one simple cycling question!!!

guppy1

guppy1

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Mar 11, 2005
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ok, i am in the middle of buying my live rock, and i have 2 questions, the first question is, since i am ordering my salt and LR at the same time, can i put the salt in the tank then right after put the LR in, couse they will both show up the same day, and i dont want the rock to sit out of the water to long or else it will die off, so can i put the rock and salt in at the same time?, also what tests do i need, i have the deluxe laborette kit from www.drsfostersmith.com, it is a freshwater and slatwater kit, will that be enuff? o, and one more, how do i know what my water parameters need to be for my LR?,
thanks so much,
Shane
 
Hey there...in preperation for the salt and rock arriving, i would get the tank 3/4 full and get it up to the right temperature to start will...get all the flow going...as soon as the salt arrives, get it measured out as per the directions on your brand of salt, while that is circulating and dissolving, get the live rock washed and scrub off if neccesary. Once the SG in the tank is around 1.023, then get the live rock in there..

Never come across someone who has used that test kit you mentioned, however, i always prefer to use a test kit that is specifically designed for marine, and not a multipurpose kit. The basic tests you need are Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and pH. For reef, the other basics are calcium, alk and mag at a minimum...

All you need right in the tank, as far as params are concerned is the temp about 72 - 78f and the sg of around 1.023 - 1.025..all the exact water parms themselves will all fall into place when you start to cycle the tank...

Niko
 
I would mix the salt with some hot water then dump it in the tank as this will help the salt to disolve faster then float some bottles of ice in the tank if you need to bring the temp down. Then in 24hrs you should check everything to see where it is at and make any adjustments that are needed. What size tank and what kind of salt did you get.
 
my tank is a 33 gallon half octagon, the salt i ordered i will tell you in a little while when i can find i get on there site again, also can i start cycleing the tank before the salt and LR get here? like can i start adding ammonia to the tank to start the cycle?
thanks,
Shane
 
my guess would be no because sw and fw bacteria are different. but depending on the method you are going to use it could work. i guess if you are doing the shrimp method then you can start to decomp it a few days before.
 
i am useing the pure ammonia method, and this is what i ordered today, 1 LBS of fiji buna branch ultra premium live rock, 12 LBS of Fiji premium live rock, 8 LBS of south pacific birdnest base live rock, 1 LBS of Fiji ultra premium live rock, 2 LBS of real live sand with pods and zoos, (what are pods and zoos?), the salt i got is "Vibrant Reef High Grade Marine Salt", i got enuf to mix 50 gallon so i would have some left over!!!, alltogether i paid $72.17 for the stuff, and $53.58 for shipping, so it was $125.75 grand total,
so thatis what i got, does it sound good?
thanks
Shane
 
sounds great. pods are amphapods and copapods not spelled right. they are great and fish love them. remember to take lots of pictures when they arive. i would wait to start your cycle until you get your salt.
 
dot worry i will have pics up soon, maybe tomarrow night, what are zoos?, also how do i goabout starting the cycle, and i am going to the LFS tomarrow, what tests should i buy, i am for sure buying a salt meter thingy so i know what my salt is!!!, what other tests do i need?, also what chemicals can i get for my tank, LR, and all that, do i need special light for the LR i have, also what rock goes on top? what rock goes in the middle?, what rock on bottom? there is a total of 22 ponds of live rock going in my 33 gal for right now, do i need a filter during the cycle if i have all this rock, or just keep the filter for now?, also the tank reads barely over 79f, is that good enuf for the cycle?,
Thanks,
Shane
 
guppy1 said:
ok, i am in the middle of buying my live rock, and i have 2 questions, the first question is, since i am ordering my salt and LR at the same time, can i put the salt in the tank then right after put the LR in, couse they will both show up the same day, and i dont want the rock to sit out of the water to long or else it will die off, so can i put the rock and salt in at the same time?, also what tests do i need, i have the deluxe laborette kit from www.drsfostersmith.com, it is a freshwater and slatwater kit, will that be enuff? o, and one more, how do i know what my water parameters need to be for my LR?,
thanks so much,
Shane
Click to expand...
This kit should have everything you need to get started with SW; but not the specific reef tests mentioned earlier. Whenever I use a new test kit for the 1st time or see something that seems "odd"; I compare with the results from a GOOD LFS. I assume you have a good hydrometer or (even better ) a refractometer.
 
i do not have a hydrometer, what does it do, i am making a list of stuff i need for when i go to the LFS, so tell me what i need, and roughly how much they cost, so far my list is is, sand, salt meter'measurer thingy, and now a hydrometer,
thanks,
shane
 
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