water test's

[fish-lover-uk]

i dont really know what levels it should be but here are my results
high ph 7.8
amonia nh3/4 0.50
nitrite no/2 0.
nitrate 15.
salt im not sure i had to get a small hydromitor because3 they had no big ones
but the top of the white chart on it is about 1cm under water the fish shop said thats perfect. as you can tell im new to the sw having changed from fw.
and can anyone tell me of a good book that can explain a lot for a newbie
theres no fish in yet tank has been setup since sunday

 

[Landlocked]

high ph 7.8

This is LOW for a saltwater aquarium. It should be at least 8.0. 8.2 is the level you should be aiming for.

How long have you had this aquarium running? Which Sunday (date)? The ammonia, if the aquarium was cycled, should be down to 0.

and can anyone tell me of a good book that can explain a lot for a newbie

A good book is "The Consciencious Marine Aquarist", by Robert Fenner. This covers just about everything you would possibly need to know, in a good and detailed manner.

Are you doing water changes? Has the ammonia spiked (Gone way up, then come back down)?

Need more info.

 

[fish-lover-uk]

sunday 14/3/04 i have live sand in it and i have got my 2 fluvel 304 running with a biostar skimmer.
fluvels were in my fw tank. the salt i added was instant ocean it treats 240 l and thats how many l my tank is . the hydromitor i got is only a small one not thelarge ones i had to get it because they had no big ones in stock its only so set my tank up i will have to get a better one. the lady in the fish shop said its about the right level. but i dont have a clue.
i added some cycle to help the cycle process.
p.s should the nitrate go really high off the chart and come down to 0 and thats when i can start adding fish. 2 max.
also what fish would you recomend for me being new to sw marine. its gonna be fish only for a good while

 

[Adrinal]

http/fish.orbust.net/forums/index.php?sh...showtopic=26759
my book review.

Well you have a month or more for your LR to cure. IMO don't even waste your test kits for a month. The tank will go up and down in readings as it finds an equalibrium. Now you have a chance to research your booty off (esp read a good book cover to cover, then do it again making notes), make sure you have the equipment you need for your list of livestock. You can also drool at the LFS. Pay for fish in advance and ask them to hold it till your tank is ready (don't explain yourself to LFS as they may try to convince you to take on spot, just say it will be ready such and such date). This way if the fish is still healthy when you return 2 weeks later you are probably gtg.
You really need to get a quarnitne system ready for SW as well. The cheapest method I use is add another HOB (15 bucks) to the main system. When I need a q-tank I just pull it off, use tank water my preadjusted and tested heater (I use a cheep titanium as it is WAY more safe than glass heaters (20-30 bucks?) (since the water you are taking from the tank is the right temp you can adjust the heater in there by placing in, wait 10 min, then adjust the thing to its break point).

I use a 10g tank but a 5-10-20g bucket would work just as well and be safer for shoving here and there when not in use.

 

[fish-lover-uk]

i was told it will take 7 to 10 days to cycle with live sand

 

[ostrow]

Your "live sand" is no such thing if it came out of a bag, and odds are the rock doesn't have much either unless it is a very good lfs, which I'm sorry to say yours doesn't sound like.

You need some sand and rock from a well established tank, with all the pods and worms (don't ask, read!). That's how you shorten a cycle.

You can expect an explosion of brown diatoms, then slimy cyano, then hair algae, and after that the fun stuff. If you add these to what you call "cycle" you are talking 6 months or more. Of course, you can have fish in there before then, but the way you are going, if you don't seed your sand and rock, you have to wait at least a month ... and you'll STILL have to seed the sand and rock!

I'm assuming you have rock and sand but looking back you didn't mention it in the thread so this may all be moot... if it is a true fish only then a couple weeks should be fine before adding a fish.

 

[fish-lover-uk]

the live sand did come out of a bag. but had water in it also
i have no rock just sand. i have added cycle to it also. what do you mean by seeding the sand.
also i have used my 2 fluvel 304.s i added more substrate to it but they was in my fw before and are established as well shouldent this all help

 

[ostrow]

Sand from a bag has bacteria, nothing else. No copepods, amphipods, bristleworms or anything that will eat detritus. It can't act as a filter until you seed the sandbed with these critters. There are many ways to do this. My preferred way is to add cups of sand from several established tanks, as described above.

 

[Landlocked]

If you can't get to an established tank, is there any other cheap way to get copepods, bristleworms, etc. into a tank?

The only way live sand would cycle a tank is if it had enough bacteria to do it. It doesn't sound like yours is especially trustworthy . . .