3rd Day of Cycling Questions.

PH 7.8
Am .50
Nitrite 2.0
Nitrate 20ppm
Salinity 1.026
Temp 78
phos 0
KH 196.9
Calcium ? - not cooperating kit wise.....


125 gallon
Skimmer/Refug/Sump
Cycling with Live Rock/Sand
Have added nothing else to tank, but a little purple up, and a PH stabilizer.

does everything seem where it should be at day 3? Should I do a water change? Or let it do its thing?

 

No...those numbers are wayyy off. JK yeah, you really can't time a cycle but you have ammonia and nitrite both so it looks like you are well on your way. Congrats. now it's just a waiting game

 

BTW, leave the purple up out of there. Purple stuff will come without it. If you are going to use it, wait till after the cycle and make sure your ca and alk numbers are where they should be.

 

cool, I've ready so many different things on the purple stuff, seams everyone has a different opinion:/ I will prolly leave it out for now

 

I don't even test my water until about 2 months in a new tank. I keep up the salt and Temp but that's about it.

I let nature run its course and let my tank eat the raw shrimp completely. Even when the ammonia cycle is over you have the algae and cyano blooms to let run their course. 3 days in. I'd just relax and wait.

Do you have any creatures and how mature is the rock in the tank? Purple yet?

 

A good way to start the coralline is to leave your actinics only on for 2 weeks solid with no darkness. You will be amazed at how much coralline will grow.

 

No creatures, didn't think I could add any with those params and it being 3 days old. The rock is from liveaquaria, premium fiji, so no telling how mature it is. Not purple yet.

 

I have never heard that about leaving actinics on, does anyone else suggest this?? Interesting idea...as others have said, leave the purple up out, I'm pretty sure it contains ingredients that contribute to phosphates.....

 

Check out garf.org. Very educational. As for purple up. I have had better coralline growth with reef accelerator to be honest.

My theory is purple up feeds coralline. Which is algae. If there is little coralline than that gives the nuisance algae more places to grow and a ton of nutrients. Most of the stuff in purple up actually come in your salt I think. If you do use it I would consider waiting til there is more coralline and your water has had a chance to loose its existing elemental compositions.

 

My tank is 6 months old and my rock was a fiji rock. I didn't anything but let it run its coarse and now that rock was purple, pink, and white. I had that rock in their for about a month so that when i put my other rocks it would spread. Still waiting because i have had my cyano outbreak. Just wait and let it do its thing. I didn't use any type of special light for it to do it. Just be patient and keep using this site.