# Yet another cycling question from a newb



## JaxOphalot (Nov 22, 2016)

This is my first ever tank. 

Water parameters after day four 

Ammonia <.15
Nitrite .1
Nitrate 5 ppm

Used cured live rock and carib sea sand 

So are these normal? When do i start seeing ammonia spike? How come there is nitrate i thought those come after nitrite spike or is 5 ppm normal? Should i add a fish yet? Its a 10 gal tank. 

Temp 77
Salinity 1.026
Lights on 5 hrs a day 75 blue 25 white
Koralia 240 gph 
Stock return
Also using tap with aqueon water conditioner for top off (should i go rodi or not?)

Input needed on how i should proceed thanks


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## JaxOphalot (Nov 22, 2016)

Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

Pic of aquascape taken day 2


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## Plumberboy (Jun 2, 2014)

Luv your user name....


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## Gaia (Jun 20, 2016)

.........

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using Tapatalk


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## dino (Aug 29, 2011)

so you will have a lot to learn in your journey of salt water and I encourage you to study as much as possible before really doing anything so you don't waste your time and money. but ill try and help and I think some on this site are much more knowledgeable than me. do not add any fish its to early in my opinion and you wont want any nitrite or ammonia in your tank. I always use a bottled bacteria when cycling my tanks and its always worked for me. I do find it odd you have nitrates though, Im guessing the rock had debris and that sort of thing in it. what are your plans? fish only just use tap water I use rodi for my reef though and I like it as I find it helps a lot with algae and phosphates


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## JaxOphalot (Nov 22, 2016)

dino said:


> so you will have a lot to learn in your journey of salt water and I encourage you to study as much as possible before really doing anything so you don't waste your time and money. but ill try and help and I think some on this site are much more knowledgeable than me. do not add any fish its to early in my opinion and you wont want any nitrite or ammonia in your tank. I always use a bottled bacteria when cycling my tanks and its always worked for me. I do find it odd you have nitrates though, Im guessing the rock had debris and that sort of thing in it. what are your plans? fish only just use tap water I use rodi for my reef though and I like it as I find it helps a lot with algae and phosphates


Ok so no fishy yet. So should i keep the lights on? My nitrate did go down from 10 ppm to 5ppm. Would leaving the lights of kill the bacteria thats eating my nitrates i read last night im suppose to leave lights of while cycling? Plan is for a zoa and paly tank with a couple of fishy maybe some lps later on. Also is distilled water better than using tap? or should i just get a rodi system? Do you know any lfs that sell rodi water? Thanks for the help dino. Also should i start checking for the rest of my water para? I only checked alk and it was at 9.


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## dino (Aug 29, 2011)

So it's up to you on keeping the lights on but you don't really need them when cycling. Most grocery stores sell ro water and some lfs sell rodi but in Burnaby I bet you gave low tds so to be honest you don't need rodi for what your doing . But down the road you might want to. Your tank has no load or coral do you won't need to do anything with alk and calcium really so eventually just test as you add corals and even then softies don't use much . I test my salt though and try to keep things stable and consistent.


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## JaxOphalot (Nov 22, 2016)

Couldnt wait i went and bought a fishy a few hours ago. Dunked him in the tank and he went straight for that spot and hes been there since. kinda annoying i tried poking him but he goes right back is he mental or something?

Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

Hope you didn't just dump him in the tank with out acclimation to the new water and parameters. This is very important, if he/she was just dumped in it probably went into shock . Like dino mentioned you shouldn't put fish in until your tank parameters are steady and smooth. When doing a salt water tank it requires lots of patience. 
and will bring you a great salt water tank. Good luck.


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## JaxOphalot (Nov 22, 2016)

The Guy said:


> Hope you didn't just dump him in the tank with out acclimation to the new water and parameters. This is very important, if he/she was just dumped in it probably went into shock . Like dino mentioned you shouldn't put fish in until your tank parameters are steady and smooth. When doing a salt water tank it requires lots of patience.
> and will bring you a great salt water tank. Good luck.


Ya i did just dunk him in there. I dont think he liked it much hes still swimming erratically in that one corner. Is he gonna die?  i tried feeding him because I figured he must be tired and hungry from just swimming there but he wont eat  ...if he did die do i leave him in there to kickstart my cycle? My ammonia never went above .15 from day 1 and went to 0 after day 5. My nitrate was at 10 day 1 and now its at 2.5. Its day 10 now and im kind of getting impatient waiting for my ammonia to go up. I read that i could add some of my pissin there but ya i didnt feel like doing that lol and then i read that i could add a fishy and wait for it to poop and pee out some ammonia but maybe if he did die that would be faster? I was gonna buy the black one that was 120 bucks i really liked it good thing i didnt do that this guy was only 20 bucks


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## dino (Aug 29, 2011)

It's a gonner you must be patient and listen to others advice to be successful


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

dino said:


> It's a gonner you must be patient and listen to others advice to be successful


Couldn't agree more, if you ask for advice regarding setting up a new aquarium, especially salt water take the advice given, otherwise don't bother asking.


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## JaxOphalot (Nov 22, 2016)

dino said:


> It's a gonner you must be patient and listen to others advice to be successful


Ya i think hes on his way out. I just checked on him and hes on the same corner upside down not belly up but with his head towards the floor. Hes just stuck there barely wiggling his tail. He did eat earlier though which gave me hope but we shall see


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## JaxOphalot (Nov 22, 2016)

So since i cannot have fishy yet i went and got some non fishies instead. Got a crab with little fan thingies as his hand, got a sexy shrimp, a white shrimp dont know the name and another weird looking shrimp also dont know the name. These were not cheap i just started pointing thinking they were maybe 5 bucks a piece well they werent lol. So i read they will clean my tank ready for fishy ill wait this time. O the clown is still alive somehow still hasnt moved from his spot though. I put my magnet cleaner to see if he moves but he just got really mad and started kinda attacking it so i took it out. 

So my ph is kinda weird. From the tap it reads 8.4 but once i add salt it drops to 7.8 and my tank is reading 7.6. I would have thought ph would go up from tap reading since youre adding calcium etc from salt. Using pinpoint monitor for my readings. O wait i think i just figured it out while writing this. Temperature diff when i heat my mix? Im gonna go heat up some tap and check. Should i buff my tap water? What can i buff it with without raising my alk calcium mag since those are pretty close to optimal? Alk is 9.6 calcium 420 magnesium is slightly low at 1260 but i think its still ok.


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## MOLOTO (Jun 8, 2010)

The Guy said:


> Couldn't agree more, if you ask for advice regarding setting up a new aquarium, especially salt water take the advice given, otherwise don't bother asking.


Agree with dino and The Guy.

Best advice: listen to others and learn to be patient. When starting any new hobby, especially when living, breathing creatures are involved - it is especially important to do your research and know what to avoid.

Quotes from an article:
"*Do Not Rush*:

Starting a new saltwater tank requires a ton of patience. It can be extremely hard to wait on purchasing that fish you've been eyeing or that really neat coral, but it is essential that you do. You have to let the nitrogen cycle run its course and let your tank mature before you start placing more advanced fish or invertebrates into your tank. It can be hard to look at a tank of live rock for weeks and then wait even longer while you stare at a tank full of live rock and a cleanup crew, but you must do it to be successful.* Do not ever get into the hobby if you can't be patient or control your desire to introduce inhabitants into your tank on a whim*. Patience is key, especially when first establishing an aquarium."


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## JaxOphalot (Nov 22, 2016)

MOLOTO said:


> Agree with dino and The Guy.
> 
> Best advice: listen to others and learn to be patient. When starting any new hobby, especially when living, breathing creatures are involved - it is especially important to do your research and know what to avoid.
> 
> ...


Thank you for the advice. Ya im gonna be more patient now. I was really tempted to get another fishy but i didnt i got the cleaning guys instead now i have to wait. I also had to keep my eyes squinted when i walked past the corals because i know if i see a pretty one im gonna end up buying it. In hindsight this might not have been the best hobby for me to get into. Im probably one of the most impulsive people on the planet  i once emptied out my bank account and went and cash bought a sportbike i saw that i really liked. I didnt even have a motorcycle license or have ever sat on a motorcycle. I had the dealership deliver it to my house and the guy that delivered kinda knew i had no clue what i was doing so he asked if i needed help bringing it in the garage but i was like nah i got this lol. So after he left i tried to move it myself kicked the kickstand up and boom the thing fell right on my leg who knew sportbikes were heavy. So for a whole summer i had a brand new bike sitting in my garage while i took motorcyle school. Come to think of it i do almost everything on impulse hmm


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## JaxOphalot (Nov 22, 2016)

Holy i think i mustve introduced a pest on my tank. I noticed a ton of white specks on the glass this morning and at first i thought they were just air bubbles or dust but then they started MOVING! are they and how do i kill them? Theyre so small i cant even take a pic


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

This is a family oriented forum with lots of young kids,please be more considerate and watch your language, this is your one time warning take some time to read posting rule #2, better yet read them all.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

I edited your post for language. As mentioned by others, this is a FAMILY-ORIENTED site. We have kids who are members and visit the site so cool it on the profanity. Also, choose another screen name. I dont' care what you do in your free time but no need to advertise it around here.

Anthony


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## JaxOphalot (Nov 22, 2016)

SeaHorse_Fanatic said:


> I edited your post for language. As mentioned by others, this is a FAMILY-ORIENTED site. We have kids who are members and visit the site so cool it on the profanity. Also, choose another screen name. I dont' care what you do in your free time but no need to advertise it around here.
> 
> Anthony


So sowi i was just really freaking out wont happen again. Found out what they are stinking copepods. If anyone knows how to get rid of them please let me know id appreciate it &#55357;&#56911;


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## dino (Aug 29, 2011)

They are good. Keep in mind one wrong move when not adding a fish correct and you will suffer for a long time. So again be careful when adding and be patient


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## JaxOphalot (Nov 22, 2016)

dino said:


> They are good. Keep in mind one wrong move when not adding a fish correct and you will suffer for a long time. So again be careful when adding and be patient


Ok thanks dino. I was reading up on them and some were sayingtoo much of them could be bad i guess ill wait and see if the numbers go down a bit theyre EVERYWHERE! They werent there last night i dont know how its possible that they populate that quickly. This little scare has made me convinced i need a qt tank. Gonna go read up on how to set one up


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Pods (including copepods) are actually good for a tank cause they help eat up uneaten foods and are themselves consumed as live foods by your fish & other inhabitants. A healthy pod population is something to preserve, not exterminate.


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## JaxOphalot (Nov 22, 2016)

This is just a little update in case you guys were concerened about my tanks current inhabitants. The clown is doing good he still stays in his safe zone most of the time but he sleeps under my spin stream at night. The inverts are doing a good job keeping the tank clean. The corals that ive added over a week or so ago are also doing great. The candycane is starting to pop up a new head the hammer corals isnice and plump so is the brain coral. Those three i didnt have any trouble acclimating the duncan on the other hand was finicky. I found out theyre quite sensitive to lighting and flow or maybe just the one i got. I had it on the front and the first day it bleached out and i think almost died so i moved it to the left side rear and it regained its color but wasnt opening fully so i moved it to the right side rear where it has very little flow and sorta shaded by the spin stream and it gained its color nicely and also stayed open. But then i started noticing that it would kinda shrink up at around 4 pm so i figured he is probably still not happy with my lighting. I had to tinker with it a little bit mostly reducing intensity and how long peak intensity was staying on which was a bit of a pain. Now hes doing good. Thing is ive made the condition perfect for the duncan i dont how the other ones will react so far they havent shown any negative effect so ill keep it the way it is for now. Oh and the copepods are also still doing good i didnt eradicate them


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## Mick2016 (Jun 16, 2016)

" . . . In hindsight this might not have been the best hobby for me to get into. Im probably one of the most impulsive people on the planet . . . "

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Yep . . . save impulsive buying for bubble gum and chocolate bars.

Aquarium keeping requires homework to be done in advance. Otherwise, lots of mistakes happen at considerable expense. Slow down and read. Heed the advice from others who know what they are doing. Subsequently, the hobby will be far more satisfying for you in the long run.

After all: Isn't the point for having an aquarium to relax and enjoy it?


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## JaxOphalot (Nov 22, 2016)

Thank you for the advice yes ive been holding off on adding too much livestock. I did add a rbta though. i wanted a better spot for the clown to hang out at instead of swimming around my return. The anemone is doing good but the clown hasnt made his move yet its been a week now. I guess im gonna have to wait and see i might trade this clown in hes kinda boring. The corals are still doing really well.



Mick2016 said:


> " . . . In hindsight this might not have been the best hobby for me to get into. Im probably one of the most impulsive people on the planet . . . "
> 
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> ...


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