New to site and hobby!

[ReefOrMadness]

Hi,
Finally getting into salt after having freshwater years ago. I've got a 24 gallon nanocube up and running for 5 days now. I'm reading up online and in books about cycling but not sure when to sit and wait or when to take action. pH is low off test scale (using instant ocean test kits) ammonia was high off the scale 2 days ago, but now is low, nearly at o.o mg/l. Is that possible this soon? All tests compared to 2 days ago.
Nitrate- up slightly to 10 mg/l
Alkalinity- same at 3.5 mEq/l
ammonia- dropped to nearly 0.0 mg/l
phosphate- up from .6 to .8 mg/l
high range nitrite down from 2 mg/l to less than 2
low range nitrite down from 1 mg/l to .8 mg/l
calcium up from 380 ppm to 425 ppm
(using B-ionic calcium buffer system)

So...do I let her go for the next few days and keep monitoring, or try to make a small water change to chill out the pH and phosphate.
What do they say about patience?
Thanks,
Dom

 

[deelucky]

WELCOME TO MR.!!! lots of great people here with lots of knowledge.

 

[marki24]

Well you should at least let your tank run for 2 or 3 weeks. Do you have any live rock in it now? if the ph stays low in a week or 2 use a buffer to raise it. What is your saltinity level? That could be linked to your low level of pH. hope this helps. Dont rush let it cycle. Its not rewarding when your fish start dying or getting sick just because you didnt wait.

Welcome to MR

 

[ReefOrMadness]

specs

Yeah, I've got 35-40 lbs of live rock, and 20 lbs of live sand. Salinity is 1.023. I'm definately willing to wait.
Thanks

 

[guychoo]

welcome to MR.
and yes patience will take you a long way in this hobby.

 

[m'akoyPINOY]

welcome to MR reeformadness!:biggrin:

 

[duke62]

im pretty new in this hobby.these guys have been great listen and learn from senior members.and remember do not buy twice make sure you know for sure what u need and want.this hobby gets expensive enough buying once.take your time and learn as much as you can now before you buy.and have fun with it.

 

[Henrye]

Welcome to MR. You're off to a good start, and are in the middle of your cycle. Your pH will bounce around at the beginning from the acidic waste products produced by the die off of some of the live stuff in, on, and around your LR. You'll know when you're getting to end when your nitrites reach and stay at 0 ppm. I felt that your "main" cycle ends when the ammonia and nitrite remain at 0 ppm for at least a week. Remember, every time you add life or lose life in your tank, you produce waste in excess of average amounts, and your bacterial population takes a bit of time to grow to handle that (you really only have as many bacteria as there is "food" for, so you'll need for populations to increase whenever there more waste in). These "mini-cycles" may not even be noticed, but it's worth remembering that tank life is dynamic, and once you've initially cycled your start up tank, don't assume the bio filter will always function perfectly, so periodic testing of ammonia and nitrites remains important, especially after adding fish, or looking for missing traces of fish that disappear. Nitrates remain important to test for, as they will give you a pretty good idea of your water quality, as the lower it is, the better. This is even more important in a small tank, such as a nano (I have a 24 AP as well) as even small changes can quickly escalate due to the small volume of water present. A bit of extra waste in a big tank won't pollute it, while the same waste load in our nanos' will crash them (smaller is not easier).

Some people suggest to wait on a water change until the cycle is completed and then do one large one. Others suggest, which I agree with, to do w/c's during the cycle if your ammonia gets too high, as it will inhibit the bacterial growth you want. The same may be said about nitrites, but not at the levels (< 1 ppm) you have.

As far as your phosphates, they can be elevated by release from the dead organisms. I do wonder, what kind of water are you using to make your salt mix?

Henry

 

[scarf_ace1981]

hi dan

are you using rodi water? what brand of salt?

 

[basiab]

I have a 10 gallon so here is my experience. It is cycled when ammonia and nitrites are zero. Until then I would not worry about the other tests. Also be aware that certain test kits do have expiration times and after that date the test results are not too meaningfull. After the tank is cycled you may think you can do what you want but in truth your tank can probably only handle a small bio load and you want to move slowly. I would keep away from crabs, even hermits, unless you are not going to have corals. There are enough different kinds of snails to do the cleaning. Hermits will also 'take care' of some snails for you once they decide they like a particular shell.
Once cycled make sure you have a maintenance schedule and keep to it. Small tanks are not forgiving. I would suggest 10% change a week. Your tank will evolve over time and it will be about 6 months before it is really mature. During the first six months there will be various cycles of things growing in the tank. It is part of the process and all you can do is try to get rid of those that are a nuisance. Some things will just cycle out and others will need some elbow grease to get rid of.
Do not worry about living things that you discover. Enjoy them. There are very few that are harmfull. Give you tank a boost by getting a cup of sand from someone with an established. This will add a lot of life to your tank.

I do not know if you are planning on fish but if you are do not get any damsels. Chromis types are much more docile and are also very hardy. Small gobies are also good to start with. Do not add more than one at a time to give your bacteria a few weeks to catch up with the load.

 

[ozone]

Welcome to MR, ReefOMadness.

 

[clamcrazy]

welcome.