linda]

Diatom bloom - it's really ugly stuff. I do have the reef test kit and will start that testing tonight.

Have you ever heard of an additive call Amquell? The guy at my LFS suggested using it to reduce the nitrates. I wasn't planning on it. With all the posts I've read and the advise I've received at 3reef, no one has ever suggested the use of chemicals to speed-up the cycling process, which leads me to believe that there is/are very good reasons for not using them. Just curious.

Thanks!

[Jason McKenzie]

I don't think there is a problem using such a produce but I think your passed the stage you effectively use Amquell. Diatoms will last 3 to 6 weeks and it will drive you insane but magically one day it will be gone.

J

[Linda]

Wish the flowers in my garden reproduced as fast as those darn diatoms. And the DO DRIVE ME CRAZY. Sometimes I turn the light off so I don't have to see them

On more question (for today, at least) about my LR. There does not appear to be much color on my LR - except for the browns and tans. But, there's lot's of stuff on the rock - little tiny plants that wave in the current; something that looks like a clam and and another that looks like the tubes of a featherduster. What is the typical timeframe in which someone can expect to see coraline growth? And, the little animals - it' been 20 days since I purchased the LR - is there any chance that they may still be alive and may grow? I sure hope so.

[Linda]

By the way, as a 3Reef Moderator are you highly paid for your expertise, or is it a labor of love?

[IBMGeek]

Im pretty sure they dont get paid, They just love reefs and dont mind helping out.Good job Moderators.