Newbie - 29g Biocube - Lots of Questions

[wyssj]

I purchased a 29g biocube and have since started with setting it up. I did some research before hand and started the tank with just water till the proper temp was achieved then added 40lbs live sand after a few days. That set for about a week give or take then my live rock arrived. The rock I purchased came with lots of plants/macro algae and coralline algae as well as some other things that I don't know what they are. I skipped the step of rinsing my LR due to lack of knowledge, my own fault, and now I have dead organic matter on the sand bed and the plants are covered in organic particles and sand particles. And the water also developed a yellow-green tint. I am a week in now and salinity and temp are correct and the yellow-green tint has somewhat diminished. I have also noticed what I think are bristle worms in the sand, I guess these are good for cleaning the sand?

I have checked the nitrate levels and they are at zero...will it take more time than this first week to get higher and for cycling to really start?

Also, I keep reading conflicting/differing ways of cycling a new tank. My guess in combination to what I have read is that due to the LS and LR the cycle will go faster? I also have added a bacteria solution that is supposed to "seed" the tank. I added that after adding the LS.

And how to get rid of the tint to the water and the debris on the rock? I talked to someone at the local pet store and they said to do a partial water change weekly for the tint to go away and then start counting for the cycling process. And as for the debris, I read that a turkey baster, forcing water onto the rock will free it to be filtered and make the rock clean. I did this tonight and it does look better...well the rock does, my tank is a mess now.

Any help would be great. I feel like I am heading in the right direction, I would just like some conformation or correction if necessary (which is probably extremely likely since this is my first salt water tank).

I apologize for the long post but thanks for reading and for any help that you may be able to provide!!

 

[tnwillia]

Look thru here for now, others will jump in to help. Have fun!

http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums...rs/33555-look-frequently-asked-questions.html

 

[mcentire1123]

 

[nanoreefing4fun]

to ReefSanctuary, a real Sanctuary of reef forums, with lots of very nice members

If you want to clear your water a bit, might try running some carbon

 

[Conway Corals]

Welcome!

You sound like you are on the right track. One thing that everyone on these forums will tell you is GO SLOW!! If your tank has only been setup for a week or two, you have a ways to go.

Your cycle is dependent on so many factors, it is almost impossible to tell you how long it will take. You should see a spike in ammonia and nitrite then as they level off your nitrates will begin to climb.

I wouldn't do a water change just yet, let the cycle progress a bit more. You might also throw in an uncooked deli shrimp to give it a little more biological material to work with.

Good luck! And remember, go slow, it will help you more in the long run than you can even imagine.