armymedic

same here with the brownish covering i have all over the rock and the sand....but mine is only 5 days old. I expected weeks into it but not days....could it be due to the manual ammonia adding technique ive been using?? thx.

Hey man, hows it going? i am about a week ahead of you! I didnt pee in mine, even though i seriously thought about it. I used pure ammonia from a hardware store. Simple one for that is the shake test. if you buy/have ammonia and you shake the bottle, if its pure it shouldnt foam up or bubble up. Put that stuff in there until your ammonia is about 3-5 PPM or just really darn dark on the test strip. I am using my old live/now base rock and about to put a couple of live rock pieces in myself just to help it along. I did put ALOT of live rubble rock in the sump area just to help out. alot of my stuff is already turning brown...i think thats a good sign??? Good luck and remember us noobies are just a PM or email away!!

Based on what i have right now i am around 2 PPM for ammonia. I just ran out of the the kesslers salt until i get the new test kit in. I think it should be ok to just let it sit for a couple of weeks or do i need to do anything else to it? By the way should i be running the lights at all ? Thx.

well i ordered a new test kit. Mine is sortof old. This one has what i need for now i think. http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/product/productInfo.web?=&infoParam.itemKey=198308&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=ocean_master_test_kit

So i am at day 3 of the tank cycling process. WHY ISNT IT DONE YET??? lol I used the direct ammonia method, and i have slowly introduced quite a bit of pure ammonia to the water. I am assuming this will not hurt the live sand or live rock that i have put in it?? when testing for the ammonia though, the articles say to put in from 3-5 PPM. My tester only goes up to 2 PPM. How do i know if i am at 3,4 or 5 PPM? Thx

Ok. Day 2!! Salinity is 1.023 and holding, water is pretty clear. well it was....i just added the live sand and now its back to cloudy. i guess that will clear up soon. I am going to get a better test kit to start water testing. I am going to try the ammonia direct method today. I am going to let the tank cycle the live sand for a couple of hours and then put the ammonia in. Thanks Tom for the very informative articles on cycling tank.

Well i used all but 3 gallons of RO/DI water. I didnt think about using someone's water from a water change. Now that i have the water in already. Should i swap it out for "used" water or press on?

lol...well once i figure out how to add my location on my name i will aim to see how i can put my tank specs below as my signature at the bottom of the page. I have a 28 Gallon JBJ Nano Cube HQI with 2 X 266 GPH accela pumps. its spitting out quite a bit of air. i just wonder if it is due to lack of flow or maybe just a bit low on water level? hmmm.

Thanks Tom by the way my powerheads are spitting out some air bubbles making the water sort of well....bubbly! ; ) is this normal on day one??

So do i put the live sand in after i get the ammonia levels balanced/down to the next stage or before? I have been reading articles about fishless cycling and this seems the best way to go for me. also, can you tell me what i should put in that basket in the back of the tank for cycling? its a 3 section basket.

Holy Windex batman!! regular household ammonia?? i have some straight ammonia. how much would i put in there and would i just add it now? thx for the help by the way guys! and by the way....how do i add my location to my name ??? thx

But wont the live sand help with that "bacteria" in the water? I have a bag of it to put in the tank. Does it go in now or days from now? When you say dead cocktail shrimp, you mean like the one you get in a bag from the grocery store? i really gotta google that one..lol

Chris at Rooozens did recommend TLC for starting up the tank. Of course the back says if cycling a tank use Smartstart, so not sure why he gave me this. So can anyone tell me when its safe to put the live sand in? As far as the chlorine in the water, i live in waldorf and i am told its not very high in chlorine. I have a filter sponge in the basket, do i need to add any carbon to it?? not sure what the urine would do vadim?? how is that beneficial??

Ok i have my tank up..sortof....im really going to need some help (babysitting) here. i just do NOT want to screw this up. So i have 28 gallon JBJ nano cube up. I filled it with my base rock. TIME TO CYCLE it? I just filled with RO/DI water (cept) i had to add about 3 gallons of tap water since i was short. I got some rubble rock from roozens to put in the filter area?? i put a sponge in the basket for filtering?? I think later on i have to put some cheato and something else recommended in the basket?? I have a fuge, not sure how to use it..lol hey i know what your thinking but you were new to this at one time too!!! The salinity is between 1.023 and 1.024. I think thats good. Is it time to put the live sand in ??? whew! im going to get a beer!! Any/All help is appreciated! thx.

Can someone please tell me where the thread is located to add pics....still new here and been reading for 20 minutes and cant find it...thx

Sorry guys, as you can tell by my posts i am still learning forum etiquette. Can anyone tell me where to put a post for a request for live rock? I am getting ready to start a 28 gallon AIO and not sure where to find some at a good price. Roozens wants quite a bit and i am not sure of their quality. thanks guy!!!

Thanks!!!! I really appreciate that. I am actually still in the army and stationed at Walter Reed which is probably not far from you. Just let me know when/where is good for you and i can be there. thanks again!!!

Ok, first of all I just took care of the membership issue. I am now an official NEWBIE member!! Placement of this tank in my study area will make it a bit more difficult to maintain, however, i am ready for that. Of course i say that now! Thank you everyone for a warm welcome and great ideas thus far. First things first, where is a good place to get the live sand and live rock in waldorf, MD???? I actually live in accokeek, but its close to Waldorf. I do want to buy a small skimmer. I prefer to let the equipment do as much as the work as possible. Less for me to screw up! : ) I do have a RO unit. i havent used in years. I might need to get a new filter for it. I did have a 55 gallon tank many years ago. Mostly FOWLR but small things like xenia. I didnt have the experience or the right equipment/lighting so after many crashes i gave it up. I can easily mix up 5-10 gallons of pre-mixed water with the RO unit and have it on standby. I am anxious to get some water, sand and rock in this puppy and get it cycling. I still have about 200 pounds of base rock from my old tank...never threw it away, but i guess i can add that later after i get a really good base up.

This is great stuff. Thanks alot guys!!! I will be adding the water, live rock and live sand today when i get home from work. I will have to pick up a small skimmer, according to most it appears a small one wont hurt. And since i have no filtration yet that might be a good thing. I will also look at getting some media for the back such as the little pvc looking pieces? and maybe some carbon? not sure if that should be early or later.

Do you think the 70 watt MH is enough for the 28 gallon tank? also how much live sand should i start with. I am assuming you put the sand in first to help with the cycling proces?

Hey All, First post here so be gentle!! : ) I just picked up a 28 gallon JBJ tank with a sunpod 70 watt metal halide lighting and a single 235 gph single pump. The person i bought the tank from didnt have any of the original equipment that comes in the filter area. He said i probably wouldn't need it. Can you please advise on what/how i should equip the tank for a basic small reef with very easy to keep corals and a few fish as the end result? I know i need to start with some more basic equipment since the tank ony has one pump in it and other basic neccesities. So please fire away and help me to get this thing off the ground! thank you very much!