Cycle Update

[WarmSoda]

I thought I would update my progress.

I got my LR about a week ago (LiveAquaria; Standard Fiji) and got it all setup in the tank to get it situated. The rock looks amazing! After setting everything up, my Octopus Resurc. skimmer decided to leak in 4 different spots, so that was ruined. I'm going to get myself a HOB Octo Skimmer when I get 130$, but as it stands I've had the LR in there with no skimmer fora week.

Just 15 min ago I scrubbed off a lot of junk from the the LR and did a small 10% water change (IT SMELLS AWFUL!), because I was a moron and didn't scrub it before hand. There was a bunch of dark dark dark green (almost black) 'stuff' that was semi attacked the LR but wasn't completely attached because it was moving with the flow from the K2's. I scrubbed it off, and underneath it was some very nice pale red coloring on the LR (not thick enough to be algae I think). There was some other brownish 'dust' that I scrubbed off and mostly siphoned out.

Questions:
-Is it OK that I don't have a skimmer running at the moment?
-When can I add my clean-up crew, and will they eat all of the junk lying on the sand?
-When should I expect coraline growth? (I WANT IT SO BAD! THE ROCK LOOKS AWFUL!)

 

[RyanG]

No skimmer isnt a big deal but you'll need one ASAP.

You dont want to add ANYTHING to the tank, until you have cycled the tank, ie Ammonia spike, back to zero, Nitrite spike, back to zero, the Nitrate spike. When you have nitrates and no ammonia or nitrite then you are fully cycled. Do a large water change to get the nitrates back to or close to zero. Then add your clean up crew

Coraline production differs in everyone's systems, it all really depends on your flow, lights and most importantly you Calcium, Alkalinity, AND Magnesium levels being in the right specs.

Check out the articles section on the top bar of the page, all of these answers are there with a lot better explaination of what is going on in your tank.

 

[yote]

I thought I would update my progress.

I got my LR about a week ago (LiveAquaria; Standard Fiji) and got it all setup in the tank to get it situated. The rock looks amazing! After setting everything up, my Octopus Resurc. skimmer decided to leak in 4 different spots, so that was ruined. I'm going to get myself a HOB Octo Skimmer when I get 130$, but as it stands I've had the LR in there with no skimmer fora week.

Just 15 min ago I scrubbed off a lot of junk from the the LR and did a small 10% water change (IT SMELLS AWFUL!), because I was a moron and didn't scrub it before hand. There was a bunch of dark dark dark green (almost black) 'stuff' that was semi attacked the LR but wasn't completely attached because it was moving with the flow from the K2's. I scrubbed it off, and underneath it was some very nice pale red coloring on the LR (not thick enough to be algae I think). There was some other brownish 'dust' that I scrubbed off and mostly siphoned out.

Questions:
-Is it OK that I don't have a skimmer running at the moment? Some people dont run a skimmer untill after their cycle is complete.I personally would get one on there and running as quick as I could.
-When can I add my clean-up crew, and will they eat all of the junk lying on the sand?When ammonia and nitrites test at zero
-When should I expect coraline growth? (I WANT IT SO BAD! THE ROCK LOOKS AWFUL!)Depends on your parameters.Keep the calcium between 400 and 450,,alk from 8 to 10 DKH and magnesium from 1350 to 1400,provide decent light and flow and the water on the cooler side (76 to 79 degrees) and it'll eventually grow.

Hope that helps.