HELP! New to Salt water

DianaKay

DianaKay

Princess Diana
RS STAFF
If Ammonia & nitrites are HIGH, you will need to do a partial water change to bring them down. Keep asking about any concerns...we like to :help:


The small HOB (hang on back) filter will be just fine for what you are doing! :thumbup:
What you are needing to do with a small piece of matured live rock is introducing some good established bacteria to your little tank. The good bacteria eats up the ammonia and nitrites and reproduces to stabilize your tank.
You do NOT want to be over feeding or adding an additional source of ammonia with life (the hermit) in your tank.
You may or may not have stumbled into an addictive hobby :D :yup: :winky:
Only time will tell :rolleyes:
 
Pat24601

Pat24601

Well-Known Member
kelsyleyendecker said:
Petco has live cured rock. So I can grab a few lbs of that which is better than nothing, right? And my husband is on his way to get a water test kit. If ammonia or nitrites are high, what do I do?

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I'd say that sounds right about the live cured rock. Much better than nothing. Grab about 10 lbs (1lb per gallon of your tank).

Keep in mind you are dong this different than most of us. So, I'm not sure there is a game plan for if you have ammonia. Id think a big water change? 40% (4 gallons). But, I'm making that up.

I seem to remember petco has a product called instant ocean bio spira. I'm not sure how well it works, but you might want to try it to to accelerate the tank cycle. Im thinking it can't hurt?
 
kelsyleyendecker

kelsyleyendecker

Active Member
Oh and he gave us a small baggies of the food he feeds in their salt tanks. I think he's eating it cuz I think he's pooping? Maybe? Looks like little worm strings. Do they poop?

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newo11

newo11

Well-Known Member
kelsyleyendecker said:
I can only afford maybe 5lbs today but I'll get more Wednesday

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5lbs is fine and a good start. The most important thing is that is cured live rock (and that it stay wet when he brings it home). Get a $5 bucket from Home Depot or Lowes to bring the rock home with and keep it in salt water the whole way home until you can get it in the tank.

You have only a very small bio load in the tank (bio load being life in the tank - the crab).

If (and this ai a big if!) the live rock is cured, do not put a piece of uncooked shrimp in the tank. You do not need a cycle with cured live rock. The bacteria is already established in the live rock to act as a natural filter for your tank. With that hermit crab in the tank, you do not want a cycle (unlike every other way to start a saltwater tank). You will get a very small cycle, but we are trying to keep it very limited so that it does not kill your crab (and the whole reason why you set up the tank in the first place).

If the live rock is not cured - then you do need the deli shrimp as we do want the tank to cycle. The challenge - a cycle will potentially kill the crab. So - we will have to manage the cycle with frequent and constant water changes and testing (read this as more expensive and much more labor intensive).

You want CURED live rock. The best thing you can do is to get a piece out of an established tank and to transport it home and into your tank with it completely covered in salt water the whole way home (using the 5 gallon bucket).

As long as the live rock from Petco is cured (and has been in there tanks for a while - at least a month or longer) this will work fine. If it is new to the store - it will not work for you as it will not be cured. If it is exposed to air for more than a couple of minutes - it will be an issue as you will have some death in the rock that will kick off a small cycle (and potentially kill the crab).

You do not want to add any other live item into this tank for a while - no matter how tempting it may be. Especially if you are using Petco rock.

This can be done - it's just harder and it requires a bit more discipline and being particular about the rock that you get.

I really hope this works out for you!
 
kelsyleyendecker

kelsyleyendecker

Active Member
It was brought home in a plastic back with water from the tank in it. I put it strict into the tank very carefully.

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kelsyleyendecker

kelsyleyendecker

Active Member
After putting rocks in, we tested water real quick with just some test strips.

994e9fd2fc92e0d9749adb9d0262fbc3.jpg


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kelsyleyendecker

kelsyleyendecker

Active Member
So our NO2 is about a 10 or 20?, NO3 is zero, pH looks about 7.5, carbonate hardness is about 120, and general hardness is between 120 and 180. Those are estimates cuz these are just test strips.

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kelsyleyendecker

kelsyleyendecker

Active Member
Bottom pic was before with fake rock. And the upper 2 are now. My husband didn't get a water test strip that tests ammonia levels? Should we get that too? I'll get a better water test package when I get paid.

So we had the live cured rock and cured sand or whatever sand with bacteria. We used the ocean water they sell to start it originally. We have a filter to push water around and a hydrometer that currently has everything at the correct level. And the test strips for water quality shows everything about right but I don't know about ammonia. So I need to know what's next and what to feed. I'm pretty sure he's eating cuz he's pooping and some of the stuff I put in there for him to eat is either dissolved or gone.

What's next? I don't have algae so what can I feed him?

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