zygote2k July 15, 2012 Share July 15, 2012 just pee in the tank. it works better than anything else, it's free, and if you had some good IPA last night, your tank will get a boost of B vitamins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 July 16, 2012 Author Share July 16, 2012 Lol i think ill go with the shrimp....might feel wierd having a family member catch me standing over the tank. Should have a couple more pics and update this evening. Sand and rock are in the tank and sump, just need to get the last 30 gallons of water in to.get the cycle rolling. Thanks to everyone offering to give a cup of sand to seed my tank, im definitely interested! Im a new face here and would love to meet some of you all and check out your systems! Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 July 17, 2012 Author Share July 17, 2012 Here are some updated pics with the rock, sand, and water in the tank and running. Excited to be operational! Left side no light leftsidedark by nbgen12, on Flickr Right side no light rightsidedark by nbgen12, on Flickr Sump no light sumpnolight by nbgen12, on Flickr FTS no light FTSdark by nbgen12, on Flickr Left side with light leftsidelight by nbgen12, on Flickr Right side with light rightsidelight by nbgen12, on Flickr Sump with light fugelighton by nbgen12, on Flickr FTS with light FTSlight by nbgen12, on Flickr And for the start of my cycle: Ace hardware 10% ammonia hydroxide and Biozyme ammoniabiozyme by nbgen12, on Flickr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 July 17, 2012 Author Share July 17, 2012 I wasn't able to make the left side perfectly like my trial run, but it is close enough and still has the arch I want. After looking at tons of scapes over the last 6 months I took a piece from each of my favorites as you can see one arch, one cave, and one pillar surrounded by small canyons in the middle. There is a ton of room to place corals and for livestock to hide. I can't wait to get a couple months down the road.... Tonight 13-14ml of ammonia and 1/8 teaspoon of biozyme will go in the tank to kick off the cycle. I calculated this dose by using the Ammonia Calculator Just in case anyone was wondering when I had pictures with the light on, this light will not be running while I cycle, as it would be a total waste of electricity and bulbs. I started a thread looking for some sand and will be shooting out a few pm's to the kind folks who offered up a little! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 July 17, 2012 Author Share July 17, 2012 Also during the cycle, I will have the temperature bumped up to the mid-high 80's since I have read this is the optimum temperature for the formation of the beneficial bacteria. I will also be running airstones to keep the water very well oxygenated. I've read a couple articles of guys doing this method cycling there tanks in as little as 2 weeks. I guess we will find out how well this works. ....need to head to marine scene tomorrow for a ammonia test kit....not sure the ammonia alert thing will cut it or not but don't want to shortchange myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef July 17, 2012 Share July 17, 2012 looking good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf July 17, 2012 Share July 17, 2012 Looks very nice, great start!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incredible Corals July 17, 2012 Share July 17, 2012 I really like it, great job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S July 17, 2012 Share July 17, 2012 Just in case anyone was wondering when I had pictures with the light on, this light will not be running while I cycle, as it would be a total waste of electricity and bulbs. The tank looks great. I love the aquascape. Personally, I leave the lights on during a cycle. Here is a good discussion on the issue for you to review. Ultimately, the lights won't affect the nitrogen cycle, however, 1) they will speed up the algae process, and I'd suggest it's better to start that early on and beat it, than it is to deal with it post-cycle when you're adding corals and fish; and 2) it's nice to have them on during the cycle process to enjoy viewing the tank. If you're worried about bulbs costs, you should go w/ LEDs and ditch the T5s then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 July 17, 2012 Author Share July 17, 2012 The tank looks great. I love the aquascape. Personally, I leave the lights on during a cycle. Here is a good discussion on the issue for you to review. Ultimately, the lights won't affect the nitrogen cycle, however, 1) they will speed up the algae process, and I'd suggest it's better to start that early on and beat it, than it is to deal with it post-cycle when you're adding corals and fish; and 2) it's nice to have them on during the cycle process to enjoy viewing the tank. If you're worried about bulbs costs, you should go w/ LEDs and ditch the T5s then. I may have to run the lights. I need to get my apex up and running first which ive been putting off... Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 July 17, 2012 Author Share July 17, 2012 (edited) im still waiting on LEDs to keep getting better before i make the jump over....i would rather use all that money for corals and fish since i got the T-5s about 6 months ago and should suit my needs for now. Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2 Edited July 17, 2012 by nbgen12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S July 17, 2012 Share July 17, 2012 im still waiting on LEDs to keep getting better before i make the jump over....i would rather use all that money for corals and fish since i got the T-5s about 6 months ago and should suit my needs for now. Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2 Nothing wrong with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 July 17, 2012 Author Share July 17, 2012 (edited) Last night, I put in about 16ml of the ammonia but did not have a test on hand to test the ammonia level, only the calculator to base my dose. I said 95g tank volume since the sump is only a little over 2/3 full and the rock displaces some water. I got my ammonia and nitrite salifert test kits today and tested all the tank parameters. Here's what I got between the IO salt mix and the ammonia dose: SG:1.023 - 1.025 (used hydrometer not refractometer...waiting to calibrate refractometer before using it) Alk:9.9 DKH Ca:350 Mg:1170 NH4:right around 2ppm DKH looks good, calcium needs to move towards 450 or so, Mg would like to get between 1250 and 1450, but the ammonia after 16ml of 10%ammonia hydroxide?I feel like there must have been a problem with the ammonia test. According to the calculator I should have been between 4-5ppm. Testing error maybe? Why is it so low? I just seeded with live sand from marine scene but it was put in the tank like 15 minutes before I tested ammonia so it couldn't have taken any out of the water realistically. Edited July 17, 2012 by nbgen12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 July 23, 2012 Author Share July 23, 2012 (edited) Got home from a trip this weekend and noticed my ammonia alert was nearly at 0. I am pretty shocked at the speed at which the ammonia is dropping already. Tested ammonia with the salifert test. NH4: 0.5 Time to wait a couple more days for it to hit 0, then time for the nitrite and nitrate tests to see where I'm at. Once nitrite reads 0, I will put another 16ml of ammonia in and see how long it takes to drop to 0 again. From what I've read, once I get ammonia to hit 0 in less than 24 hours after my 16ml dose of ammonia I should be in the clear for getting the CUC in there to chomp on some algae, which I am already beginning to see in numerous spots on the sand and glass. Edited July 23, 2012 by nbgen12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spelter July 23, 2012 Share July 23, 2012 Looks good. Following along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 July 26, 2012 Author Share July 26, 2012 (edited) Yesterday the ammonia was at 0. I have a nitrite test but don't know what the heck happened to the color card which came with the salifert test. I tested nitrite and it was a VERY bright/deep pink color which I'm pretty sure means a high nitrite reading. I also added another 16ml of ammonia last night. After having a completely miserable time getting the Apex up and running, it is finally accessible from the outside and I have all the outlets programmed for action. Now I just need this tank to finish cycling.... Edited July 26, 2012 by nbgen12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 July 27, 2012 Author Share July 27, 2012 So it appears my cycle is moving very very fast. I ended up adding a third round of ammonia because it tested close 0 again, so theres clearly a good bit of bacteria growing. Nitrites were noticeably lower than the last test, and nitrates tested in at around 80-100ppm. Does everything seem normal? Please leave your feedback! A) I didn't expect to have ammonia drop so quick already B) I didn't expect to already have nitrates remotely close to the 80-100ppm range. Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind July 27, 2012 Share July 27, 2012 I think you can slowly start to add some bio load. I would add something like seachem's stability too and keep a small bottle of prime on hand in case the ammonia spikes. I would make sure the clamp on sump light is secured so it can fall into the sump. I had that exact model pop off and land in the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 July 28, 2012 Author Share July 28, 2012 Ammonia hit 0 again when I woke up this morning. I added another 16ml. I tested 2 hours after adding ammonia and it was just over 2ppm. I tested 6 hours after the ammonia dose and it was at 0.5ppm. Nitrites are getting close to 0 and Nitrates are high. Almost time for the big water change and adding the CUC I placed an order last night with reefcleaners.org for a bunch of snails and hermits along with some macro algaes to add to the one Supernova gave me with some live sand at the beginning of the cycle. I'm surprised it's still alive after all that. Super excited to be getting the CUC crew in there soon.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 August 2, 2012 Author Share August 2, 2012 (edited) Grabbed a cuc from reefcleaners.org along with some chaeto, caulerpa, and i believe some ulva algae. Cuc has plenty of algae to keep busy on so starvation shouldn't be an issue. I got the cuc in the tank tuesday 7/31...how long should i wait before grabbing my first few fish? Ammonia is still 0, nitrates are about 50ppm(following a good sized water change). Ive got a serious itch to pick up 2 purple firefish and a goby... Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2 Edited August 2, 2012 by nbgen12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EZTimes August 4, 2012 Share August 4, 2012 Let me know if you(or anyone else)need any feather caulerpa as I must harvest my 180g & 100g refugium as I no longer have my large Tangs to eat it. I have have enough to fill a 20 gallon tank. I am near you down 123 by GMU and available most of the time. Have pictures but they are to large to post here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 August 4, 2012 Author Share August 4, 2012 Let me know if you(or anyone else)need any feather caulerpa as I must harvest my 180g & 100g refugium as I no longer have my large Tangs to eat it. I have have enough to fill a 20 gallon tank. I am near you down 123 by GMU and available most of the time. Have pictures but they are to large to post here. Thanks! The caulerpa i got looked pretty ragged so that sounds great to me. Ill shoot you a pm soon Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 August 10, 2012 Author Share August 10, 2012 Thanks alot for the caulerpa and kenya tree EZtimes, the caulerpa has made a monster difference even in the few days since i got it. My ph swings are half what they were, and the caulerpa is definitely outcompeting the nuisance algae. I threw a little in the display tank and it adds a really nice touch. Today i placed an order with steve over at quantum reefs who gave me a really awesome deal and was a great help. livestock ordered from Quantum Reefs: -2 purple firefish -1 pink diamond watchman goby and candy stripe pistol shrimp pair Steve offered to hang on to the 2 purple firefish so i dont need to add them all at once and over-do the bioload in one go. A+ customer service without a doubt. Heading on a week vacation to Colorado and will be picking up livestock when i.get back. Eagerly awaiting my first WAMAS frag fest..... Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 August 24, 2012 Author Share August 24, 2012 Stopped by quantum reefs today and picked up my 2 purple firefish, 1 yasha goby, and candy stripe pistol! Awesome looking fish! Great guys over there at Quantum Reefs as well, I will surely continue doing business with them. I've been ghost feeding the entire time with a generous amount of pellets so hopefully I won't get any ammonia spike between now and when when frags from the FFE go in the tank. I'm taking a little risk with my initial choice of corals, but we'll see what happens. Here's my list of coral frags I'm getting from different WAMAS members, and hopefully I won't expand any more than what I've already got coming this way lol. -ORA green birdsnest -green tipped pink birdsnest -sky blue stag -pink tipped yellow mille -3 polyp bam bam zoas -3 polyp unkown zoas -watermelon/2 tone blue frag -radioactive green frag -GSP frag Over the next couple weeks -hammer coral 1 head -frogspawn 1 head Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbgen12 August 25, 2012 Author Share August 25, 2012 Unfortunately 1 of the purple firefish didn't make it, but of course Steve and Vince over at Quantum Reefs came through with great customer service. In my 2 trips over there I've thoroughly enjoyed talking to those guys. They gave me a great deal on a tribal blenny for a replacement, and it looks like he settled in nice and quick. He's already tearing up the algae on the back glass. Definitely an entertaining fish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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