OK, I’ve been at my cycle for quite a while.
I cycled with cocktail shrimp for a month. Ammo, NO2, and NO3 were at 0 at this point.
After that, I added 90 pounds of Gulf View LR & 30 pounds of LS. I got some die off that resulted in another mini-cycle. After that two-week period, I added 80 pounds of TBS LR and 20 pounds of LS. The TBS had a lot of sponge on it. I could not possible remove it all. This resulted in another cycle that was a bit greater than the one from the Gulf View (several clam-type critters attached to the LR died off). We are two weeks into this third cycle.
I will be adding another 80 pounds of TBS LR as soon as this cycle completes (should be in a few days). This will bring me to 250 pounds of LR in my AGA 125. I also have a ~5” DSB made up of SD & LS.
My concern: I have hair algae and red slime growing. It was really really bad but “seems” to be getting somewhat better. Is it logical that the repeated NO3 spikes are probably the culprits? My VHO actinics are brand new and MHs are six-months old (bought used and trust the source).
I’ve sucked some off the LR during water changes while also sucking up the decaying sponge as recommended by TBS.
Everything I’ve read recommends letting nature take its course, relax, everything will be fine. My paranoid side says I’m getting off to a bad start with multiple cycles that are preventing me from getting a clean-up crew on board and I’ll be fighting this mess forever.
Other possibly helpful info: All water added is RO/DI (PO4 is .2), SG is 1.024, temperature is 78 to 81 degrees F., skimmer is producing a good inch of thick green goop every day, water is slightly cloudy (not crystal clear), 3 x 250 MHs on 12 hours, 2 x 160 VHO actinics on 14 hours (too much?), return pump supplying ~1000 GPH, and three additional MJ 1200 PHs for additional water movement.
A possibly important observation: I had the water movement concentrated on keeping the water moving around the rock. This resulted in limited water movement at the surface. Since moving the return flow to disrupt the surface of the main tank, things “seem” better. I thought the skimmer and drains into the sump would keep O2 up and CO2 down (bad assumption?).
This was way longer than I had anticipated. If you made it this far, THANKS!
Your recommendations are greatly appreciated!
I cycled with cocktail shrimp for a month. Ammo, NO2, and NO3 were at 0 at this point.
After that, I added 90 pounds of Gulf View LR & 30 pounds of LS. I got some die off that resulted in another mini-cycle. After that two-week period, I added 80 pounds of TBS LR and 20 pounds of LS. The TBS had a lot of sponge on it. I could not possible remove it all. This resulted in another cycle that was a bit greater than the one from the Gulf View (several clam-type critters attached to the LR died off). We are two weeks into this third cycle.
I will be adding another 80 pounds of TBS LR as soon as this cycle completes (should be in a few days). This will bring me to 250 pounds of LR in my AGA 125. I also have a ~5” DSB made up of SD & LS.
My concern: I have hair algae and red slime growing. It was really really bad but “seems” to be getting somewhat better. Is it logical that the repeated NO3 spikes are probably the culprits? My VHO actinics are brand new and MHs are six-months old (bought used and trust the source).
I’ve sucked some off the LR during water changes while also sucking up the decaying sponge as recommended by TBS.
Everything I’ve read recommends letting nature take its course, relax, everything will be fine. My paranoid side says I’m getting off to a bad start with multiple cycles that are preventing me from getting a clean-up crew on board and I’ll be fighting this mess forever.
Other possibly helpful info: All water added is RO/DI (PO4 is .2), SG is 1.024, temperature is 78 to 81 degrees F., skimmer is producing a good inch of thick green goop every day, water is slightly cloudy (not crystal clear), 3 x 250 MHs on 12 hours, 2 x 160 VHO actinics on 14 hours (too much?), return pump supplying ~1000 GPH, and three additional MJ 1200 PHs for additional water movement.
A possibly important observation: I had the water movement concentrated on keeping the water moving around the rock. This resulted in limited water movement at the surface. Since moving the return flow to disrupt the surface of the main tank, things “seem” better. I thought the skimmer and drains into the sump would keep O2 up and CO2 down (bad assumption?).
This was way longer than I had anticipated. If you made it this far, THANKS!
Your recommendations are greatly appreciated!
