is my qt ready??

[trillyen]

hey thanks alot Kris, and thanks for saying you think i am going at everything the right way

i think your right, usually i dont listen but for some reason you guys seem to bring out the best in me.

So again i have to thank you for that

i do plan to do frequent water changes though just like you said, i guess that does make since why my nitrites arent going down, because they are off the charts

would it be ok to use water straight from one of my tanks that is disease and parasite free???

or should i just use a fresh mix of saltwater??

thank you for your response, and how is everything going for you??

Do you have any ?s i could help you with???

 

[NaH2O]

trillyen - just sit tight and let it cycle. The process is like you said....as your ammonia levels come down, your nitrites rise, then as they come down your nitrates rise. When you add fish to the tank you'll probably have another cycle, which is why it is so important to do large water changes. Have alot of water ready and circulating. Siphon out any uneaten food after feeding, and keep checking your levels....every day. But, since you aren't in a hurry right now, wait to do a water change until your ammonia is zero. Just remember those levels will come up with the introduction of a fish. Ideally you would want a sponge in your display's sump for at least 3 weeks before to transfer it over....but when this tank was set-up it was set-up in a hurry to get your clown trigger in it asap. Now that the clown trigger is no longer a concern, you should take your time with the QT.

Hope this helps.

on a side note, make sure to read through the hyposalinity information I gave you before. Try and get a good understanding of how to lower the salinity and what you will be doing during the process.

 

[trillyen]

hey thanks again nah2o, i didnt realize that my qt would go through a cycle when i added a fish to it, i would have been freaking out if that would have happened to me!!

Dont worry i got your qt tank info already printed out so when i need to read something im not sure of i can touich up on it in your notes.

hope the notes can answer all my qusetions, and im sure they will, ive read over them a lil, and found out a few things i aint no

so thanks again!!!

 

[NaH2O]

Ideally you don't want your QT to cycle again, but depending on the fish load you put in....it may happen. You just need to be ready with plenty of made-up water. You can help increase the bacterial population by tossing in a little food daily now. After you are done QTing the current fish, if you want to keep your QT set up all the time, that's what you'll want to do when there aren't any fish in it.

 

[trillyen]

Ideally you don't want your QT to cycle again, but depending on the fish load you put in....it may happen. You just need to be ready with plenty of made-up water. You can help increase the bacterial population by tossing in a little food daily now. After you are done QTing the current fish, if you want to keep your QT set up all the time, that's what you'll want to do when there aren't any fish in it.

Dont want my qt tank to cycle again,it never stopped cycling!!! LOL.

The nitrates have been off the charts for about 2 weeks, but the ammonia is fine.

i threw in some macro alage, and its growing like a weed now, im going to do a water change today so itll hope fully come down!!!

thanks again!!!

 

[NaH2O]

If the ammonia and nitrites are 0, then do a water change to help bring the nitrates down. I would avoid keeping anything live in there other than the fish you are QTing. I would remove the algae....my 2 cents.

 

[trillyen]

I ment that the nitrites were off the charts, but today i did a water change and they came down to like 0.25 and the nitrates were a little high but not to bad about 0.50 or so

im just putting the macro in there trying to establish the tank, i plan on removing it when i add the fish which wont be for a while seeing i have to let the tank cycle, i also added a sponge to my reef today to try and get some good bacteria built up on it for about 3 weeks!!!!

thanks shorty!!