suziq
02-05-2003, 1:02 PM
History: my first SW tank. 20g. Tried to do this piece meal for cost reasons.
3 weeks ago, I set this up with 20# aragalive sand, 10# play sand and 7 # cultured rock.
One week later I added another 10 # of rock half cultured/ half fresh off the plane. Ammonia tested then at as having some (used my FW kit) and 10ppm nitrAtes. ph at 8.4 4gal water change was done.
3 days later took water sample to lfs and they found no ammonia or trites. Gave me 2 damsels (straight out of shipment). By the time we got home they were really stressed. one didn't make it thru the night, the other died early the next day. One body disappeared.
Last week, I bought some partially cured tonga rock and added 15# of oolite sand, stirred it a little to bring up the larger particles of sand, added a small topping of crush coral, and rearranged rock and cleaned up what I believe was a small diatom bloom. did a 3gal change. Finally got a good test kit and found pH 8.4, amm .5mg/L, Calcium at 340, kh 10degrees, trates at 10 ppm. I added some aragamilk. and have been adding it every few days or so.
4 days ago, I finally added a shrimp to the tank.
Now I have a 4in DSB, 25-30 # of LR, and i have NO idea where my tank stands :confused: :p
I tested everything today and this is what I got
Amm .1 to .3 mg/L,
trites .1 to .3 mg/L
Trates 5 tp 10ppm
Calc 400ppm,
KH 12
ph 8.4
The shrimp had turned to a little pile of goo, I have had another alge outbreak of brown and green silt on everthing. Brypopsis hair algae is growing on some rocks, the caulerpa is growing, I have polyps, featherdusters, and a couple of little wormy creatures appear on the rocks. i am seeing little gas bubbles in the middle layer of the sand and one spot is a little greyed. I my DSB fully cycled?
I'm lost in this process, where am I ?
:D
3 weeks ago, I set this up with 20# aragalive sand, 10# play sand and 7 # cultured rock.
One week later I added another 10 # of rock half cultured/ half fresh off the plane. Ammonia tested then at as having some (used my FW kit) and 10ppm nitrAtes. ph at 8.4 4gal water change was done.
3 days later took water sample to lfs and they found no ammonia or trites. Gave me 2 damsels (straight out of shipment). By the time we got home they were really stressed. one didn't make it thru the night, the other died early the next day. One body disappeared.
Last week, I bought some partially cured tonga rock and added 15# of oolite sand, stirred it a little to bring up the larger particles of sand, added a small topping of crush coral, and rearranged rock and cleaned up what I believe was a small diatom bloom. did a 3gal change. Finally got a good test kit and found pH 8.4, amm .5mg/L, Calcium at 340, kh 10degrees, trates at 10 ppm. I added some aragamilk. and have been adding it every few days or so.
4 days ago, I finally added a shrimp to the tank.
Now I have a 4in DSB, 25-30 # of LR, and i have NO idea where my tank stands :confused: :p
I tested everything today and this is what I got
Amm .1 to .3 mg/L,
trites .1 to .3 mg/L
Trates 5 tp 10ppm
Calc 400ppm,
KH 12
ph 8.4
The shrimp had turned to a little pile of goo, I have had another alge outbreak of brown and green silt on everthing. Brypopsis hair algae is growing on some rocks, the caulerpa is growing, I have polyps, featherdusters, and a couple of little wormy creatures appear on the rocks. i am seeing little gas bubbles in the middle layer of the sand and one spot is a little greyed. I my DSB fully cycled?
I'm lost in this process, where am I ?
:D