Need some advice with my tank

[Beckmola24]

My tank has been up and running for about a month and a half now. I think the cycle is over (or coming to an end) and my params are as follows: My alk was low at 6.7 but I raised it (need to retest), PH is 8.3, Salinity is high at 36ppt, but I know I need to lower it a bit (want 35ppt), Nitrates are still traceable at 5, but I think a water change should bring it to 0. Ammonia and Nitrites are 0 and Calcium is high at around 510 (I haven't supplemented anything to make it that high)

What I'm wondering now is if I buy a nice piece of live rock to seed what I have in the tank, would the coralline start growing only under my T-5 actinics? I don't want to have to run the halides yet. Would that also be ok for fish to live with actinics (for the future)

Lastly, would it be ok to go ahead and add a cleanup crew? I don't have an algae bloom, so I'm wondering what I should add right now? Anything??

I edited my Alk.... It's not that out of whack... I just wrote down the meq/L value.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Brenden]

What did you add to raise Alk? Your CA and Alk are way out of wack. Are you sure the CA test was accurate? With CA that high you prob have a snow storm in the tank? Adding live rock will not hurt anything as long as it is cured. I doubt coralline will grow under just antic but I have never tried it so it is a guess. However coralline does not need much light. Fish with antics should not be a problem. A small cleanup crew would be fine once lights are on and algae is growing. Diatom bloom will prob show when you start using lights. Just go slow and do not overwelm your tank with livestock. Work on the CA/Alk imbalance.

 

[Sk8r]

I would not add fish or inverts until I had those parameters better balanced. Salt should be 1.024, alk 8.3 to 11, calcium 400, ammonia 0, nitrate 0, nitrite 0.

 

[Beckmola24]

I edited my Alk reading it's not really that bad I typed the meq/L instead of the dKH value. Natural seawater is 35ppt, so I don't need to lower it by that much.

I test with Salifert Test kits and the Alk Test says NSW has a KH of 8 dKH or alkalinity of 2.9

I couldn't ever get the CA test kit by Salifert to test right... I know a few others who have had this problem.

I use a Tropic Marin Pro Reef salt and RODI water.

 

[jetaero]

I would say you are perfect set for some rock. The salinity is not bad at 36ppt, as natural saltwater is now recorded at 1.026 SG.

The corraline will actually do better under the t5's, I have trouble growing it under halides. The high calcium will quickly go down, once the corraline starts to grow.

If you have no algae, you have no need for a cleanup crew, and they would just be going without food.

-Josh-

 

[Beckmola24]

[/QUOTE=jetaero] If you have no algae, you have no need for a cleanup crew, and they would just be going without food.

That's what I was thinking... The rock was cooked sterile It's not live except for what I want to live on it I've added a few razor blade scraping's full of coralline from one of my other tanks and a bit of live sand from one of my other tanks.

My quoting didn't work out all that well...

 

[Krish]

Becky...If you add some more LR to your tank, you will probably experience another "cycle". You will more than likely have some die-off etc, but nothing to really worry about. As for the coraline, it should grow under actinics. From what I understand, coraline loves the bluer spectrum as well as it loves lower lighting, but will adapt to higher wattages as well. I've gotten crazy coraline growth in my tank with just using 130 watt pc for the longest (50/50 bulbs) and it wasn't until I'd say 2 months before getting rid of them, that I used all 260 watts (my light fixture was 260 watt, but I only used 130 watts for a long time to get the coraline to grow) Now under my new MH's, it seems to grow just as well and the bottom of my tank floor is covered. As for fish and cleanup crew, I see no problem with adding a small few. If you wait until your tank reads 0 nitrates, you may not get to add any fish for a very very long time in some cases. I think it is a good thing to help your tank along and cycle it with fish. That's how I have always done mine. I just use hardy fish like damsels to do the job. Here's a few photos of the floor of my tank taken before adding my MH's as well as a closeup of one of my rocks. All grew mostly under 130 watt pc's

 

[Beckmola24]

Your rock looks great Krish! I almost went BB in my tank, but I want too many wrasses that like sand beds I'm happy to hear that the coralline will take off with the actinics T5's. I really want the rock to color up a bit.

I wasn't looking at adding a LOT of LR, just a nice small piece with various coralline shades, mini sponges, and feather dusters, so I can get some life to transfer to my stuff. If I get the rock from an established tank, would it cause another cycle??

 

[wrightme43]

Yeah Becky since the rock was sterile, it will take quite a while to the nitrates to zero. Its going to just take a while. Adding some cured live rock will help alot. I think anyway.

 

[Krish]

To add to what Steve said, if you add a small piece from an established tank you shouldn't really have much problems at all. Once the rock doesn't dry out in the transfer, you shouldn't have much die-off and if you do, it should be that much. IMO, it is worth it even if you do get a small "cycle" because you will be adding more beneficial bacteria into the tank and possibly tons of copepods probably all inside that LR. If you want coraline to really take off quickly, what I did with mine was got a rock covered in coraline, turned off my skimmer for about 1 hour or so, and scraped off all of the coraline off of the rock and threw it in the tank. That got it everywhere!

 

[burning2nd]

right on with that rock, thats nice,

i run 8.2 ph, 1.024 salt, ammonia is almost 0, temp 79 no2 almost 0 no3 under 15 ppm, calcium like 420, alkaliny 2.5, phopahte is 0

 

[Beckmola24]

So when should I add a cleanup crew to this tank? When I get fish? I don't really have algae and there's nothing producing waste.

 

[Krish]

So when should I add a cleanup crew to this tank? When I get fish? I don't really have algae and there's nothing producing waste.

Hmm...Well, if there is nothing for them to eat in your newely setup tank, and you want to add them now, then you'll have to feed them Congrats on your 1,000th post! Can't wait till I get my first

 

[liveforphysics]

Personally, I would just considder yourself blessed to not be growing coraline.

IMO, its the biggest nuscance algae in this hobby. I bet my Ca reactor feeds the stupid coraline more than it does the stone corals. Along with consumeing useful minerals in the water, it also covers the glass so you cant even see into the tank. Its a PITA IMO, and I would be trying as hard as possible to avoid getting it started.

 

[Krish]

As much coraline as you see in my tank on the floor and rocks, there is never any on the glass. That's why you have to control your tank and not let it control you. If you keep up with things and not neglect it then problem solved

 

[liveforphysics]

Krish- Imagine if your tank didnt grow any pest algae or accumulate detritus. When you get in the tank, its to play around with fragging corals, rather than doing maintence. Imagine leaving your tanks for weeks at a time, and comming home with them looking just like they did when you left (except generally requireing some top-off water). If it wasnt for coraline algae, thats what I would have. But as it is, every month or so, I have to actually waste my time scrapeing the glass clean with a razor, which just spreads that stupid crap even worse than it was before. I hate that evil pink and purple plauge, and as soon as I can find a source to get the coraline algae diesese, I am going to try to nuke all of it I can.

 

[Krish]

But as it is, every month or so, I have to actually waste my time scrapeing the glass clean with a razor, which just spreads that stupid crap even worse than it was before. I hate that evil pink and purple plauge, and as soon as I can find a source to get the coraline algae diesese, I am going to try to nuke all of it I can

ROFL! Nuke um:lol: Mine isn't that bad...Yet! (LOL) I'm telling you man...It's that chaeto! That chaeto is resposible for all the coraline!(LOL) No, but seriously, I've never had it that bad where it became a nuicance. So far it is just adding color to my tank. No complaints here

 

[Beckmola24]

I haven't had it become a nuisance either. A little pesty, but not more than my patience can handle.

 

[jammet]

Beckmola24:

I love your tank, I hope to follow your progress with it. I think the peace of fully cured liverock will do you a lot of good as long as the transfer is quick for it. Also to help on the dieoff part make sure the two tanks match fairly well in salt and PH and i think everything will go smoothly. As for the coralline I have seen very little growth (in my experience) in tanks with out any blue ranges. I have seen great growth under 14k MH only and 20k's but every once in a while 10's as well. I think it should grow just fine under the T5's.

liveforphyssics:

You have a very intresting outlook on how tanks should run. I follow a lot of the same ideas as you do some times and others you throw something in there that just is an oddity to me. I dont want to start anything extra in those areas here but I found coraline to be more helpful than harmful. Personally i love how it looks in a well maintained tank though so i might be slightly biasd.

 

[Krish]

Welcome to RF Jammet!