wwefan3620 asked:
So I started this new Marine Aquarium, the salinity level is perfect, the ph, nitrites, nitrates, and all that other stuff is fine. The only thing that is out of whack is the amonia level, it is HIGH!! How do i lower it? I was told to add this thing called “cycle” it has some kind of bacteria in it that is supposed to help, but so far… nothing. I also wanted to know about live rocks. I added a live rock that I bought from the pet store, and they said it was cured…. how do I know for sure? Is there any maintainence to a live rock, or anything I should watch for on it? Do I need to wait for the amonia level to drop to add fish?, shrimp?, crabs? Also if you want to add any extra tips about marine/salt water aquariums… PLEASE DO SO, I need all the info I can get. Thanks a ton guys.
The tank is 29 Gallons. I think I want a few clown fish and sea stars.. would that work?
So I started this new Marine Aquarium, the salinity level is perfect, the ph, nitrites, nitrates, and all that other stuff is fine. The only thing that is out of whack is the amonia level, it is HIGH!! How do i lower it? I was told to add this thing called “cycle” it has some kind of bacteria in it that is supposed to help, but so far… nothing. I also wanted to know about live rocks. I added a live rock that I bought from the pet store, and they said it was cured…. how do I know for sure? Is there any maintainence to a live rock, or anything I should watch for on it? Do I need to wait for the amonia level to drop to add fish?, shrimp?, crabs? Also if you want to add any extra tips about marine/salt water aquariums… PLEASE DO SO, I need all the info I can get. Thanks a ton guys.
The tank is 29 Gallons. I think I want a few clown fish and sea stars.. would that work?
Your tank is going through the cycling period. This is when ammonia spikes, then drops, nitrite spikes, then drops, then nitrate stays there (you remove it through weekly water changes). Add fish/inverts when there’s 0 ammonia and nitrite and less than ~20 ppm of nitrate.
What size is the tank? I need to know that crucial piece of information before I recommend fish and inverts.
Here’s some links on saltwater care:
EDIT: 2 Clownfish and possibly a Chocolate Chip Starfish, or a Red Reef Starfish would be ok in a 29 gallon tank. As long as you have a filter and heater, which is a stupid statement since most SW tank owners have them
your ammonia level is high, because you Just started phase one of your cycling phase. Phase one consists of high ammonia in the water and using live sand and live rock( which ill exlpain later) to cycle it. This cycle is called the nitrogen cycle. In order to make sure your fish do not die of ammonia poisening, this cycle needs to be established. Live rock and live sand has benificial bacteria in and on it to cycle your tank. After a few days you will notice a drop in ammonia measuring, and a spike in nitrite. this is because the bacteria in the water take the ammonia and turn it into something less toxic to fish (nitrite). After a while(2 days or so) you will notice a drop in nitrite and a spike in nitrate which is not toxic to fish. This signals the completion of your cycling stage. You now have established enough bacteria in the water to keep your nitrogen cycle going. You need this bacteria in the water so when your fish poop ammonia, it gets cycled into something non toxic. High nitrate level (liek really high) will get bad for fish, which is why a monthly 25% water change is necesarry.
Cured live rock is live rock that has been cleansed of anything you my not want in your tank. basically,it is bare and barren. You want this so you do not get pests like bristle worms and aptisia anemone. Ther is no maintenance to a live rock.
Yes you will need to wait for ammonia levels to drop to add fish or anything.
some tips would be: for fish only aquariums, you want the salt level to be aorund 1.023, and for reef tanks 1.025. Before you get any fish or anything, research what you want and where you can get it, that way when you walk into a store, you know when a clerk is ripping you off.
PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE! USE IT WHEN CYCLING YOUR TANK. you want to wait a solid week before you consider getting live animals. This ensures your nitrogen cycle is complete. When you acclimating ( getting a fish used to) a fish to your tank, put him into a large bowl and pour a cup of water from your tank into the bowl every five minutes. this gets your fish used to your aquarium water.
for more tips or more questions Email me at:
When starting a new tank it has to go through a cycle, the best way to start this cycle with a saltwater tank is with live rock, in a freshwater tank you use fish but live rock takes the fishes place in saltwater.Make sure you have all the live rock in that you want before you add fish, adding new live rock to an established aquarium can start the cycle process all over again, during the cycle process your levels on everything are going to be out of whack, don’t freak out this is normal. I would wait atleast a month after you have put the final piece of live rock in, this gives the tank sometime to cycle, before adding any fish make sure all levels are right. What kind of tank do you plan on doing, a reef tank or a fish only tank with some live rock? In a 29 gallon tank clown fish would be fine but make sure what kind of clowns you get, there are many different variations on clowns. Some can be very aggressive towards fish and the owners. Star fish would be fine also depending on the type. As far as asking questions on yahoo its ok but i can direct you to another website that is awesome and you will defiantly be able to get the answers that you want. “Reef Central is an online community where quality information about the marine and reef aquarium hobby can be exchanged among all levels of hobbyist from beginner to advanced. Our goal is to help educate people about the saltwater aquarium hobby and enhance awareness of the fragility of coral reefs around the world. We hope you will join us and that you find this site useful.” Check out the site, its cool to have whenever you have a question.
Your ammonia is suposed to be high, itis part of the cycle process. DO NOT ADD CYCLE to your tank. Not only does it not work it will also give you false reading s on your water quality, keep it out and do a water change. Your cycle will take around 5=6 weeks.
Live rocks should not have been added while your ammonia is so high. ALL live rock is cured these days. No need to recure. Also, your ammonia spikes are even higher since you added live rock. Adding anything to your salt tank is equal to adding fish. Live rock, anemone, shrimp, crabs and fish are all equal when it comes to additions to the tank.
Adding your live rock now, more than likely killed off any hitch hikers that could have come on it, with that the die off of the rock is now adding ammonia to your tank. No maintenance for live rock. Right now, the growth for your rock will be limited or even stunted for a number of weeks.
You need your ammonia to drop to 0 prior to adding any fish. NO SHRIMP at this time or they will not survive the night.
You need to be patient with salt water. It is unfortunate that the sales clerk did not inform you better. First you do need a good saltwater dechlor/conditioner. AquaNova+ is great for a salt tank and it is all that is needed.
Once your ammonia is 0 and the nitrites are 0 you can start to add fish. No more than 10% of the aquarium volume at one time. In short you can add 1 3″ fish or two 1.5 inch fish. You need to wait a week then add another. New salt tanks are not like fresh water tanks. Beneficial bacteria takes LONGER to mature in salt tanks. Due to this you cannot just dump in a number of fish. Your sea stars should not be added until your tank is stable and over 5 months up and running with no problems. Research your fish and inverts prior to purchase. Not all of them get along and some have high water quality demands.
Clowns are damsels and are fairly hearty. Be patient. Your fish will thank you in the end.
“Cycle” is not a prodcut to add. It is the natural acquisition of necessary bacteria to break down nitrogen-based products into less toxic chemicals. It starts with high ammonia levels, which you’re experiencing (which means: everything that’s happening to you is supposed to happen; no need to worry). The ammonia will eventually be processed by bacteria into nitrite, which will then be processed into nitrate. It’s a matter of time.
Understand that ammonia and nitrite (and, to a lesser extent, nitrate) is toxic. Adding fish at the time could prove fatal for them. For invertebrates, such as shrimp and crabs, it will definitely kill them. Wait until the ammonia and nitriate are both lowered to zero before adding living things to your tank. Just be patient.
There are some chemicals that claim to speed up the cycling process. In reality, don’t be fooled. There isn’t a way to rush the rate at which bacteria can metabolize nitrogenous compounds and multiple. The chemicals merely lock up certain compounds, giving you false water readings, and inevitably releases them later.
When it is time to add animals, only add a couple at a time, and then wait a couple of weeks until adding anything else. Animals produce ammonia in their waste, which means that your bacterial colonies have to grow to handle the increased load. It takes a couple weeks for them to completely adjust to a couple of animals. If you add too many animals too quickly, the waste won’t be processed fast enough, and your animals can suffer problem associated with being covered in toxic chemicals 24 hours a day.
As for live rock, stuff that’s sold as “cured” usualyl is cured (I’ve known a few less-than-reputable dealers who have lied about this), but the ammonia levels made it “dead rock.”
When live rock is decaying, the ammonia in the water spikes, much as yours did. This will eventually be broken down in the cycle I mentioned earlier. Again, it just takes time.
I know I mentioned “waiting” a lot, but patience isn’t just a virtue in this hobby; it’s one of the biggest factors between beautiful success and expensive failure.