Cycling a New Tank w/Dry Rock

istrahd

Reefing newb
Okay. I have a 125 gallon tank w/ a 30 gal Sump. I have filled it with 100-110 lbs of dry rock, filled it with RODI then added my Instant Ocean Salt to get 1.020 Specific Gravity, then added 120 pounds of dry sand, after the cloudiness of the water cleared up from adding the sand, I added 2 table shrimp to start the tank cycling.

My Ammonia finally started reading on my API ReefMaster testing kit, showing 0.25ppm. Should I let it get any higher? 0.5ppm, etc... or should I go ahead and take out the shrimp now?

When I do take out the shrimp and toss them, what do I do next? I have read many threads about cycling but they only say to wait for a spike in ammonia, never stating what levels you should reach.

Should I do anything else to my water besides keeping it topped off with RODI? What is the next step? Many of the threads I have read are contradictory or just completely unclear on the step by step process. Nitrates & Nitrites are 0ppm, for the life of me I can't remember what the pH is even though I tested it a few minutes ago... I want to say 8.2 but that may be wrong.

Anyone care to tell me exactly what to do next? Or point me to a thread that is clear & concise... I'm going bonkers reading threads that contradict one another or have zero details and vague crap like wait for an ammonia spike... Spike to what levels??? what do I do after I get the spike?
 
First off, a little constructive criticism: never mix your water in tank.

You can do whatever you want with the shrimp now. Your ammonia will rise and fall, then your nitrites will rise while that's falling and lastly, your nitrates will rise at which time you should start water changes. However, I would recommend a higher salinity, I like mine around 1.025, being closer to natural sea water, but I would day no less than 1.022.

P.S. Your ammonia spike will be different than someone else's and may take more or less time. Just keep testing and wait to see niTRITEs go back to zero and then do a water change after to bring your niTRATE levels down.
 
Actually I think mixing water in his tank right now is ok since he used dry rock/sand for everything. Just don't mix it after everything has turned live so you won't kill off the bacteria and other fish or whatever.
 
Ok, thanks for the answers everyone... I will bump the Salinity up a little bit. I get conflicting numbers from every post/thread I read...

Erin, I was planning on letting the shrimp dissolve so my CUC will have something to eat, when I add them. Don't want the critters to starve waiting on 1, maybe 2 small fish to generate some food for them...

As far as mixing in the tank, I only did so because

  • I had NO Live Rock OR Live Sand.
  • I wanted to long soak the dry rock in RODI to kill anything that may be harmful/unwanted
  • I did not want the "Salt Rings" you get from adding 5 gallon buckets of Saltwater at a time.
I will NEVER mix my salt in the water once anything living is in the tank! I know that can be deadly to fish, CUC, Corals, etc. I appreciate your concern, fortunately, I am not that stupid. I am glad that you posted that as it may save some other noob from killing their stock.


I have a 40 Gallon Trashcan (BRAND NEW, of course) with a tight fitting lid that has been cleaned/sterilized with water & White Vinegar that I will be mixing my SaltWater in for Water changes.

Questions about this... Once I mix the RODI Water & Salt in this container,


  • Should I keep the water circulating with a small pump or powerhead?
  • Should I put an air stone in this container to keep the water oxygenated and keep it from becoming stagnant?
  • How long will this water be viable for use in doing water changes? Will it go bad/stagnate? Being only 40g I will use it up fairly quickly doing water changes weekly.


I plan on keeping another can full of Pure RODI for topping off my tank due to evaporation. I have the exact same 3 questions about storing RODI as for storing SaltWater...



  • Should I keep the water circulating with a small pump or powerhead?
  • Should I put an air stone in this container to keep the water oxygenated and keep it from becoming stagnant?
  • How long will this water be viable for use in doing water changes? Will it go bad/stagnate?

ANYONE Correct me if I am wrong, PLEASE. Now that I have ammonia, I should watch my Nitrate & Nitrite levels and AFTER they spike then fall back to 0ppm, I can start by adding 1, MAYBE 2 SMALL fish about 1.5-2" each **Guesstimate on their size** (My LFS has a pair of Black Clowns that are tank mates that I want) and a CUC.
 
Yes to the powerhead for RO/DI with salt. That's what mixes the salt and water together. Because you have the powerhead, you wouldn't need an air stone. I'm not too sure about how long it is put out, but I'm pretty sure it would be ok as long as your have a powerhead in there (it would just be like a fish tank right?). I'm not too surer about the top off stuff, so other people will chime in soon. Yes, after your cycle is over and you bring your nitrates down to an appropriate level, then you can add the clowns and CUC. But then after that I would suggest waiting another month or 2 before adding anymore fish.
 
Yes to the powerhead for RO/DI with salt. That's what mixes the salt and water together. Because you have the powerhead, you wouldn't need an air stone. I'm not too sure about how long it is put out, but I'm pretty sure it would be ok as long as your have a powerhead in there (it would just be like a fish tank right?). I'm not too surer about the top off stuff, so other people will chime in soon. Yes, after your cycle is over and you bring your nitrates down to an appropriate level, then you can add the clowns and CUC. But then after that I would suggest waiting another month or 2 before adding anymore fish.

Thanks. That's kind of what I figured about premixing the saltwater & storing it. I was just curious about the addition of an airstone since the can is pretty close to airtight (I was going to drill a small hole in the lid to prevent over-pressurizing the can if I added an airstone (I'm crazy, not stupid). After the oxygen at the top of the can is depleted, there will not be any left for gas exchange due to the movement of water via the powerhead.

Yeah, I already knew about the adding 1 fish per month rule of thumb.

The only reason I am planning on adding the two clowns at once is that they are already tank-mates and seem to coexist pretty well. Plus I think it's wrong to have just 1 fish in a tank... Fish are social creatures, even if they are not overly friendly to other fish of the same or other species, they need interaction... I live like a hermit, but every once in a while, it is nice to see someone. That may just be my opinion, but I believe that fish are social. You ever watch shows about coral reefs? It takes a lot of species to make a reef thrive, they all have their own niche to fill on a reef...
 
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Glad to know you're not too dumb. : ) Just making sure, though.

You will need to monitor your new water for evaporation, so top offs may or may not be necessary, but if they are, make sure you do. I would also err on the side of caution as far as the mixed water expiring and make sire you empty the can once in awhile to make sure that it does stay fresh. Think about how that 3 day old water on your nightstand just tastes stale. I'm not sure if it matters, but I'd rather be safe if it does.
 
Oh, and your nitrites will rise first, then your nitrates and that's when you do water changes to get them to 0. They won't fall on their own, but once they're down, they should stay down until your system is overloaded, as when adding fish, but nothing should rise top high, just a little. However, if you are only adding a pair of small clowns, I doubt you would see much in asystem that large, even if it is pretty immature.
 
Glad to know you're not too dumb. : ) *** LOL, Thanks....*** Just making sure, though.

You will need to monitor your new water for evaporation, so top offs may or may not be necessary, but if they are, make sure you do. I am keeping an eye on my water level, ready to top it off. I have about 1/12"-1/16" of evaporation per day. The tank is 6' Long, with two 2' openings & one 2' glass panel in the center over the top. It has two light hoods that you would normally see on a FW tank, whivh I do not use. I have a 6' T5 Lighting system w/ day & moon lights. I would also err on the side of caution as far as the mixed water expiring and make sire you empty the can once in awhile to make sure that it does stay fresh. Think about how that 3 day old water on your nightstand just tastes stale. I'm not sure if it matters, but I'd rather be safe if it does.
That's why I was asking, :D I didn't want to mix up a large batch of SW only to find out it has gone bad.
 
Anyone else have some input on the matter of storing RODI & RODI/SW? I am interested in hearing/reading multiple views...
 
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