Cycle Question

Wow,
this place is great---everyone is so helpful.

I guess it`s a good idea to let the tank percolate a bit.
I thought I was seeing a lot of air bubbles----but I think I am seeing
"pods" ---something very new to me. There are hundreds of them----- am I
right for taking that as a good sign? They are so tiny it`s hard for me to
visually identify if they are animals or not.
Also---there seems to be stuff on the walls of the tank---like super-tiny
snails-Is that possible?
----- again---they are so small I cant really discern if this is the case.


"dc" wrote in message
...
"StringerBell" wrote in news:0VhQg.14$V51.6
@newsfe10.lga:

I did a partial water change yesterday and the ammonia is still at .25.
Should I keep doing water changes? (theres only live rock and sand)

0.25 ppm NH3 is not very high for a cycling live rock tank. Just wait it
out. Trying to water change out all the ammonia will actually hinder the
development of your nitrifying bacteria within your sand and
rock--bacteria
needs food in order to populate.

0.25 - 0.5 ppm NH3 is probably the ideal range for cycling live rock.
That
puts in you in a range where your rock can populate itself with bacteria
well, but the levels are not so high that they are likely to cause a
massive sloughing off of dead material from the rock. If your NH3 levels
get very high you will lose some of the good stuff that comes with uncured
rock and it will take much longer to regenerate all that beauty it has in
a
natural living reef.

I suggest you continue doing water changes only when it is necessary to
remove any dead rotting material that is sloughing off the rock. You can
try using a turkey baster to get that material out of deep crevices, but
don't be too aggressive with it less you remove desirable living material
too.

A good protein skimmer and active carbon can help prevent sky-rocketing
NH3
levels too by removing organic sludge before it gets broken down, but once
the rock is cured I would skip using the carbon unless there is a specific
need for it.