[NanoReefer1]

(1.5 days into live rock, and live sand)
Ph: 7.5
Ammonia: 0-0.1
Nitrate: 10-20(looked more like mid 15)
Nitrite: 1ppm (.30 ppm Nitrite-Nitrogen)
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TankTemp: 80F
Salinity: 1.0275(SG) 36%
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Fiji Rock 11.6lbs
Black Live Aragonite Sand (just what they call it)
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Here's a picture lol hope I dont get flamed for anything that looks wrong.

Sand clouded up the water, and this is 29hrs afterward.

Also I know the pictures are kind of crappy, but can anyone see any hitchikers im missing? (There is a 4th rock behind left one just as a note)









Other than what was already mentioned I have a question about the Activated Carbon filter that I put in to clean the water up after letting the sand settle. The question is if I should leave it in or take it out because after looking at the filter after only 2 days it has collected ALOT of junk. (Prolly noob mistake) idk but maybe you do... Thanks!

[weez1959]

Nice rocks!
I'd bring up your PH is about all I can see, other than that you're going through the normal cycle stuff. You can probably drop the salinity just a bit too, around 1.025 - 1.026
What size tank is that? Looks like a 20??
Don't worry too much about hitch hiker's, most of them are good guys!

[L018]

I cut a piece of filter floss and stuffed it into a penguin 350 filter intake. I did a similar thing with a clean and unused washcloth cut and stuffed in a penguin 1140 powerhead.


This cleared my 29 gallon with 40 lbs of live aragonite sand in under 12 hours. I had to swap the filter floss out once at after about 3 hours. For good measure I rinsed the filter impeller afterwards but it did not accumulate sand thanks to the prefilter.

Not sure if this helps, but I saw your filter and thought I would mention. Sounds like your sand has almost settled though.

edit: Just wanted to make sure I mentioned that you remove the prefilter material after the water is clear.

[zhenya]

I really wouldn't worry about any of the parameters except your Ph. Also, there is no need to run activated carbon at this stage in your tank's life, simple floss material in the power filter should speed up clearing of the water column. I had similar issue with clarity in my 110g tank full of live rock and I simply let it settle down on it's own accord. There is no livestock in there anyway at this point, so I would simply correct the Ph (providing that it is a correct reading). What are you using to test your Ph with?
If it's a simple test strips that you dip in the water they could be extremely inaccurate. You can purchase a simple packet size Ph tester(I think they cost like $15) that you can calibrate and use for much more accurate measurements.

Other than that I think your cycle period is progressing the way it should.

PS. Ph of 7.5 sounds very fishy to me if salinity is close to 35ppt. Just below 8 is possible depending on the CO2 levels in the area where your tank is located. Try moving one of your powerheads closer to the surface of the water for better gas exchange and see if it helps a bit.

Some suggested readings on the subject of chemistry as it applies to our hobby:
Chemistry and the Aquarium
Reef Aquarium Water Parameters by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
Low pH: Causes and Cures by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
The “How To” Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners Part 3: pH by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

This should be enough to keep you busy while you are waiting for the cycle to end ( I read lots of books while I was waiting... )

Good luck!

[NanoReefer1]

--It is a 10 gallon tank.
--Im using a Hagen test kit for Ph (matching colors isnt to much fun) but it uses liquid drops in a pipette.

I will adjust the one of the Koralias more torward the top.


Right now though it is interesting I am seeing ALOT of coralline algae growing like MAD! It was only on the big rock in big spots and one or two small spots on the other rocks, and now its EVERYWHERE!

Too positive I guess there must be some negative, and the negative is that I am seeing dark Maroon algae(alot of red in it also) that is obviously in competition with the coralline algae. Is there anything I can do to set it up in favor of coralline???


Thanks for all the responses I will update with pictures tomorrow just had the light turn off after 12 hours so I dont want to turn it back on.

The tank is now clear, and I removed the activated carbon filter from the tank as advised. Hopefully this could be the cause of ph being down? or maybe it could be helping that maroon redish...algae competing with the purple on the rock...

Lol... One last edit I also have something (what I read up about I think) like a white worm I think its called it looks like a hard white tube (had them all over the rocks) and it has started a fan of some sort. It is reallllly small right now ,but it came out of nowhere in the space of like 5 hours.

p.s. How do I adjust the Ph??? (After I removed filter the powerfilter flows more now, and I pointed a koralia torward the top of the tank. Maybe this will help)

[zhenya]

Your tank will be going through succession of various types of algae, diatoms which could be golden brown to greenish brown in coloration (and anywhere in between), and cyanobacteria that could be red to brownish red colors.
Not to worry, though, be patient and it all should subside in a couple of month.

How do I adjust the Ph??? (After I removed filter the powerfilter flows more now, and I pointed a koralia torward the top of the tank. Maybe this will help)

Low pH: Causes and Cures by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com
The “How To” Guide to Reef Aquarium Chemistry for Beginners Part 3: pH by Randy Holmes-Farley - Reefkeeping.com

Here are your answers, I didn;t add those links just for fun, by the way. They were for you to read about Ph and ways to control and adjust it.

[NanoReefer1]

05-17-08
Tank Temp: 80F
Salinity: 1.027 or 36.5ppm
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrate: 0-1ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
pH: 7.5













Zheyna: I have already begun reading them. And thank you for providing them they have been very informative.

Take a look at the 4th and fifth pictures. I am not totally sure what the 4th picture might be, but the fifth picture is the hole of which I saw a tentacle pop out when I moved the rock to try and get some sand off of it.

How do I get the sand off my live rock without like horrible shaking it? I tried to use my pump to do it, but it just didnt cut the mustard, and then I tried to swoosh it around a little in the water physically to no avail. Anyone have any hints or tips?

Lastily why is my pH soooo low? I have no clue why it is so low I did what was advised, and it still seems to be the same if not lesser... Any ideas?


Thanks!

P.s. Sorry the pictures are so big I wanted as much detail as possible.

[zhenya]

I don't think your Ph is this low, most likely it is the test kit that gives you erroneous reading. Try getting another test kit, or take a water sample to your local fish store and let them do another test with a different test kit. This way you can double check on your own test kit.

As far as tentacles go, not quite sure what it is. Need more of the organism showing to make a guess, could be many things.

You can blow sand off of your rocks by using large turkey baster or a small power head, make sure not to stir your sand bed, too. (you'll get more sand on the rocks then )

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by NanoReefer1

Take a look at the 4th and fifth pictures. I am not totally sure what the 4th picture might be...

I can't see well enough to figure it out but it's probably not a problem.

... but the fifth picture is the hole of which I saw a tentacle pop out when I moved the rock to try and get some sand off of it.

Lots of possibilities but it's almost certainly not a problem.

How do I get the sand off my live rock...

Use a turkey baster.

Lastily why is my pH soooo low?

Maybe you should forget about testing for pH for the time being. You really need to test for calcium and alkalinity. Those are very important. Eventually you may need to test for magnesium, too. As long as your calcium and alkalinity are within normal range, your pH will be fine.

[tbaquatics]

How old is your tank

[NanoReefer1]

It is now 4 days old.