90g tank setup

[Donkey]

We are setting up our 90g tank, has a 20g tank underneath for sump. We just received our live rock from aquacon.com. they said it was cured so we put it in our tank filled with water, tried hooking up sump pump, problems!! couldn't get tank water level to stay at the top, sump tank too high etc. etc. I think we got that working ok. We also have a cascade 1000 hooked up and working well. Water tested ok so we put our fish from our 65g in and our corals, we have a bubble, 2 brains, pipe organ, gonipora, sponge and a gorganian plus a few polyps. The next day fish are all dying, we put them back in 65g tank, test water and it is pretty bad, toxic actually. My question is did the live rock contaminate the tank? We took 25g water out and replaced with new, water tested good, next day we tested it was toxic again. Now we have put all coral back in 65g tank and are trying to clean live rock. What is the best way to do this??

[VWD]

I hate to say it but You will have to cycle the tank. They may say the rock is cured, but during shipping You have dye off. I think You will have do a full cycle and don't place anything in the tank.


vince

[Donkey]

How do I do a full cycle?

We are not very experienced.

[Geoff]

Originally Posted by Donkey

How do I do a full cycle?

We are not very experienced.

let it sit running for 2 months with just the LR in it.

G~

[lizardarm]

i agree, the live rock was probably filled with no-longer-live organisms that mucked-up the water. over night seems pretty fast. let it sit for a while and run its course. keep the water flowing good and clean the filter frequently (i'm assuming that you are using a filter sock) as all this dead stuff tends to end up in there. might also suggest that when you do finally start to move the livestock back into the 90 gal try to bring most of the water from the 65 gall tank. the critters are acclimated to it, might help ease their stress a bit.
what they're saying by "full cycle" is that as the dead organisms start to decay, it causes the water parameters (ammonia, nitrates, nitrites) to get all out of whack, but this happens in a predictable sequence and will subside as the beneficial bacteria in the tank starts to get a better foothold and multiply.

[Donkey]

What is a filter sock? We have been cleaning the rock off with a wire brush also, is this ok? Just trying to get all the dead stuff off of it.

[lizardarm]

What is a filter sock?

if you are running a sump, the filter sock is a big sock looking thing that goes over the outlet pipe or hose that is draining into the sump. more so, the outlet drains into the sock. it traps solid wastes, and sometimes fish.
scrubbing the rock may help, but i would recommend a toothbrush rather than a wire brush. the problem tends to lay deeper than the surface, so it's questionable if you're really doing any good. your best bet is just to leave it all alone. patience gets us through most of these "startup" problems

[Donkey]

We don't have a filter sock, we do have a sponge and bioballs. Should I be doing water changes while the tank is cycling?

[lizardarm]

i'd hold off on the water changes untill after you see the cycle playing out. water changes at this stage, as i understand it, tend to only prolong the agony.

[VWD]

now would be a good time to get the bio ball out, you don't need them with the live rock.the filter pad is ok for now, You can clean it as it get dirty.


Vince

[Donkey]

how do I know if the cycle is playing out? What type of test kits do I need to be sure my water is safe?

[lizardarm]

i agree with taking out the bioballs. their popularity seems to have fallen to the wayside. never used them myself, but they apparently (predictably) tend to nitrify the water after a while. there's a fine line with the aerobic and anaerobic bacteria needed for these types of systems to work.

[Donkey]

Also, what temp should I have my heater?

[lizardarm]

temp should be normal reef temp 78-80.
you want to be testing for ammonia and nitrates. the ammonia will spike, then shortly after it falls off, if memory serves me correctly, you'll see a spike in nitrates, which eventually turns into nitrites. ideally you want all of these to be at or about zero parts per million.

[lizardarm]

Water tested ok so we put our fish from our 65g in...

of course there may be something else in the water that is hurting you fish. some chemical or other pollutant. i had previously assumed that you were already testing for the normal i'm-cycling-my-new-tank stuff.
did you use DI water for the tank?