Newbie Help

[Mike87SS]

Hi everyone. I have been lurking around this site for about a week now trying to get as much info as possible, and have been really impressed by the knowledge base here.

I started my saltwater tank about a week and a half ago, and here is where I am at:

75 gallon AGA w/ glass top and twin bulb flourescent(sp?) fixture
One corallife actinic bulb, and one normal flourescent
110 pounds of sand - 60 bio-live aragonite/50 garden basics Walmart sand - best $2.72 I ever spent
50 pounds fiji live rock from SeaTrade Marine down in Jersey
SeaClone protein skimmer - haven't turned on yet
Emperor 400 - just being used for circulation and mechanical filtration, carbon has been removed and saved for a rainy day
AquaClear 802 powerhead
300w heater

Ok, now from some questions:

1. How long should I leave the hydrometer in the tank before I check it readings. I am checking it once a day right now to make sure salinity is remaining constant.

2. My pH is currently 7.8, will this normalize more once the cycle has completed in my tank, or should I be considering using some sort of buffer to raise it now, and if so, what products have you folks had good luck with.

3. I still have the Bio-Wheels in my emperor filter, should I leave them in there for another source of biological filtration, or should I take them out all together?

4. The live rock that I received had a fair amount of die off so I gave it a quick rinse, and put it in my tank. It is mostly brown with very little coralline algae on it. What can I do to make this rock more interesting? Are there any additives I should be using to make the rock come alive? There were very few hitchhiker on the rock, which I guess is ok, seeing as I am using the rock to cycle the tank anyways, and probably would have lost most of them to the ammonia spike anyways.

Currently my ammonia levels are off the chart, which is exciting to me, as it assures me that my cycle has begun

I am not going to be doing any more ammonia testing for another week or so, and will test for nitrites a few days after that.

On a side note, I noticed that Slipknottin is from New Britain CT. I am one town over in Newington. Maybe we can compare notes sometime. Thanks in advance for any advice that folks can offer, and I look forward to helping other newbs when I am better versed at the marine hobby.

 

[gbolton]

1) I would leave it in there long enough to stop bouncing ... I think you are talking about the glass floating one.

2) Your PH should be higher than this from the original salt mix. You may need to buffer what is your alkalinity?

3) I would remove all bio wheels and filtration from the canister and just allow the live rock to do all the filtering.

4) ensure that your alkalinity and calcium levels are good after the cycle and this will allow the corraline algae to spread. You can add hermits, snails, and other hitchikers after the cycle.

Other than that sounds good. Welcome to the salty side

 

[mogurnda]

1) You might think about taking some tank water and putting it in a glass or jar, then putting the hydrometer in. Keeps it from bouncing around in the tank.

2) pH is not a big worry when the tank chemistry is such a mess during the cycle. If it stays down afterward, then it may be a problem.

 

[Mike87SS]

Originally posted by gbolton
1) I would leave it in there long enough to stop bouncing ... I think you are talking about the glass floating one.

2) Your PH should be higher than this from the original salt mix. You may need to buffer what is your alkalinity?

3) I would remove all bio wheels and filtration from the canister and just allow the live rock to do all the filtering.

4) ensure that your alkalinity and calcium levels are good after the cycle and this will allow the corraline algae to spread. You can add hermits, snails, and other hitchikers after the cycle.

Other than that sounds good. Welcome to the salty side

Sounds good. I will give the glass jar tip a try.

I will remove the biowheels, but should I wait until I order more LR?

I will buy an alkalinity and calcium test kit this week. Are there any additives that I should consider using?

I am looking forward to getting my cleaning crew in there Hopefully within a month or so I will be able to do just that.

 

[Mike87SS]

Originally posted by mogurnda
1) You might think about taking some tank water and putting it in a glass or jar, then putting the hydrometer in. Keeps it from bouncing around in the tank.

2) pH is not a big worry when the tank chemistry is such a mess during the cycle. If it stays down afterward, then it may be a problem.

This makes me feel a bit easier about the whole pH thing for now. I will wait until the cycle is over to worry about the pH, then I will make the decision to add buffer. Thanks again for the advice.

 

[caz]

make sure there are no air bubbles on the needle of the hydromete, these can mess you up real bad hehe

 

[Mike87SS]

Originally posted by caz
make sure there are no air bubbles on the needle of the hydromete, these can mess you up real bad hehe

I have one of the glass floater types, so I dont see this as being a problem. I have to make sure to let my buddy know this though, as he has one of the needle type. Thanks for the info.