just getting started - Frag Outpost Forums - Coral Propagation and Reef Aquarium Forums

littlemutt · 10-06-2005, 01:48 AM

thanks for the hirock.com site will definately use them if i need more rock, the price is right.

checked ph for the first time it's 7.8 - i know that's low but should i worry about it right now being that nothing but LS is in the tank? i was thinking maybe it will go up if i leave everything running. if i need to raise it what is the best way? haven't even bothered with ammonia yet figure there is none being there's nothing in the tank. when should i start taking that reading ? what else should i be looking at at this point? live rock will be here on tuesday so i guess that might make testing more important. hope i am doing the right thing.

FragOutpost · 10-06-2005, 09:25 AM

Your ph will swing from being low in the morning to higher before your lights turn off. I'm guessing that you are leaving your lights off during the cycle so your ph is not too bad. I wouldn't worry about it too much for now.

If you need to raise it later - http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-09/rhf/index.php

This will be a good read for you also to help you understand more about calcium and alkalinity - http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/chem.htm

Your ammonia should spike within the first week or two, immediately followed by a nitrite spike. When I cycled my 75 gallon I put in my sand, some live rock, and filled it with water and basically just forgot about it for 2 months. After 2 months had passed I started doing some water changes and then I tested to ensure that I was ready for livestock. The point is to just be patient and remember the famous quote "The only thing that happens fast in this hobby is disaster."

littlemutt · 10-08-2005, 02:02 AM

is it possible to add live plants before tank has cylced and would that help it cycle? wanted to get some plants and add them to the refigium so that by the time i add livestock they will be somewhat established. there are vendors on e-bay who sell several different types, any suggestions as to what types of plants to get and is that the best place to get them?

FragOutpost · 10-08-2005, 12:09 PM

I don't think you would have too many problems adding some plants during the cycle. Most plants are pretty hardy. I would recommend chaetomorpha, aka spaghetti algae. Check around for local reef clubs in your area. Most people trim back their macro algae from time to time as a way to export nutrients. I also recommend floridapets.com for macro.

D12monkey · 10-08-2005, 05:59 PM

I'd be more than happy to ship you some if you want. Instead of paying floridapets.com or some other company...

littlemutt · 10-09-2005, 04:20 PM

damn! i just bid and won a bunch on e-bay. i'm always so impatient. thanks so much for the offer, appreciate it. hope what i did works out, just wanted to get something live in my tanks. thanks again

littlemutt · 10-09-2005, 08:49 PM

would it be possible to add some polyps to my set-up at this time. do my tanks need to be cylced before i add anything like that? i know i'm pushing things but if there's no harm i'd like to add them.