lighting and cycling

tranceFusion

tranceFusion

AC Members
Mar 21, 2007
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Frederick, MD
I am working on setting up a 10g nano reef. I came across the opportunity to get live rock and sand from someone with a large tank. I am planning to order some high wattage lighting online but I thought I had a crappy stock hood. The problem is that after getting the rock and sand I realized it doesn't.

do I need to go out and spend money on a junky hood/lighting until I order and receive my high wattage stuff? Is there anything beneficial on this live rock that will die without lighting? Thanks!
 
If the live rock has been in a reef tank then there will most likely be organisms on the rock that depend on light, coralline algae etc. It won't die straight away without light, it'll take a little while. If you have any desk lamps etc to put over the tank until your light arrives then that would keep most stuff alive. It shouldn't effect the water quality if the coralline does die off and it will come back anyway.
 
Yeah I guess its hair algae.. its like the hair algae that shows up in ponds, but it is attached to the rock.. I guess I'll just leave the tank dark for another week or so until I get the lights. Do I need to continue to provide food for the bacteria?
 
You will have to cycle this tank as its effectivly a new start up, even though you have had rock taken from an existing reef. Its exactly what i have just done with my nano, i would suggest you read through the cycling methods sticky, found here.

My suggestion would be to use a raw shrimp and get some ammonia created and start the cycle off that way...

Niko
 
Right now I just tested the water level. I haven't added anything. The ammonia is at 1.0 ppm, Nitrite at .5 ppm and Nitrate at 40 ppm.

With that much ammonia, do I really need to add some?

Also, after the water settled, I have a bunch of greyish muck at the top of the crushed coral. Not sure what it is - maybe just fine sand particles? Can I just siphon this stuff off?
 
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