Just want to make sure I'm doing this right.

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dougefresh

dougefresh

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Mar 8, 2006
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Ok, well I finally decided to try a salt tank. I've decided to go with a little 20 gallon, I've read it's usually harder to go with a smaller tank but that's what I had readily available.

The tank has been running for 6 days now. I'm running a Tetra EX45 HOB filter, a Coralife T8 50/50 blue/white bulb, a Marineland 400 Max Jet powerhead and a 100 watt heater. I started with 20 lbs. of this type of sand

-> http://www.petfood.com/item/caribsea-arag-alive-fiji-pink-reef-sand/10004TZ1 40P/?srccode=GPPETFD

I have 16 lbs of rock in the tank, 5 of it was dry and 11 was live and I'll be putting 4 more lbs. of live rock Friday. I let the tank cycle with just sand and saltwater for 2 days and made sure the salinity was right and then put the live rock in. After that I put in a dosage of Instant Ocean's Bio-Spira.

I noticed a Nitrate spike the day after the live rock and Bio-Spira were in, I then did a 10% water change, checked all levels and it seems to have returned to pretty much 0 PPM for Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates. The temp. is at 77 degrees and PH is at 8.2.

Basically, I'm just curious if I'm doing this right as I'm pretty much just going off of what I've read and I'm trying to do it right the first time.

Do I need to cycle with a piece of shrimp as well? Thanks to anyone that wants to help.
 
yeah add a piece of raw shrimp and let it cycle via the rock. you have enough rock so go ahead and remove the HOB filter, u wont need it.

reads like your off to a great start bro. your gonna enjoy salt :D trust me :D
 
Should I wait till I have a good 20lbs of rock to remove the HOB? I was kinda thinking about just running the HOB anyway with maybe just a sponge for extra circulation.

And how exactly does the shrimp cycle work? I know you add a piece of shrimp, let it deteriorate when nitrates spike just do a water change?


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Doesn't the HOB aerate the tank? Wouldn't he want to keep it for that, if for nothing else? Or is that just for the cycling?
 
the only thing the hob filter would be good for is running carbon and gfo but if he dosnt feed flake/over feed and he keeps up with water changes ever 4-5 days he should be okay as far as gfo goes. and alot of people have mixed feelings about using carbon on a reef
 
Make sure your HOB dosnt have a sponge also as that will eventually pollute your tank with phosphates.
 
dougefresh said:
Should I wait till I have a good 20lbs of rock to remove the HOB? I was kinda thinking about just running the HOB anyway with maybe just a sponge for extra circulation.

And how exactly does the shrimp cycle work? I know you add a piece of shrimp, let it deteriorate when nitrates spike just do a water change?


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Click to expand...

You can take the HOB filter off right now if you wanted to. You arent going to be putting alot of fish in there at first so that will be plenty of filtration until you get the other 4lbs.

I use the shrimp cycle in all of my SW tanks. I think it works the best out of all methods. It takes about 4 weeks for my tanks. The shrimp cycle method works like this: Put the shrimp in a pantyhose so when you take it out it doesnt break apart and cloud up your water. Drop it in the tank. But make sure you hang it or drop it into the sand. You dont want it touching the rock because it could leech ammonia into the rock. After a couple days it will start to decay creating ammonia. After about a week or a little more, the nitrite will start to gradually increase and the ammonia levels will gradually decrease. This is the middle of the cycle. After about another week you will notice that the nitrate will start to increase and the nitrite will strat to decrase. When there is no longer any nitrite in the tank you should do a 50% water change to get rid of the excess ammonia. This is usually when the diatom bloom ususally happens for me. The cycle is now done and you are now ready to SLOWLY start adding fish. Its best to add a really cheap fish like a chromis or damsel first so if there is anything wrong you wont be killing an expensive fish.
 
I guess I'll start the shrimp cycle tonight or should I wait till I have the full 20lbs in?

I think I will leave the HOB on because I have no intentions on going to a reef, at least in no time soon. The ultimate goal is a pair of clowns and I don't know what else, if anything else.

Thanks for all the input guys.


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You can do it now. I don't think adding 4 lbs after the cycle is done will start a mini cycle.
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