Help it happened to me now

[Booboo33062]

I'll do a water change tomorrow then. We'll see what happens. The thing that makes me nuts is I knew better, but when hubby said I could get some I did.
It gave us something to look at.

[three90s&125sump]

Yup, I tend to jump on things when the wife gives me the OK.

[volitanking]

if you have a big enough bacteria poup then the ammonia should start to drop in 2 or 3 days. if you change some water they will go down but after you get that first huge spike you shouldent have that problem again. when i cycle a tank i let it run with no critters (but add LR and sand) for about 2 or 3 weeks then add 1 or 2 small fish and wait another 2 or 3 weeks and consider it cycled.
never lost a first fish or invert.

[wannareef]

i wouldnt worry about it, it should correct itself dont think the snails or crabs will freak, just do a few water changes

[Booboo33062]

Thanks all you have calmed my nerves. I can relax and do some more waiting. I should get my lights around the first week of March. When can I start leaving the lights on for a while? It is so much fun to just watch the snails and crabs but after daylight is gone it's hard to see anything.

[Booboo33062]

any ideas on the lights?

[electricbluelizzy]

I'm pretty sure you can start your lights any time you want.

The deal is, lights can help fuel algae growth, so many people leave them off entirely during the cycling phase. Other folks say a few hours of light a day will help preserve the biodiversity of your rock. You run your risks either way, just depends on what you want more.

Regardless of what you choose, you should stick with a stable day-to-day light cycle once you start. You can adjust it so it is on during your viewing hours, or you can use special night lights that are supposed to be invisible to the inhabitants (red, I think, but how they know they're invisible is beyond me??). Some simulate the moon with white LED moon lights.

Theres a buncha options, and anyone can argue for hours what is the best answer... You really will just have to make up your own mind based on the facts as to what you want and go with it...

Don't you love how you always get a straight answer on here?