Josh's 40g breeder
- Thread starter jkef2010
- Start date
theplantman
Active Member
Hydor Koralia Evolution Circulation Pump/Powerhead
Tunze Turbelle NanoStream Pump
I actually run this tunze in my 34 plus older koralias 2's (which I believe are the nano 425's now) that were rated at about the same flow. The Tunze blows the older ones away, not sure about the new koralia's.
Tunze Turbelle NanoStream Pump
I actually run this tunze in my 34 plus older koralias 2's (which I believe are the nano 425's now) that were rated at about the same flow. The Tunze blows the older ones away, not sure about the new koralia's.
Your GOOD bacteria is developing & growing in your tank during it's "cycle" time. Your good bacteria needs to be able to handle the bio-load that you will start having when you add fish. The shrimp in your tank is going to rot (same way a dead fish would) and cause ammonia & nitrites (very harmful to fish & corals-livestock) Your good bacteria needs to grow enough (and it will!) to change the ammonia & nitrites to NITRATES. As your cycle progresses you should see a spike in Ammonia, followed by a spike in Nitrites, then they will zero out as they become NITRATES. When your NITRATES start to get high, it's a good sign that your cycle is completing. When your ammonia and nitrites stay at ZERO & you NITRATES are UP, You can do a water change to reduce the nitrates & Your tank will be ready for your 1st fish (only 1 fish unless you add a pair of fish like clowns) ADD FISH SLOW so that you do not cause ammonia & nitrites. Your good bacteria will continue to build as you add fish at a very slow rate.
Can't say it enough, GO SLOW & do not over load your system in the beginning.
These numbers look right to me... for a cycling new tank 
Hopefully your baby shrimp are these.... pods which are good
Melevsreef.com - Amphipod
Hopefully your baby shrimp are these.... pods which are good
Melevsreef.com - Amphipod
Fish food Pods are great !!! They won't get much bigger....
Pods are great !!! They won't get much bigger....FishOuttaWater
Member
You want as many of those as you can get. They are great for your tank. I wouldn't test your water every day. It will only piss you off. Test it every few days during the cycle. You probably won't see much change. Once your ammonia goes to 0 your nitrites will shoot up. Give it a few days and test again. Still high then wait a few days and test again. They will start cutting in half daily at some point. I had to quit testing every day because my wife was getting mad that the levels weren't changing.
Matt
Matt
theplantman
Active Member
Be patient Josh, your numbers are doing exactly what they are supposed to. Once your bacteria population catches up with the ammonia, you will see it start to fall and pretty quickly. When ammonia and nitrite hit zero its water change time and cleanup crew time.
jkef2010
Member
Well I woke up this morning to find my dear hermit crab could not survive the spike 
I'm very sad to see him go because that little dude lived for 2 hours in the LR covered in went paper towels so kinda convinced myself he would make it through this. but I will post a picture of the tank once I get my camera charged.
I'm very sad to see him go because that little dude lived for 2 hours in the LR covered in went paper towels so kinda convinced myself he would make it through this. but I will post a picture of the tank once I get my camera charged.FishOuttaWater
Member
Don't be worried. It's normal. A hermit crab is not going to survive the cycle in most cases. It happens. It sucks but you will be starting over in a few weeks.
Matt
Matt
sicksnoopy71
Member
I wouldn't get coral right away. See what the tank reacts like with some fish in there. Their poop will throw parameters off ideal levels for coral so making sure you can control it quite well with whatever filtration you are going to implement or add-on is a good way to take control. Start with a couple small fish to start the bio process. example-two clowns, then add a gramma later, then add a wrasse, and so on. Make sure you can control your parameters through filtration and that what you have is sufficient enough. Corals will never do well if you don't start there. You can to the right place. Good luck.
jkef2010
Member
Well a few people told me to add a deli shrimp in the tank and let it rot to kick start to bio filter. So that is what I did. The hermit crab was just a hitchhiker. So I don't wanna add no fish yet until the parameters are under control and the bio filter is up to far with the correct biological component's.
jkef2010
Member
I believe i'm getting a little addicted to this SW hobby. ( I can't seem to stay off of RS, reading other's threads). The best of all I think i'm starting to understand a lot more then what I have in the past weeks reading a book. I can not stress enough how much I appreciate EVERYONEs help and advice.
jkef2010
Member
Well took a water reading a few minutes ago and they are as follows.
Ph- 8.0
Ammonia- 0.50 ( No Change)
Nitrites- 1.0ppm ( up from 0.50)
Nitrates- 15 ppm ( up from 5.0)
Last test was 2 days ago.
Also plan on adding about 10-13 more pounds of LR next week. Since I know what i'm looking for in LR now and not just blindly grabbing. I'm replacing the big flat purple rock on the left hand side since I have no idea how to incorporate it into the rockscape.
Ph- 8.0
Ammonia- 0.50 ( No Change)
Nitrites- 1.0ppm ( up from 0.50)
Nitrates- 15 ppm ( up from 5.0)
Last test was 2 days ago.
Also plan on adding about 10-13 more pounds of LR next week. Since I know what i'm looking for in LR now and not just blindly grabbing. I'm replacing the big flat purple rock on the left hand side since I have no idea how to incorporate it into the rockscape.
Your tank is progressing through the cycle (that's GOOD!) You might want to keep the big flat rock long enough to see what you come up with. I didn't find rock scaping to be very much FUN 
it was more frustrating than fun. But when you get done & sit back to admire your work, it will make it seem less of a pain. Good luck rock hunting keep testing. (Gives you interesting things to do while WE WAIT)
it was more frustrating than fun. But when you get done & sit back to admire your work, it will make it seem less of a pain. Good luck rock hunting keep testing. (Gives you interesting things to do while WE WAIT)