I am trying to cycle this 2.5 gallon ,my first attempt with salt water, I have a little experience with fresh water tanks.I purchased a little ruble rock from my local fish store ,and put it in the tank. I mixed instant ocean with distiller water but I forgot to add prime before I added to the tank ,i did put it in a few minutes later.I tested the for ammonia and it has been 0 since I started about 4 days now but I do have off the chart nitrites and about 20 ppm nitrates .I removed a gallon and added a fresh gallon still seems very high.since I have never seen ammonia should I be adding ammonia like I did when I cycled my fresh water tanks.
Help with cycle
- Thread starter Manta
- Start date
- Location
- Brooklyn
Add some thing like fish food, pure ammonia without any additives like scent or a unseasoned shrimp, that is your ammonia source. Test for ammonia a day later and if there isn't any, that means that the ammonia transforming bacteria is there and your waiting for the nitrite transforming bacteria to catch up. One you have 0 ammonia, and 0 nitrites after adding the ammonia source, your tank is cycled. At this point do a large water change, like 2 gallons and get your nitrates as low as possible, you can now add a very small fish (a shrimp goby, clown goby, neon goby) or just keep a cleaner or fire shrimp.
I do have ammonia that I have used for my fresh water tanks,it's from ace hardware it is good no surfactants and not scented I wil do what u said.yes that is what i want try ,one clown goby or a red spotted trimma goby just temporarily I have an empty 29 gallon that if all goes well with this 2.5 I will transfer him later.
- Location
- Brooklyn
Ditch the filter and get a power head like a hydor Korelia 240, and aim it at the surface.
Do yourself a favor and start with the 29 gallon. With salt water, smaller is not easier. No one will recommend any fish for a tank under 10 (except for sardines). Then read about cycling. I don't think you will find 'adding Prime' as a requirement by anyone except the manufacturer.
Using Prime won't hurt anything, but any dechlorinator will work. There are others that significantly cheaper.
If you can run chemipure in the filter then keep it and add a power head for more circulation.
As mentioned previously you're better off starting with the 29. You're going to get wild swings in your water chemistry in a tank that small. Which is the worst thing that can happen in a saltwater tank.
If you can run chemipure in the filter then keep it and add a power head for more circulation.
As mentioned previously you're better off starting with the 29. You're going to get wild swings in your water chemistry in a tank that small. Which is the worst thing that can happen in a saltwater tank.
I looked up the powerhead u suggested on amazon, would the flow be to much for this small 2.5. If I buy this powerhead u mean I can remove the hob ,and that the powerhead the rocks and sand will be enough for this tank.
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I have have been adding ammonia for the last couple of days up to 2ppm and it disappears within 24 hours ,but my nitrites are off the chart should I do water change ,I have changed about 40% 3 days ago but it just shot back up again.I am using the API kit when I test for nitrites it starts of light blue but rapidly changes to dark purple.
- Location
- Brooklyn
Leave the tank alone for 2-3 days, the cycle is ending now, the ammonia transforming bacteria is there and the nitrite transforming bacteria is building up. Once you have 0 of both and very high nitrates, add a bit of ammonia and test for a spike in ammonia or nitrite, if there is none, your cycled. At this point do a large water change and a CUC, then do a few more smaller ones and when nitrates are less then 20 (the lower the better) your ready.
- Location
- Brooklyn
CUC is clean up crew. (Hermits and snails) basiab is right, I forgot that it was a 2.5 gal tank. In this size of a tank I would get 1 nassarious snail, 1 stomella snail, and either 2 blue legs or 1 of the larger hermits like the scarlet reef hermit. Occasionally drop in some seaweed for them in case there isn't much detritus/algae.
Thanks clearing that up for me , I was at petsware house in long island the other day and I was looking at the yellow clown goby's they were really small like a 1/2 inch, would it be okay to get one snail one hermit and the goby for this tank or Would that be to much. I had a small bag of fluval biomedia that I put in the hob with a piece of rubble rock is that okay or should I put back the sponge I had in there.
Lets put it this way. The people who sell fish suggest 10 gallons for the yellow clown goby and they try to give you the smallest possible size since they want you to buy.
Can it live in a 5 gallon or less? Yes, Just like you could live in a closet. But is that how you would want to treat a live creature?
Can it live in a 5 gallon or less? Yes, Just like you could live in a closet. But is that how you would want to treat a live creature?
- Location
- Brooklyn
+1 If you want a nice simple reef tank I would get a single cleaner shrimp or some sexy shrimp.
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