# noob cycling question



## argofan (Jul 29, 2015)

hi folks
i have 1 damsel helping me cycle my first salt water tank (20 gal)
parameters as follows
ammomia 0.5 ppm
nitrite 2 ppm
nitrate 20 ppm
comming along fine right...
but in the interest of the fish,should I
a do nothing
b get it out of there and let the biology do its thing
c do a pwc to bring the numbers down
any guidance from the veterans
thanks
kevin


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## badxgillen (Aug 20, 2010)

Are you using Prime as a water conditioner? If you are I would add an appropriate amount of that to help neutralize some of the ammonia. Were you using live sand and live rock to cycle the tank? or just bottled bacteria? I suppose either way I would add some more quality live rock if you have room. If you have another tank to put the damsel in until the ammonia and nitrites ride out that would be best but if you do not I would recommend a water change as the cycle is nearing completion with the signs of nitrates setting in and you will want to alleviate that before it gets to high and out of control.

Adding macro algaes to your sump and increasing its light regiment will help reduce some of those unwanted parameters too.
There are also ammonia,nitrite, and nitrate removing medias out on the market but I would do some research and follow directions if you choose to use one of those products.


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## argofan (Jul 29, 2015)

thank you for replying
this is my first saltwater tank. it is an experiment to see if I'm capable of looking after a reef. so I started from the beginning with primed city tap water, ocean in a box to proper salinity,dead rock and dead sand and stress zyme hoping to start a f/o or fowlr tank.
I have added the damsel and some live rock live hoping to get things going
life support is hob filter with a powerhead for circulation.
i think im on the right track but I just didn't want to sacrifice the damsel.
So With your guidance i will move it to a separate tank till the biology finishes up
do a major water change and move it back in
calcium, kh, phosphates monitoring will be phased is as i move along the learning curve.
thanks for the help.
I wish you clear waters

regards 
kevin


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## badxgillen (Aug 20, 2010)

If you are doing the water change anyways and have the Prime you could just leave the damsel in and monitor the ammonia just in case. Seeing as you have the nitrates already, and you had a little bit of live rock, you have the necessary bacteria to convert the ammonia just not quite enough yet. That should change any day now. The water change will dilute the existing ammonia and the addition of the Prime will convert it to ammonium wich is much less toxic than ammonia but still digestible by the bacteria.


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## argofan (Jul 29, 2015)

wow! timing is everything. your reply caught me with the net in my hand. come to think of it I don't thing I was gonna catch this guy without a playing a game of jenga with the rockpile. a quick check confirmed ammonia, down nitrites down. I think im almost there. so I will take the water I prepped for the evacuation tank put it in the display tank and ride it out 
many thanks, respect
kevin

no obligation, but if I may ask another question...
the green algae that was on the live rock is either dying or detaching itself from the rocks
and getting filtered out or catching in the power head it think this may be because the cycle is not ready for this algae yet. also brown staining on all the dead rock diatom I think, I was expecting this and the coralline is fading to light purple (probably a lighting issue). is anything here out of the ordinary or am I on the right track?

once again my sincere gratitude and respect

kevin


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## Roccus (Nov 1, 2013)

Welcome to the site... a lot of things are going to happen to your tank over the next 12 months...it's fun ( and sometimes frustrating) to watch.. just don't get overly excited about things ( good or bad) keep good husbandry habits and all will go well.... the algae on your rock most likely is lacking nutrients... remove what you can of it so it doesn't add to the bio load as if decomposes... don't worry it WILL grow back ... the coralline is most likely being effected by some other reason other than lighting... a check of alkalinity, specific gravity , Magnesium and calcium will give you a better clue.. get your Sg. in the 1.025 range ... your alk. in the 8.3 - 9.3 range....your calcium around 450 -500 ppm and your mag 1400-1500 ppm ( adjust Mag first).. that will give you good coralline growth ( be careful what you wish for) once your tank matures.....


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## argofan (Jul 29, 2015)

thanks ive been so worried about every little thing worried about killing fish and not doing things correctly I think I need to relax.
I think I kind of understand the calcium, alkaline and magnesium relationship
water wont take up calcium if it doesn't have the alkaline buffer capacity to do so.
and the magnesium provides the ability for this to happen.
that about right?
trying to get things stable for first coral frags... maybe soon!
thanks for looking in

really appreciate it

kevin


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## badxgillen (Aug 20, 2010)

Make sure to keep us updated, and we all love pictures if you have any. Sounds like it is going to be a reef tank?


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## argofan (Jul 29, 2015)

its a 20 gal fish only, growing live rock, progressing towards reef tank learning experiment to see if I have the ability to keep a full blown reef before I start pouring major money into this hobby.
im comfortable with freshwater but after after seeing a couple of reef tanks the freshwater stuff seems so like goldfish in a bowl. and its not just the fish, the corals, inverts, sponges and various other critters are just as fascinating.
sure ill post a couple pics

thanks for the warm welcome
I wish you clear waters my friend

kevin


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## badxgillen (Aug 20, 2010)

The dynamic diversity of a salt water reef tank makes most fresh water tanks pale in comparison, especially when it comes to intricate lifeforms and the complexity of the fine details.

I have been hooked ever since I started a reef and am still suffering from signs of addiction. I also have the dreaded Multiple Tank Syndrome, also known as MTS.


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## argofan (Jul 29, 2015)

my people say that I've got Fish ****ed Disorder
4 tanks now, 3 freshwater and the saltwater nano we've been talking about
and now planning for the large reef (like growing garbage cans of live rock)
for a build that's a year away or making crushed coral and cement fake rock structures or backgrounds.... O.M.F.G, they might be right

clear waters...
kevin


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