beatle

I made it slowly over the course of 3 days. I started with enough salt for 15 gallons, and added 5g of RODI over the course of 2 days. It sat for about a day after the last bucket, mixing with a heater and a powerhead. The dry rock came with the original cube, not sure of its origin, though I believe it had been dry for quite a while. Lost the goby too. :( If the ammonia is a result of the firefish's death, I'm guessing the temperature could be the result of it. I have 4 thermometers: two Coralife digitals (one new), an infrared temperature gun, and the thermostat on my ViaAqua heater. The old coralife reads 78.7, new coralife reads 76.7, heater reads 79, and the temperature gun reads 81. It's been a while since I've calibrated my hand (over 2 years) so I'm not sure which is right, though I'd have to say it feels cooler than I expected.

I upgraded from a 24g nano cube to a 40g breeder last night. I bought the cube used and it was already established. I used new sand, but left most everything else the same. I had just a few peppermint shrimp, yellow clown goby, red firefish, and sally lightfoot, along with a couple hermits and snails. Everyone seemed happy, though I did not test the water. During the upgrade I put the rock in a bin and siphoned out the tank water. I then used all of the existing rock plus some dry rock and new, rinsed sand, along with new saltwater mixed w/RODI to get the tank running. Salinity between the new and old water was the same - 1.025. The water ended up relatively cloudy at the end of the job, but I did see the firefish swimming around just an hour later. Today when I got home I decided I had too much rock in the tank and started to reaquascape. In the process I found the firefish about half eaten. I then tested the water. Salinity was the same, temperature was the same (79), but ammonia was between 2 and 4, nitrite was 0.25, and nitrates were 20. What could cause this spike? The only thing left in the 24g was the sponge, but I had previously rinsed it the week prior, and 2 weeks before that when I got the tank. I did not want it to become a haven for the bacteria or become a nitrate factory. Any ideas as to what caused this spike? I'm planning another water change, but without much livestock (not sure if the goby is still alive) I may just let the cycle ride itself out.

If you want to get really specific, African cichlids like higher ph. Discus and most South/Central American cichlids prefer lower ph. Airstones aren't really necessary, but I remember I liked the bubbles when I was a kid. Dwarf puffers can be interesting, albeit tiny fish. It was fun to feed mine worms.