30g Sw progress thread...

Had this allll typed out and it buged on me... well i have nothing better to do tonight sooo...

Ill start off by saying hello! this is a great forum! got lots of help and knowledge so far. Im 17, a student from ohio. Ill graduate in june, and i have basic for the marines june 16th. Mos= battalion recon. I have been posting a few threads, ill keep all my questions here for now on!

My 30g was a FW tank before this with mollies and a loach. It had other visitors, but they came and went, due to my lack of knowledge and care. The last guy, the loach was given to a friend of mine at my LFS. He was pushing 7'' when i gave em up. I have recently cleaned, and re-did my tank.

I decieded to go salt due to my interested in the new species, and for the challenge. Now im just waiting for my **** tank to cycle (geting ready to do my duties in the tank to spike the ammonia!!)

I have goten a new filter for the salt water tank, i heard that a bio wheel filter wouldnt cut it for a salt water tank.

Equitment --

-Fluval 205, up to 40g
-400gph powerhead
-2 heaters
-hydrometer/testkit/bio boost/water condtioner/buckets and a bunch of other stuff.

My tank has about 1.25'' of sand as the substrate, and 7lbs of live rock at the moment. It has been cycling for about 3 days. I just put 3 cut up raw shrimp in a mesh bag and hung it in the tank to spike the ammonia.

Ill post some pics, im sure some of you have seen them all before. Now i promise all my annoying questions and threads will stay here!! :silly: :silly:

Ill post the pics in a reply, since i think thats what buged on me last time.. Thanks for the help in this quest ahead of time, im sure ill have loads of questions for you guys.

here they are, the shrimp has been cut up since this pic, and i have added another.

Woke up this morning and got a reading of 1 ammonia. How long high should i let it get?

-another thing about the nitrogen cycle i dont fully understand is.. After i pull the bag out and there is no longer a great source of ammonia for the nitrosomonas to oxidize and make nitrites. wont they die off due to the lack of food? which will make the nitrobacters, that feed on the nitrites and turn into nitrates also die off? To my understanding, if i dont stock at the right time, the cycle could be re-set?


-got lots of other questions, but ill only ask a few at a time lol. should i leave my light on for the live rock? its a 15 watt from an old 10g, the 20 watt in the 24'' for the 30g burnt out. Just wondering how many watts i need for live rock and livestock (no soft coral yet). And if you feel like it!!! explain to me the lighting system needed for soft coral, that would help alot. I really want some in the future, would i need a new hood, blah blah blah....

just got back from Woodward dream cruise :headbang2: :headbang2: :headbang2: :headbang2: :headbang2:
have been in a 1970 firebird for like 20 hours.

anyways, came home to find my room stinkin like ****.

Nitrate=0
Nitrite=.5-1
PH=8.0
Alkalinity=300
Ammonia= ~1-3 inbettwen the two. (eariler i said i got a reading of 1 ammonia, i belive that is wrong, that was reading the pads, and not thought the plastic looking onto the pad like its suppose to be read.

I think ill leave the shrimp in for 2 more days.

Good news! found someone in ohio selling LR for like 2.50 a lb with some snails i belive. He says the LR is crawling with life. It hes not to far i plan on picking up 25-30lb to add to my 7. maybe a little less.

Heres some pics of that gross shrimp... too bad u guys cant smell it! :eek3:

Just got, like 30 mins ago, my order of 15lb of cured tonga. They sent me one big rock, which is sweet. I need some advice on how it looks in the tank, and how the set up is.

(dont mind the bag on raw decomposing shrimp :rofl: )

After i get the LR right where i want it, ill big in down into the sand to make is stable.

What temp is best for LR btw?

I still have the possiblity to get up to 100lbs more lol, 2.50 a lb from a guy north of me. Cured Fiji, you guys think another 15lbs would be overkill? maybe 20?