Very new to the hobby

[dylanwright826]

Hi all. i apologize in advance for the typos and grammar mess ups hahah. like the title says, im very new to the salt water hobby.ive had fresh water for a while but just recently started a salt water tank. i have lots of questions about it and the little creatures in it.first question is, how long does it normaly take a tank to cycle? its a 55 gallon tank with a diy 20 gallon sump. i have a little over 40 lbs of live sand and 50 lbs of rock. 25 lbs live, 25 lbs base. i used a bottle of bio spira because i was told it would "jump start" the cycle process. so how long should my tank take to cycle?

 

[camellia]

The cycle time for a new saltwater tank is different for every tank and even each individual with the same tank. It will depend on many factors, including the start up material used. In short it usually takes at least four weeks to safely cycle a saltwater tank but can take much longer. Ammonia in the water is deadly to fish so it's important to test the water multiple times prior to any purchase.

It sounds as if you have used more live than dry start up material so you may not have a cycle at all. The only way to know if your tank is safe for live critters is to test your water with a test kit multiple times through the "Nitrogen Cycle" (Ammonia, nitrate and nitrite's).

You can buy a cheap API test kit (for this type of beginner test) at most pet stores or any LFS (local fish store). Other than testing for a cycle, I do not recommend API to safely give you correct numbers. The remainder of the test should be performed with a quality test kit such as Red Sea or Seachems such type kits that can be found at all the LFS sponsors here at ARC.

Welcome to ARC, glad you found us!
Keep the good questions coming, many experienced reefers will be happy to help you be successful through your journey

 

[dylanwright826]

thank you so much...well, i actually already have said test kit and have been testing. had to wait for it in the mail and while i was waiting, this brown algae built up at the top of one of my rocks. i took a picture of it and took it to a local lfs . they sold me,

1. 2x bags phosphate absorber

2. 4x peppermint shrimp

3. 4x astria snails

4. 2 dozen blue leg hermits

some one soon after recommended a sand sifting star fish so i went to another store and told them about it and they sold me said star.
my test kit came a few days after all this and i tested the water..ammonia was at around .25 everythign else was 0. ph was 8.4.

and now i cant find the sand sifter, ive lost 2 snails and maybe 7 hermits. but the past week or so, the tank has srung to life, little copepods on the glass, and a few other things. one of which is flat worms. what ive read is to atch them. do you agree?

 

[camellia]

The brown algae is diatoms which is part of the nitrogen cycle and completely normal. It's a very good thing to see diatoms to confirm that your tank is going through its cycle! The diatoms will go away on their own, you do not want to add anything at this time. Please do not use the phosphate absorber!

If it were me and if it all possible I would keep and collect your dead, remove any thing left alive tomorrow morning and return it to the store that sold it to you in error with the phosphate absorber for a full refund. The store that sold this I would not go back to for advice on a saltwater tank, ever! Without knowing if a new tank is cycled no one should've sold you any of this!

It sounds as if your tank is doing well going through the cycle. Continue to monitor your ammonia nitrate and nitrite's. Record your numbers and be patient.
Edit:
The flatworms most likely came from the live rock. That is the negative to purchasing live rock from someone you do not have 100% confidence and trust in that the rock is clean of pests.
Your tank will need to be treated for the flatworms which I've never dealt with. I'm sure someone with such experience and knowledge will soon chime in and give you great advice.

Please be patient, and test for the three, ammonia nitrate and nitrite's and post them here.

 

[dylanwright826]

I just tested my water again.
Ammonia 0.15 ppm
Nitrite 0.05 ppm
Nitrates 0-5 ppm
Ph 8.2

 

[camellia]

You're on your way but you're not there yet.
Your ammonia will continue to lower to Zero and that bacteria will turn into nitrites. Nitrites are still very harmful to all living creatures in the reef tank.
Once your ammonia and nitrite test zero you nitrates will increase rapidly. At this time, you'll want to do a water change to lower them to a safe level before adding live creatures. This is when it is safe to add hermits and crabs.
When your nitrates stay under control and all of your parameters stay stable for a few weeks it is safe to add a fish. You don't want to add a lot at once as it will throw all of your parameters back out of whack and you will lose all your livestock. You're on your way and looking good!

Again, just be sure your water test for zero ammonia and nitrates consistently for days before doing anything else. This is required to build up the needed good bacteria for your tank to thrive in the future
It takes patients to be successful in this hobby but once your cycle is complete, if you go slow adding life, you shouldn't your purchases.
Keep up the good work!

 

[snowmansnow]

just have patience
welcome to the hobby !
Everything good in saltwater happens fairly slow... so plan on the tank you want 1 year from now, and set THAT in motion now.

 

[crew]

Sorry to hear that this LFS sold you some stuff that they shouldn't have - especially the phosphate absorber.

When your ammonia and nitrite read 0, you are ready to start buying some critters. I would suggest starting with a cleanup crew. Go to any of the sponsor stores here and they can direct on what exactly you should buy (or just ask here and we can tell you).

If I were you, I'd start thinking about what sorts of fish you want to keep. A good place to look is liveaquaria.com. You don't have to buy the fish from there, but there is a bunch of great information and nice pictures so you can see what sorts of fish you will be able to keep.

Welcome to the ARC!

 

[civics14]

welcome! hey - just a thought, something i wish i did when i first started out. Take a picture of the tank when you first set it up, then again in 3 months, or 6 months, so you can see it progress. I wish I had pics of my tank when I first set it up to look back and see what I've accomplished.

 

[dylanwright826]

That's a great idea with the pictures. I'll be sure to do that tomorrow.. And as for thinking about what fish I want, I have a pretty good idea for the most part but I'm sure I'll change my mind when the time actually comes lol.

 

[millersteve383]

Welcome! I am a new reefer as well (6 months). I have learned that u have to be very careful about what LFS tell you. I would keep posting questions on ARC and trust members instead of salesman. It is very hard to go slow but please do yourself the favor and do not rush. I had my nano cube with live rock and sand empty for about a month and a half before I even put my first fish in. I had someone sell me an anemone within a few months (mistake) and also a flame angel that I lost due to the tank being young. So take it slow and enjoy!


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[dylanwright826]

Will do...what happened with said anemone? Did it dye? How long should I wait to put soft corals in?

 

[crew]

anemones typically carry a "6 month" rule as a bare minimum... meaning you should wait at least 6 months (ideally a year) before trying to keep one.

Anenomes aren't soft coral though, so keeping soft coral is really a different question. Once your cycle is complete, you should be fine with keeping soft coral in the tank.

 

[millersteve383]

I had a red bubble tip and it withered away. I don't think I had enough flow or light. Now I have upgraded to LEDs but am waiting on the Nem for a while.


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[camellia]

millersteve383;1066109 wrote: I had a red bubble tip and it withered away. I don't think I had enough flow or light. Now I have upgraded to LEDs but am waiting on the Nem for a while.


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Smart!

It's extremely sad to see these beautiful aminals parish from our lack of knowledge, bad advise or ignorance. I'd like to think (dream) we humans can increase and multiply these beautiful creatures rather than take them from their natural habitat and kill them. My Nem came from a members that split, it split in my tank and I've divided it six times :thumbs:
(We won't discuss the live stock I've lost :unsure

Dylan, keep an eye on the dry goods section here on ARC. Look for those that are selling LPS and softies in Woodstock. When you're tank is stable and your ready check with them to see if they have any frags for sale. If you don't find anyone, I've got a few.

Many, many people quit, give up and get out before they ever got a good start because of lack of knowledge and financial losses that they acquire unnecessarily. We are all going to have things perish, but it's much better that you don't lose that money on expensive or wrong purchases in the beginning, especially when you have a ARC!

 

[dylanwright826]

Camellia;1066138 wrote: Smart!

It's extremely sad to see these beautiful aminals parish from our lack of knowledge, bad advise or ignorance. I'd like to think (dream) we humans can increase and multiply these beautiful creatures rather than take them from their natural habitat and kill them. My Nem came from a members that split, it split in my tank and I've divided it six times :thumbs:
(We won't discuss the live stock I've lost :unsure

Dylan, keep an eye on the dry goods section here on ARC. Look for those that are selling LPS and softies in Woodstock. When you're tank is stable and your ready check with them to see if they have any frags for sale. If you don't find anyone, I've got a few.

Many, many people quit, give up and get out before they ever got a good start because of lack of knowledge and financial losses that they acquire unnecessarily. We are all going to have things perish, but it's much better that you don't lose that money on expensive or wrong purchases in the beginning, especially when you have a ARC!

That is really good to know...I've been looking a little bit in the dry good section and have seen a lot of really cool stuff so I'll more than likely be shoping there from now on for that kind of stuff. They might have some people who dont really know what they're talking about yet but I still support my LFS as much as possible lol..and my tank is getting there slowly but surely ..I can't wait to stock this bad boy..I WILL NOT LET MISTAKES AND LOSS MAKE ME QUIT! I think reefs are absolutely beautiful and cannot explain how much I love the amount of support and help I have received from this site. I will definitely be buying into membership next week! I can't wait