More Ammonia issues

[TriMax]

Ok, this is going to show how new I am.

I have 500 lbs of hirocks in my tank. I put 100 lbs of Haitian uncured LR in last Thursday (one week ago). I tested the ammonia today and got <0.25. I was expecting a much higher number.

I, of course, could have performed the test wrong -- the LR was not very alive (although I got stung several times) -- or the reading is correct. Did not test anything else yet.

Well, salinity is 1.025.

Test the others, nitrites and nitrates, or do what

Thanks

Eddie

[TriMax]

Ok, totally not enough info. So, I tested the nitrites. 2.0 or maybe less.

Now what?

Thanks, sorry for the newness.

Eddie

[waynesworld]

patience keep testing the water if it goes down after 2 weeks you can add some cheep fish and start to build up the micros on the rock. The low reading may be that you have so much water it will not spike as high also did you use biosphere? Or live sand? both will absorb the shock of the normal dieoff of LR

[droppindeuce]

Originally posted by TriMax
...nitrites. 2.0 or maybe less.

If you are getting a nitrite reading it means the ammonia reading was probably right. The ammonia turns into nitrites and then nitrates. I would check for nitrates as well.

[TriMax]

Took advice and tested nitrates. Reading between 50 and 100. So do I add some store bought shrimp to get some more ammonia? What is next?

Thanks

Eddie

[fishdoc11]

Wait till your nitrite is zero and then start adding some hardy invertibrates...........ie your cleanup crew:)

[RCS]

Eddie, I think you may be expecting too much here. Ammonia becomes nitrites becomes nitrates during the cycling process. With the little amount of LR you've got in the tank, there's going to be very little dieoff and lots of water volume to dilute it.

To be completely honest, the cycle you're going to go through right now is going to be for a very small bioload relative to the size of the tank. If you cycle it like this, make sure you add things slowly. You can artificially increase the size of the cycle by adding additional sources of ammonia (pure ammonia, frozen shrimp, fish food, etc.).

If you stick with the way you're going, a slow stocking method will be advisable. If you increase the ammonia levels for a larger bioload, you can stock more heavily to begin with.

[imsqueak]

I think Fred nailed it.

[RCS]

Sorry, finished that in a hurry on my way out the door from work.

To expand on the ammonia-nitrites-nitrates thing, the point I was trying to make is this:

With a 375-gallon tank, and only 100 lbs. of rock, there's really not a whole lot to die off and cause a huge spike unless the rock is literally ocean-fresh.

It all really depends on how you plan on stocking the tank. The load the tank will be able to handle depends on what you cycle it with. If you cycle a tank with three small damsels, you have a biological filtration component that will handle exactly that: 3 small damsels. People make the mistake of then adding something like a lionfish, or something of the sort, and the tank will cycle again (although it may be abbreviated) while the biofilter catches up, but there will still be excess ammonia and nitrites for a while until it does.

If you're going to stock the tank slowly over time, then you should be just fine. If you're planning on stocking it any quicker, you may want to consider adding another source of ammonia.

[waynesworld]

Fred That is what I was trying to say and I think it is better to add it slowley

[easttn]

No Damsels! They are extremely territorial and will sometimes harrass future tankmates to the death. I lost 2 fish to a domino damsel in 2001, may he RIP. Fish traps are hit or miss depends on the fish.
Very important rule, don't go to a LFS and buy a fish on a whim. Make sure you know what they eat and what their typical habits are before you buy.
Do you have your skimmer crankin yet?
PM cleared.

[RCS]

Sorry, the damsel example was just what popped in off the top of my head...since most people use damsels or are advised to use damsels to cycle. I've never done it and would certainly never suggest it as a way to cycle a tank, for the reasons you mentioned. Don't anyone take that laterally!

A medium cocktail shrimp per 50 gallons or so is a much better method. It gives you a larger bioload, faster cycling time, and it's much easier to remove than a damsel!

[fishdoc11]

Yall are making this way too hard;)

[danieljames]

lmao...patience grasshopper. When you can snatch this pebble from my hand........

[easttn]

Originally posted by fishdoc11
Yall are making this way too hard;)

Yep, leave it alone for another two weeks at least. Just enjoy examining/changing your rock work for now.

[Runner]

A great cycle fish are mollies, actually. I only used them for mine, though, because I already had a brackish tank with mollies in it. The grown ones acclimate well (increasing salinity over a 8~10 hour period) to salt water and mine seemed to thrive in it even while cycling. They are real easy to catch when you are ready to remove them, too -- or let them be food for the next inhabitants.

[waynesworld]

I like my green chromas to start they are cheap and hardy and I like haveing 8 in a big tank to watch them swim togther

[RCS]

Although all these ways work, I've never seen any need or justification to cycle with fish, especially with nearly 100% wild-caught (and increasingly rare) marine species, when there are perfectly good alternatives.

Save a fish, cycle fishlessly. Everything we can do to help the hobby is a step forward.

[Angela Short]

I like the shrimp methode to get a higher bioload capability of cycleing also. But in a big huge tank like that a school of chromises would look nice also and give you something to look at for the time being. I especially like the blue reef chromises, very nice and non aggressive. Whatever you do you need to reasearch each fish (and QT!) before it goes in such a huge tank. Catching someone would not be fun if he was sick or just plain ol mean. I wonder if it would hurt to use 6-8 chromis and add a small shrimp to keep the ammonia a little higher. To mature a bigger bio since damselfish are so hardy and would probally be fine. I have no clue, just wondering. Wish I had a big tank to worry about what to put in...........

[TriMax]

After two weeks of the LR only

Ammonia <.25
Nitrites .2
Nitrates between 5 and 10

Added shrimp to the tank. Will test for ammonia in, how long, a day or two?

Eddie

[RCS]

Should see it rise up pretty quickly. I would give it 24 hours and test again.