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Still at.25
Hi,
The ammonia has been pretty steady at .25 for about 11 days now. Is this fairly normal? Should I still play the beer-drinking waiting game? (dont mind it so much :) Or is there some action to take? I have only done the 1 water change. Lots of pods,snails and little feather dusters have emerged. Also a lot of plants springing up. |
Still at.25
My ammonia barely got passed .5 during the whole thing. You can always
throw some cocktail shrimp in there if you wanted to see higher ammon. levels but I wouldn't worry. Everyone's tank is a little different. All that other living stuff is a good sign. Kinda cool to create your own little universe isn't it? B "StringerBell" wrote in message ... Hi, The ammonia has been pretty steady at .25 for about 11 days now. Is this fairly normal? Should I still play the beer-drinking waiting game? (dont mind it so much :) Or is there some action to take? I have only done the 1 water change. Lots of pods,snails and little feather dusters have emerged. Also a lot of plants springing up. |
Still at.25
"Bryan" wrote in message ... My ammonia barely got passed .5 during the whole thing. You can always throw some cocktail shrimp in there if you wanted to see higher ammon. levels but I wouldn't worry. Everyone's tank is a little different. ohhh---I definitely dont want to see higher levels! I just theought the sucker would be going lower by now. Theres a pretty hefty Diatom bloom in there too, |
Still at.25
StringerBell wrote:
The ammonia has been pretty steady at .25 for about 11 days now. Is this fairly normal? Should I still play the beer-drinking waiting game? (dont mind it so much :) Two weeks is not unheard of, but it should start dropping soon. Or is there some action to take? You could change 25% of the water, but the decrease in ammonia will be temporary. You just need to wait out this part of the cycle. IIRC, you don't have fish yet, so there's no need to worry about it. FWIW, I added 30 lbs of rock to my 125 on 9-1 and another 40 lbs on 9-21 (I already had about 70 lbs). I don't measure ammonia; just nitrites. The nitrites didn't go up until I added the second load of rock, but they hit 1.6 on 9-22. As of yesterday, they're down to 0.2 and seem to be going down about 0.1 every 48 hours. This is the first time I've cycled live rock, but I've cycled FO tanks before. IIRC, nothing would happen for about a week; then the ammonia would start to climb. It would peak after about another week, stay stable for another week after that, and then start a fairly rapid decline. In the meantime, the nitrites would start to climb about two weeks in (right before the ammonia level peaked). They would top out about a week later, stay high for about two weeks, and then start down. This was in the days of undergravel filters (about 1980), so my memory may not serve me as well as I would like. I do recall well that a 50% water change from an established tank would have the expected effect (a 50% reduction in ammonia), but the level would be right back up there about 3 hours later in a small tank. Lots of pods,snails and little feather dusters have emerged. Also a lot of plants springing up. Great! I've got some pods I'm feeding, some things that look like they might turn into aipstasia (hope not), something that looks like tiny sea fans, and one or two other items that look like they will be interesting. My oldest rock has sprouted some bivalves and a plant that seems to be spreading. No feather dusters yet (I'm envious), but one can hope. George Patterson All successes in conservation are temporary. All defeats are permanent. |
Still at.25 -- critters on new rock
* George Patterson wrote, On 10/3/2006 7:14 PM:
StringerBell wrote: Lots of pods,snails and little feather dusters have emerged. Also a lot of plants springing up. Great! I've got some pods I'm feeding, some things that look like they might turn into aipstasia (hope not), something that looks like tiny sea fans, and one or two other items that look like they will be interesting. My oldest rock has sprouted some bivalves and a plant that seems to be spreading. No feather dusters yet (I'm envious), but one can hope. I just put another 15 lbs of rock in my newest tank. Algae plants, feather-dusters, sponges, bright red clusters of something, weird little things on it. One of the rocks has a little round white ball about 1/8" across, with wide-spaced stiff white spines a bit over 1/8" long coming off it. I placed the rock so I could see it, but it hasn't changed or moved. A critter came in on the rock too, because it's digging under one of the base rocks, left a little pile at the edge. My problem is I enjoy watching the rock come to life so much that I can't quit buying it. I really didn't NEED any more, but they got a new shipment, and this one piece had so much stuff on it that it looked like its own little reef. Beautiful pink/orange coralline, which of course has faded... I made a mistake the last time we went to the beach and brought home a little crab. Not a hermit crab, looks like a stone crab maybe. Dark brown, pretty big claws, stalks around the tank like a muscle-bound bodybuilder, ya know how their arms don't hang straight because the muscles are too big...Yeah anyway I put him in my 8-gal, and he dug ALL the sand out from under the rocks and piled it around the edges and ate my peppermint shrimp. So he got moved to a 2-gal., and he guards it jealously. It was one of those little oval plexi tanks that has an airline built in that goes along the bottom of the tank under the sand. I turn on the air once in awhile and he RUNS out and attacks the bubbles -- it's hilarious. VBG I call him Rocky. Cindy |
Still at.25
StringerBell wrote:
Hi, The ammonia has been pretty steady at .25 for about 11 days now. Is this fairly normal? Should I still play the beer-drinking waiting game? (dont mind it so much :) Or is there some action to take? I have only done the 1 water change. Lots of pods,snails and little feather dusters have emerged. Also a lot of plants springing up. My first suggestion to you is to test out your test kit to make sure it is reading correctly. I have seen lots of "bad" test kits that would read low levels even if non are present. The ammonia staying level for 11 days does seem a little strange to me, it should be going down. With the other life doing good in the tank, it makes me think that you really do not have an ammonia problem (not that .25 is a problem.) My real question is what has happened to your nitrite and Nitrate levels? Has your nitrite level gone up? If so you have the ammonia eating bacteria and so your ammonia level should have peaked some time after you started seeing nitrite and then started dropping down. If your nitrate level is climbing you not only have the ammonia eating bacteria but the nitrite eating bacteria also, so your cycle should be getting very close to being done. A question for you are you adding anything to the tank right now? Some additives can cause false ammonia readings. Kim www.jensalt.com |
Still at.25
Sounds like your doing pretty well!
I was also wondering about the test itself. Mine is Red Sea---Ihe ammonia test always starts yellow (good) but ends up at .25 after the directed 15 minute wait.Theres also 19 total drops of chemical to be made into the test tube. I`m a total novice----but these factors seem like they could leave a lot of room for innacuarracies. Is there another relatively inexpensive test kit that leaves less variables to human error? |
Still at.25
"StringerBell" wrote in message ...
I was also wondering about the test itself. Mine is Red Sea---Ihe ammonia test always starts yellow (good) but ends up at .25 after the directed 15 minute wait.Theres also 19 total drops of chemical to be made into the test tube. I`m a total novice----but these factors seem like they could leave a lot of room for innacuarracies. If you are not sure of the test, and it happens for some test showing fake residual ammonium (on the first level above 0 on the color scale) than just test freshly made sal****er with tap water or - better - your RO/DI water and see if the test will show zero ammonia... It shoud show zero (undetectable). Is there another relatively inexpensive test kit that leaves less variables to human error? No. All aquarium grade test work on the same principle of comparing color of the sample to the printed color scale. |
Still at.25
My first suggestion to you is to test out your test kit to make sure it is
reading correctly. I have seen lots of "bad" test kits that would read low levels even if non are present. The ammonia staying level for 11 days does seem a little strange to me Why is this strange? Every tank is different and there are many variables than can influence ammonia levels. As long as the ammonia doesn't continue to climb, he is OK. Because his ammonia level is no longer climbing this is an indication that his nitrosomonas are beginning to do their job. , it should be going down. With the other life doing good in the tank, it makes me think that you really do not have an ammonia problem (not that .25 is a problem.) My real question is what has happened to your nitrite and Nitrate levels? I suggested testing nitrates several days ago, but Pzemol dumped on me for the suggestion. I think he should definitely be monitoring BOTH nitrite and nitrate and obtaining nitrate by difference. Has your nitrite level gone up? If so you have the ammonia eating bacteria and so your ammonia level should have peaked some time after you started seeing nitrite and then started dropping down. If your nitrate level is climbing you not only have the ammonia eating bacteria but the nitrite eating bacteria also, so your cycle should be getting very close to being done. A question for you are you adding anything to the tank right now? Some additives can cause false ammonia readings. Such as? |
Still at.25
StringerBell wrote:
Is there another relatively inexpensive test kit that leaves less variables to human error? I'm using Nutrafin, but that's just because two stores recommended this brand as the one they use in house. The nitrite kit, for example, uses 5 drops each of two reagents, and I haven't messed that up yet. You still have to deal with a color card. I find that the FasTest products from Aquarium Systems are the easiest for me to read. Instead of a color card, they have a column of colored liquid, against which you compare your sample. The main drawback to these is that they use dry powder reagents, which have a limited shelf life (about 3 years). If the kit has been sitting in the store for 2 years, it won't be a very good buy. The reagents can be purchased separately, however, so you don't have to buy a new kit when they go bad. The foil packets are marked with the expiry date. http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/prt...fastestkit.htm has a review. http://www.aquariumsystems.com has product info. George Patterson All successes in conservation are temporary. All defeats are permanent. |
Still at.25
I started mine with the yellow Quick Dip ammonia test, and it almost
ALWAYS said .25. Every now and then is seemed a slight shade lighter, like around .125 or so, but was never white, or 0. Having a LFS double-check them showed that they were just reading it weird and that Amm really was at 0. kim gross wrote: StringerBell wrote: Hi, The ammonia has been pretty steady at .25 for about 11 days now. Is this fairly normal? Should I still play the beer-drinking waiting game? (dont mind it so much :) Or is there some action to take? I have only done the 1 water change. Lots of pods,snails and little feather dusters have emerged. Also a lot of plants springing up. My first suggestion to you is to test out your test kit to make sure it is reading correctly. I have seen lots of "bad" test kits that would read low levels even if non are present. The ammonia staying level for 11 days does seem a little strange to me, it should be going down. With the other life doing good in the tank, it makes me think that you really do not have an ammonia problem (not that .25 is a problem.) My real question is what has happened to your nitrite and Nitrate levels? Has your nitrite level gone up? If so you have the ammonia eating bacteria and so your ammonia level should have peaked some time after you started seeing nitrite and then started dropping down. If your nitrate level is climbing you not only have the ammonia eating bacteria but the nitrite eating bacteria also, so your cycle should be getting very close to being done. A question for you are you adding anything to the tank right now? Some additives can cause false ammonia readings. Kim www.jensalt.com |
Still at.25
..It always starts out at 0 (Yellow) and then turns to .25 after the 15
minute wait time. I dont know anything about chemistry---but it occurs to me that I could really mess the reading up by checking it a little too late or a little too early. "Brandonb" wrote in message ... I started mine with the yellow Quick Dip ammonia test, and it almost ALWAYS said .25. Every now and then is seemed a slight shade lighter, like around .125 or so, but was never white, or 0. Having a LFS double-check them showed that they were just reading it weird and that Amm really was at 0. kim gross wrote: StringerBell wrote: Hi, The ammonia has been pretty steady at .25 for about 11 days now. Is this fairly normal? Should I still play the beer-drinking waiting game? (dont mind it so much :) Or is there some action to take? I have only done the 1 water change. Lots of pods,snails and little feather dusters have emerged. Also a lot of plants springing up. My first suggestion to you is to test out your test kit to make sure it is reading correctly. I have seen lots of "bad" test kits that would read low levels even if non are present. The ammonia staying level for 11 days does seem a little strange to me, it should be going down. With the other life doing good in the tank, it makes me think that you really do not have an ammonia problem (not that .25 is a problem.) My real question is what has happened to your nitrite and Nitrate levels? Has your nitrite level gone up? If so you have the ammonia eating bacteria and so your ammonia level should have peaked some time after you started seeing nitrite and then started dropping down. If your nitrate level is climbing you not only have the ammonia eating bacteria but the nitrite eating bacteria also, so your cycle should be getting very close to being done. A question for you are you adding anything to the tank right now? Some additives can cause false ammonia readings. Kim www.jensalt.com |
Still at.25 -- critters on new rock
I just saw a pistachio-nut-sized clam in there that got me a lot more
excited than it probably should have :) "Cindy" wrote in message m... My problem is I enjoy watching the rock come to life so much that I can't quit buying it. I really didn't NEED any more, but they got a new shipment, and this one piece had so much stuff on it that it looked like its own little reef. Beautiful pink/orange coralline, which of course has faded... I made a mistake the last time we went to the beach and brought home a little crab. Not a hermit crab, looks like a stone crab maybe. Dark brown, pretty big claws, stalks around the tank like a muscle-bound bodybuilder, ya know how their arms don't hang straight because the muscles are too big...Yeah anyway I put him in my 8-gal, and he dug ALL the sand out from under the rocks and piled it around the edges and ate my peppermint shrimp. So he got moved to a 2-gal., and he guards it jealously. It was one of those little oval plexi tanks that has an airline built in that goes along the bottom of the tank under the sand. I turn on the air once in awhile and he RUNS out and attacks the bubbles -- it's hilarious. VBG I call him Rocky. Cindy |
Still at.25
b0ooger wrote:
My first suggestion to you is to test out your test kit to make sure it is reading correctly. I have seen lots of "bad" test kits that would read low levels even if non are present. The ammonia staying level for 11 days does seem a little strange to me Why is this strange? Every tank is different and there are many variables than can influence ammonia levels. As long as the ammonia doesn't continue to climb, he is OK. Because his ammonia level is no longer climbing this is an indication that his nitrosomonas are beginning to do their job. After a few days of low ammonia/nitrite levels the die off on the rock comes to a stop so the production of ammonia drops not increases, so if the bacteria is able to eat the current ammount of ammonia, and there is extra the bacteria should be able to reproduce, so the next day it can eat more ammonia causing the level to drop. With the amount of live he is finding in his tank, the die off is pretty much completely done so the ammonia production should have decreased conciderably so unless his bacteria is dieing off (which would be strange) is readings are not correct. , it should be going down. With the other life doing good in the tank, it makes me think that you really do not have an ammonia problem (not that .25 is a problem.) My real question is what has happened to your nitrite and Nitrate levels? I suggested testing nitrates several days ago, but Pzemol dumped on me for the suggestion. I think he should definitely be monitoring BOTH nitrite and nitrate and obtaining nitrate by difference. I would be more interested in nitrite readings than nitrate, if the nitrite has peaked and then dropped the nitrite eating bacteria have grown enough to consume the amount of nitrite being produced so unless another ammonia or nitrite source is added to the aquarium both ammonia and nitrite should drop down to close to zero. With the life in the tank doing well, it has to be close to zero, so his main cycle is done. Has your nitrite level gone up? If so you have the ammonia eating bacteria and so your ammonia level should have peaked some time after you started seeing nitrite and then started dropping down. If your nitrate level is climbing you not only have the ammonia eating bacteria but the nitrite eating bacteria also, so your cycle should be getting very close to being done. A question for you are you adding anything to the tank right now? Some additives can cause false ammonia readings. Such as? If he was adding any type of a ammonia/nitrite/nitrate reducing agent, like amquel prime etc, it does not remove the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate, it binds it up so it is non toxic, and so that the bacteria have a much harder time consuming it, so you will detect ammonia in your test even though it is not available to the tank, which will increase the time of your cycle since the bacteria are not able to consume the ammonia. Kim |
Still at.25 -- critters on new rock
* StringerBell wrote, On 10/5/2006 12:47 AM:
I just saw a pistachio-nut-sized clam in there that got me a lot more excited than it probably should have :) That's cool! I've never got a clam on my rock... |
Still at.25 -- critters on new rock
Cindy wrote:
That's cool! I've never got a clam on my rock... I've got several, and they seem to be proliferating. I'm no longer sure this is a good thing? But, yeah, it's more exciting than it logically should be. They don't do much. George Patterson All successes in conservation are temporary. All defeats are permanent. |
Still at.25 -- critters on new rock
* George Patterson wrote, On 10/5/2006 5:21 PM:
Cindy wrote: That's cool! I've never got a clam on my rock... I've got several, and they seem to be proliferating. I'm no longer sure this is a good thing? But, yeah, it's more exciting than it logically should be. They don't do much. But they're ALIVE, and they're from the ocean! BG |
Still at.25 -- critters on new rock
I can't recall ever getting any animals from my LR :-( I've always been
jelious of those got them. (free live stock) Good luck with your tank, sounds like its progressing nicely "Cindy" wrote in message om... * George Patterson wrote, On 10/5/2006 5:21 PM: Cindy wrote: That's cool! I've never got a clam on my rock... I've got several, and they seem to be proliferating. I'm no longer sure this is a good thing? But, yeah, it's more exciting than it logically should be. They don't do much. But they're ALIVE, and they're from the ocean! BG |
Still at.25 -- critters on new rock
"Peter Pan" wrote in message Good luck with your tank, sounds like its progressing nicely Thanks. The thing is---most of the time I dont know what I`m really looking at. There are some soft things coming out of the rock. Some look like what I would think are "sponges" but I really have no idea. BTW---how do clams grow? Do they shed their shells? Or do the shells grow with them? |
Still at.25 -- critters on new rock
"George Patterson" wrote in message I've got several, and they seem to be proliferating. I'm no longer sure this is a good thing? How do they proliferate? I keep thinking I see more---but am never quite sure. There are a few empty shells that must have dropped from the rock. If they died in the cycle, I dont know why I dont see any "meat" in the shells. All the shells are about Pistachio-nut sized or smaller. Also---in the Pod department---there is a handfull of much larger animals in that "scene" that seem very aggressive. It looks like they are eating voraciously---almost "pumping" through the water in repetetive short bursts. There are tons of Pods in there. I was thinking if the first fish introduced was a pod-eater it could be a very successful acclimation. |
Still at.25 -- critters on new rock
not knowing what's going on in your tank especially when you're knew is not
uncommon. The best thing for you is that you're coming in here looking for answers. When you get replies to your posting, you're looking for consistancy with the answers. Everyone has different idea/ methods of doing things.. look for the most consistant answer and you'll do fine. I would suggest that you read all the postings until you have a good idea what you're doing, also go to your local LFS and pick up a book and read up on what you want to do with your tank i.e. Fish Only With Live Rock (FOWLR) or do plan on making a mini reef. Read up on topics such as Lighting, Filtrations, Water changes, adding stock to you tank, as well as what the readings on your test strips really mean. As far as your clam; I have no idea. Something else: If you find something you think is wierd with your tank, take a photo of it (dont use a flash) post it to a free web site or photobucket.com so others can view it, more then likely, someone in here can tell you what it is or whats going on with your tank. In time, you will read postings from someone who is new to this and think.. I remember when this happened to my tank..pretty soon, you will be one of those answering questions as oppose to asking them. Good luck "StringerBell" wrote in message ... "Peter Pan" wrote in message Good luck with your tank, sounds like its progressing nicely Thanks. The thing is---most of the time I dont know what I`m really looking at. There are some soft things coming out of the rock. Some look like what I would think are "sponges" but I really have no idea. BTW---how do clams grow? Do they shed their shells? Or do the shells grow with them? |
Still at.25 -- critters on new rock
StringerBell wrote:
BTW---how do clams grow? Do they shed their shells? Or do the shells grow with them? They secrete the material from which the shells are made and add on to the edges, making the shell bigger. George Patterson All successes in conservation are temporary. All defeats are permanent. |
Still at.25 -- critters on new rock
StringerBell wrote:
How do they proliferate? I keep thinking I see more---but am never quite sure. There are a few empty shells that must have dropped from the rock. If they died in the cycle, I dont know why I dont see any "meat" in the shells. All the shells are about Pistachio-nut sized or smaller. Well, every so often, a small one appears where there wasn't one before. I have several that resemble green pistachio nuts. One just appeared a week or so back and is tiny. The largest is nut sized. They aren't forming colonies; I have no idea where the next one will appear. Mine are definitely alive, since each is slightly open, and I can see the flesh inside. One of mine is on a piece of dead coral and couldn't have come in with the rock, so they have to be reproducing. I also have something about 1.5" long that seems to be some sort of limpet. It looks like part of the rock, but it closes up when you touch it. The effect is as if part of the rock suddenly shrank. As far as no meat in your shells is concerned, shellfish spoil and rot very rapidly. All of mine are firmly secured to something. I would guess that, if you find one lying on the substrate, it's dead. Also---in the Pod department---there is a handfull of much larger animals in that "scene" that seem very aggressive. It looks like they are eating voraciously---almost "pumping" through the water in repetetive short bursts. There are tons of Pods in there. I was thinking if the first fish introduced was a pod-eater it could be a very successful acclimation. I've been thinking the same myself and wondering if a 125 gallon tank is large enough to keep enough pods growing to feed a Mandarin. George Patterson All successes in conservation are temporary. All defeats are permanent. |
Still at.25
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Still at.25 -- critters on new rock
Wayne Sallee wrote:
The mussels will attach to the rock, and will move around, so they can be in one spot one day, and in another spot another day. I was going to post that mine don't seem to move, but the one that was on my dead coral disappeared the day after you posted that. I found a new one in the sand at the other end of the tank today. It's full-size, so I'd guess it's the same one. How can one travel six feet like that? George Patterson All successes in conservation are temporary. All defeats are permanent. |
Still at.25 -- critters on new rock
Six feet in one day is quite a bit, so it's probably a
different one. Wayne Sallee Wayne's Pets George Patterson wrote on 10/8/2006 11:14 PM: Wayne Sallee wrote: The mussels will attach to the rock, and will move around, so they can be in one spot one day, and in another spot another day. I was going to post that mine don't seem to move, but the one that was on my dead coral disappeared the day after you posted that. I found a new one in the sand at the other end of the tank today. It's full-size, so I'd guess it's the same one. How can one travel six feet like that? George Patterson All successes in conservation are temporary. All defeats are permanent. |
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