Hello to anyone, hope I don't type anything too amateur and stupid been reading so much on here most seem extremely knowledgable,I have kept freshwater mainly cichlids with good success breeding them well, but anything salty I have learnt from this forums. so therefore i have too many questions iching to get out regarding my particular little amateur set up.
Ok, I have set up an 80 litre so therefore nano tank? An aquaworld/Boyu/Orca (so many bloody makes appear to claim the patent on the design) theMt50. Was set up in the aquatic centre as a reef with live rock mushroom corals, Zoas etc and a couple of fish and Clean up crew. came with filter 1100 L/h return, heater and chemical media section all built into back. It has T5 18w pl compact dual blue/white light.
added:
600 L/H aquasyncro powerhead ('wavemaker'?) is it? Thought it must just be classes as power head as no adjustable flow or turbulence etc. after reading on here realised I need 20 times flow for the mushroom corals softys I could possibly keep in the poor lighting.
10 kg of 'cured' ? live rock from LFS created a design I think will allow good flow around it, 1.5 inch sand, RO salted water to SG of 1023, heated to 25. Ph close to 8,
Left it, It cycled (well what I realise now is an initial cycle, you can tell i a freshwater) so quick and in 6 days I was seeing ammonia 0, nitrite 0 nitrate 50 and the diatom brown algae began. Then the next day the nitrate went down to 5 ppm. I got my LFS to double check my water, they then gave the ok to add a very small CUC 2 small hermits one blue one orange, two snails. Next day I done a 20 percent water change added phosphate and nitrate media to filter compartment and put lights on timer, on for ten hours a day. 0 amm,0 nitrite, nitrate 1 ppm, SG 1023, ph 7.9. Then........
Trace of 0.2 (lower than 0.25 on test kit) ammonia. Crapped myself, rushed water sample to a different LFS and they confirmed 0.2 Ammon. They said the other LFS advised adding CUC too soon, advised to leave and hope for best. I am not feeding the CUC and ain't since went in due to them being scavengers but I added 'nite out' ammon detoxifying bacteria enough for the size of tank, left it and monitoring the ammonia. My god I waffle here the questions...
1. Did I add the critters too soon due to bad advice inpatience. Or like I have been reading is a mini cycle 'completely normal when adding livestock with marine' did nt experience with freshwater.
2. Am I doing right not water changing as its not rising I thought a water change would just make the mini cycle start again if I changed. he critters appear ok.
3. The LFS kind of conned me the set up I viewed was the set up I wanted I later found out the display set up had led lights and mine just had the T5 compact, is my lighting ok for shroom coral Zoas etc, I thought it was but is it definately? I do plan to upgrade to led in future.
4. I seem addicted to flow and like look of it can i add another 600 l/h power wave/ head, will it be waste of money or improve waste removal further etc.
5. After this ammonia spike I do not want to add anymore live stock for a few weeks and it will be a peppermint shrimp I want, I have a couple of big aptasia,I don't wanna use the poison for them aptasia x, should I, they are getting big the nasty anenomes.
6. Does adding the nite out really detoxify the ammonia and am I wasting money adding it every other day during this spike.
7. Is the filter sponge, chemical media going to cause me problems with nitrate should I ditch it and stick to the live rock and buy little skimmer,and regardless would removing it cause a mini cycle.
8. Will this diatom bloom be over soon I hate it.
Wow, thanks to whoever picks that lot up. Cheers, Grant.
Ok, I have set up an 80 litre so therefore nano tank? An aquaworld/Boyu/Orca (so many bloody makes appear to claim the patent on the design) theMt50. Was set up in the aquatic centre as a reef with live rock mushroom corals, Zoas etc and a couple of fish and Clean up crew. came with filter 1100 L/h return, heater and chemical media section all built into back. It has T5 18w pl compact dual blue/white light.
added:
600 L/H aquasyncro powerhead ('wavemaker'?) is it? Thought it must just be classes as power head as no adjustable flow or turbulence etc. after reading on here realised I need 20 times flow for the mushroom corals softys I could possibly keep in the poor lighting.
10 kg of 'cured' ? live rock from LFS created a design I think will allow good flow around it, 1.5 inch sand, RO salted water to SG of 1023, heated to 25. Ph close to 8,
Left it, It cycled (well what I realise now is an initial cycle, you can tell i a freshwater) so quick and in 6 days I was seeing ammonia 0, nitrite 0 nitrate 50 and the diatom brown algae began. Then the next day the nitrate went down to 5 ppm. I got my LFS to double check my water, they then gave the ok to add a very small CUC 2 small hermits one blue one orange, two snails. Next day I done a 20 percent water change added phosphate and nitrate media to filter compartment and put lights on timer, on for ten hours a day. 0 amm,0 nitrite, nitrate 1 ppm, SG 1023, ph 7.9. Then........
Trace of 0.2 (lower than 0.25 on test kit) ammonia. Crapped myself, rushed water sample to a different LFS and they confirmed 0.2 Ammon. They said the other LFS advised adding CUC too soon, advised to leave and hope for best. I am not feeding the CUC and ain't since went in due to them being scavengers but I added 'nite out' ammon detoxifying bacteria enough for the size of tank, left it and monitoring the ammonia. My god I waffle here the questions...
1. Did I add the critters too soon due to bad advice inpatience. Or like I have been reading is a mini cycle 'completely normal when adding livestock with marine' did nt experience with freshwater.
2. Am I doing right not water changing as its not rising I thought a water change would just make the mini cycle start again if I changed. he critters appear ok.
3. The LFS kind of conned me the set up I viewed was the set up I wanted I later found out the display set up had led lights and mine just had the T5 compact, is my lighting ok for shroom coral Zoas etc, I thought it was but is it definately? I do plan to upgrade to led in future.
4. I seem addicted to flow and like look of it can i add another 600 l/h power wave/ head, will it be waste of money or improve waste removal further etc.
5. After this ammonia spike I do not want to add anymore live stock for a few weeks and it will be a peppermint shrimp I want, I have a couple of big aptasia,I don't wanna use the poison for them aptasia x, should I, they are getting big the nasty anenomes.
6. Does adding the nite out really detoxify the ammonia and am I wasting money adding it every other day during this spike.
7. Is the filter sponge, chemical media going to cause me problems with nitrate should I ditch it and stick to the live rock and buy little skimmer,and regardless would removing it cause a mini cycle.
8. Will this diatom bloom be over soon I hate it.
Wow, thanks to whoever picks that lot up. Cheers, Grant.