Marine Tank 120Litres including sump in Durban

[babs]

Hi Guys, about a 5 weeks ago, i started on a small marine tank. After about 3 days of cycling i had put in my first coral. this was a green polyp, a few days later, i had put in my first fish - a damsel, few days later i had put in a chromis, a week later i put in a pair of clowns, and few days later i put in a bicolor angel. I started the tank by making my on RO water and used marine salt. I bought dead rock that had been exposed to air for several years. I had placed about 5kgs in the tank and about 3kgs in the sump. All this time I was advised by the "experts" in the game that I did not give it adequate time for the cycle to start and end. All but one told me to proceed and advised how i should go about establishing my tank. Today i had done the following test, PH: 8.2; Nitrite was between 0 and 0.05; Amonia is 0, Nitrate is low, water clarity is crystal clear. Fish are swimming fine and eating very well. I am now looking for some colourful corals and anemone for the clowns. I prefer to pay and take rather than been delivered. So if you guys in Durban willing to sell please PM me. Thanks guys!!!

 

[RiaanP]

Hello and welcome.

And Oh, the mystical cycle process. It is about how long does it take for dead matter to decompose or to be eaten. What else can drive ammonia? Only dead things rotting away. On newly imported rock, or rock taken out of a system and out of the water for an hour or more, there are algae, copepods, small shrimps, mussels, crabs, worms and what not else that just died. The cycle process is to get rid of all those bodies polluting the water. Rocks exposed for years to the air got all those things already rotten away. Just a simple rinse to get rid of dust would more than likely be enough. No organic material are left in the the rock. I doubt you would even notice a ammonia spike, a small one if even. Your biological filtration process only started when that first damsel took his first poop. Might see some phosphates leaching later as harder shell like pieces breaks down.

So yes, not every tank is the same. What worked for you most likely will not work for somebody else and I for one would not advise a complete newbie to do the same.

Anyway, welcome and happy reefing.

 

[babs]

here is a picture of my small marine