Logan's 75g - It's been fun!!

Congrats on the huge progress! I hope the leak issue gets taken care of soon.
How high is the top of the rock? What's the future plan for this tank? LPS, SPS?

 

Thanks! The tank from bottom of frame to top of water is about 19", my highest rock point is probably 14. I hope the leak issue is resolved, haven't had one drop in almost 24 hours. *knock on wood

I'm thinking softies and LPS. Not really sure though, this is my first tank so I'm still learning about the different types.

 

I guess I'm a little unsure of what to do next. I got my salinity at 1.023 right now, my temp is 79-80. I saw an API test kit at the pet store that tested for pH, ammonia, nitrate and nitrite for $40. Is that the kind of kit I should buy now?

 

You got two MHs, so you can have SPS with no problem, I think. I only have a few frags on the rack right now, I can just watch them all day

API liquid test kit is what I have. The Hanna checkers are on the list but always get bumped down..

Is there any ammonia source in there ie: dead shrimp?

 

Not yet. I just read an article here that made a lot of sense to me.

Beginner FAQ: The Nitrogen Cycle

So the next step is to drop a shrimp in, let the ammonia rise, then the nitrites, then the nitrates. Sound right? How long should I leave the shrimp in for, a week?

 

It varies from a tank to another. Just keep testing the water, you will see spikes on each ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.

 

Got bored this morning so heres a quick update. Dropped one shrimp in 2 days ago. Ammonia hasn't spiked yet it's steady at .50 ppm. Once ammonia gets higher should I pull it out? (How high?)

Bought three small pieces of live rock also.

New FTS with the live rock






Heres a few shots of whats going on underneath.

 

Im on day 6 of my cycle. The shrimp has had a thick cloudy film around it for days, should I leave it sit like this or move it around to shake it off?

My ammonia never really "spiked" above 1. The last 5 days results are as follows:

Day 1:
Ammonia .5
Nitrites .25
Nitrates 0

Day 3:
Ammonia 1
Nitrites .25
Nitrates 0

Day 4:
Ammonia 1
Nitrites .5
Nitrates 0 (maybe 5ppm, the color was between)

Day 5
Ammonia 1 (between .5 and 1, the color again was between)
Nitrites .5
Nitrates 0 (same as day 4, a little towards 5ppm)


I'm using 10lbs cured live rock, 50 lbs base rock, 40 lbs base sand and 20 lbs live sand.

I had the 20 lbs live sand in the water for about a week before I seeded the shrimp and started testing for the cycle, I wonder if the live sand could have started it earlier?

My question is should I leave the one shrimp in there and just wait it out, or do I need to get another source of ammonia in there to jump start it?

 

Heres what my cycling friend looks like

 

LOL I have read and understand that you really dont take it out it just stays in there untile it disolves BTW looking good ;D