What is wrong with my tank (cycling for 2 months)

[yungocellaris]

Hello, I frequent these forums but finally I’ve bit the bullet and made and account. I need help

600L tank, 6x2x2, 100L sump. NYOS skimmer.


I’m honestly not sure what’s wrong. My phosphate was through the roof. Got it down using Phosphate X (Lanthanum)

Magnesium <1000ppm
Calcium 600ppm
Alkalinity 12.6dkh
pH 7.8
Phosphate 0.07 as of this morning / but was 0.90 and yesterday was 0.11
Salinity 35/36

can some one help me, I tested with some hermits and they come out of their shells and I put them back into my smaller tank. I’m too scared to put anything in there.

I do have some rock work. That “was” live. But is now dead

Any help would be appreciated

 

[slingfox]

No need to put in a pinch of fish food everyday. In fact that is too much nutrient input. You only need to put in one pinch at the start but with live rock no nutrient input was needed since there should enough biomass on the live rocks to fuel the cycle.

For now I would recommend a large water chance and let the tank sit until ammonia levels decline. Do not turn on any tank lights. You may need to do additional water changes if the nutrients keep creeping up but hopefully it won't be needed.

 

[yungocellaris]

Okay read everything you guys have said, I added some CUC and in 1 hour they started to show signs of dying so I’ve done a 70% water change. And have turned off lights. I’m not sure if I can get Fritz in Australia so I’ll check. Thanks a lot everyone for your input

 

[yungocellaris]

Some of your live rock is strange looking.

Two pieces look like lava rock.

2 of the rocks are from the beach. Apart from that I bought live rock

 

[Spare time]

If that were my tank

I would start by cleaning up all that algae. Clean up the sump

It's growing algae, so that's a good sign. it can't grow with ammonia in the system

I would add bottled Start type bacterias every night. A dropperful each. Pick your flavor

Add some CUC. Feed them fish food. Add some starter fish, feed them accordingly Start adding some softy corals, and tester frags

And do frequent water changes

Assess that, and start adding my corals as needed. Zoas and cheap corals first, and then SPS in about 4 to 6 months

Algae absolutely can grow with ammonia present

 

[yungocellaris]

Algae absolutely can grow with ammonia present

Well dang it

 

[Spare time]

Tbh I think the ammonia test is not being accurate for whatever reason. There is no way that you have ammonia with live rock for that long. As for the inverts dying, I'd remove rock you got from the beach and consider doing an icp test or adding a metal remover.

Everything reading oddly in your test list points to, at least in my opinion, faulty testing on your behalf or on the tests behalf.

 

[yungocellaris]

Tbh I think the ammonia test is not being accurate for whatever reason. There is no way that you have ammonia with live rock for that long. As for the inverts dying, I'd remove rock you got from the beach and consider doing an icp test or adding a metal remover.

Everything reading oddly in your test list points to, at least in my opinion, faulty testing on your behalf or on the tests behalf.

I bought live rock two months ago. I know for sure that whatever is living in it has died.

 

[Spare time]

I bought live rock two months ago. I know for sure that whatever is living in it has died.

I was more concerned about metal leaching from unknown rock materials.

 

[SeaDweller]

What is your source water and also why are you running a refugium with chaeto already??? Unnecessary for now.

 

[EliMelly]

If the test is accurate you have a good amount of ammonia which is toxic. That is the obvious guess. Just redo the cycle, add a nitrifying bacteria and wait a bit. Send closer pics of your live rock. If it was live rock I really don’t see how you could’ve killed it unless you took it out of water…

 

[Solo McReefer]

Algae absolutely can grow with ammonia present

Do you worry about it at that concentration?

If so, why?

 

[jcmjoe]

What is your source water and also why are you running a refugium with chaeto already??? Unnecessary for now.

What is that triangle? That’s not an old fishing weight or something metal is it?

 

[yungocellaris]

What is that triangle? That’s not an old fishing weight or something metal is it?

It’s a cone shell, it was not alive when I put it in there. It was empty

 

[yungocellaris]

If the test is accurate you have a good amount of ammonia which is toxic. That is the obvious guess. Just redo the cycle, add a nitrifying bacteria and wait a bit. Send closer pics of your live rock. If it was live rock I really don’t see how you could’ve killed it unless you took it out of water…

I took it out to cement it, then returned it back. But definitely left it out too long. But this was a month and half into having the tank cycle and I thought it was long gone :/

 

[sixty_reefer]

During cycling you are always better if you keep your light off.

 

[Spare time]

Do you worry about it at that concentration?

If so, why?

I think it is a testing error of some sort.

 

[Solo McReefer]

I think it is a testing error of some sort.

I don't test getting a cycle started

Last time was in 2013

Not saying that for a beginner, one shouldn't test.

I just don't find it helpful for myself

 

[Dan_P]

It's growing algae, so that's a good sign. it can't grow with ammonia in the system

What’s this?

 

[IceNein]

It's growing algae, so that's a good sign. it can't grow with ammonia in the system

Are you sure about that? I know algae is not the same thing as plants, but plants preferentially absorb and use ammonia over nitrates and nitrites. At a certain level ammonia becomes toxic, but ammonia is a fertilizer for plants. It's mainly what we use in agriculture. Just straight ammonia sprayed onto fields.

 

[motoxc]

really the tank does not look that bad, I mean for a cycling tank.

My tank recently cycled and probably took 5 months until no more algae. I did start with a small amount of coraline encrusted live tank rock, but it was only a small percentage compared to my new dry rock. Also I did add MB7 and Dr Tims stuff along the way.

I would agree that the live rock had die off, which is why it should be cured first in a bucket. But you got it done just happened in the display tank. The die off probably overloaded the small amount of bacteria in the tank and slowed the process along with growing some algae. But good news, it sounds like you are back on track.

If it was my tank, I would stop doing huge water changes and maybe none at all until ammonia goes away. You are trying to build the denitrifying bacteria but you are slowing its growth down with the constant large W/C's.

Again, if it was me, I would try to remove as much algae from the tank and blow off the rocks with a baster. immediately following this I would add bacteria as suggested, maybe the starter stuff and then next week MB7. and then a few more times. Your skimmer should be off for this for probably 24hours after dosing. You want to get large quantities of nitrifying bacteria to grow on the surfaces. This why people will tell you not to clean the glass, sand and rock. It still did it.

While I am waiting for that to happen for that process to finish, I would learn to balance Ca, Alk and Mg. Mg should be the easiest to maintain. I have found great results with Mg 1300-1350, Ca 400-450, Alk 8-10, PH 8-8.3, PO4 .05-1, NO3 2-20, your milage may vary. You need test kits for these and need to check almost daily at first and then weekly and later on once you have developed your own system of dosing that is consistent then monthly.

To limit algae growth in these first months the lights should be less than 50% and maybe less depending on your setup and I would really wait until getting corals to ramp up slowly.

A Clean up crew is a must with a variety of snails. I personally don't do hermits but that is me. Get emeralds if you have bubble. I find trocus and margarita snails work good. Ceriths always find a way into your plumbing and turbos are good but die too quick. With sand you also want nassarius. Also a sand sifting star. These CUC's are a must and should be replenished or added to maintain a clean tank.

That's it for now. There is a lot to learn in this hobby. Best advice is to go slow with everything and learn to be consistent. Once you start neglecting things and especially if it is not dialed in and on auto pilot it will turn sideways quick.