Confused- tank cycling

[angelsj247]

This is my first tank and im starting to get really confused, with all the diffrent information ive been getting. i have a 20g tank. i have 10 or 15 pounds of Nature's Ocean Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Reef Substrate, mixed with regular gravel. I have a heater, thermometer and a plastic hydrometer. I started the tank bout 3 weeks ago now. i didnt get live rock bc it seemed to much for me, and i dont even know where to get it. Not sure what the filter is called (im at work now, i have the box at home). I got the beginnger bucket of red sea. It came with salt a couple of tests for the nitrite, nitrate, ph and alklintiy. It didnt come with anything about ammonia and i just found out thats really important, so i just got a test that hangs inside the tank a couple of days ago. I have a Whisper air pump with 2 air stones and one long one. I have a glass cover and a light.

Well i read up on somethings and it says that if you dont have live rock, to jump start your system you can put a raw shrimp in your tank. Well i just put a raw shrimp in there about 3 days ago now. And heres whats going on

My temp is at 78 degrees
Salinity, just dropped a little- 1.021
Ammonia-0 but it looks like it might be going up a bit.
Nitrite- 3.0
Nitrate- 20
Ph- 8.2
Alk- it shows a dark blue color which isnt on the test- it ends with a dark green color.

I just looked at it yesterday and i noticed a wierd smell. i dont know if its from the shrimp starting to decay? My tank does have algae covering the sides and some of the plants, its a brownish white color.
But anyways im confused on where to go at this point. am i missing anything. and what do i do now and what do i do next?

Please help.. i want to do this right.

 

[S.Reef]

Hmm...what do you mean by regular gravel? If its that colored pebble stuff you will need to start over.

Live rock comes from the oceans most LFs carry live rock or can order it in for you, if not check online, I strongly advise getting some pieces. Also acts as a biological filter.

Depending on the filter you got you may need to add some powerheads to help circulate the water in addition to.

Personally I would get rid of the air pump because it will add salt creep to the top of the trank and around the equiptment.

Finally yes the shrimp cycling thing works but if you want to cycle the tank properly you should get the live rock before hand.

 

[angelsj247]

The regular gravel is not colored its a sandy color and was right next to the live gravel i got, the lady at the lfs said it was ok to mix it.
The filter i have is a Cascade100 power flilter.
Yah with the air pump i do have salt composties around the equipment now, thats from the pump>? and i should get ride of it?
K about the live rock, is it hard to keep up with it, and what do i need for it? a special light more tests?
So i should order some and put it in my tank when i get it,.. then do i still need to use a filter.
o and when i do water changes (havent yet but when i get fish) i use tap water, and mix it with salt do i have to make sure the ph and everything is right before adding it or does it fix itself when i add it?
Thanks for the help =)

 

[wayne]

I am going to be brutally honest. With the level of information/knowledge you have now, your chances of success withthis tank are very close to nil. This will be very disappointing for you, and you will probably throw a lot of money down the drain.
I would honestly recoemmend you buy a book like the New Marine Aquarium by Mike Paletta, as this will give you a step by step guide to a successful small setup.
With what you have no, you have a tank, a possibly useful setup of bacteria in the sand, and some water. If I was you I'd pull out what's left of the shrimp, and you may as well pull out the airstones, and jsut use the powerfilter. But I would do nothing, and absolutely NOT add anything alive till you have done some reading, and have a plan. Using freshwater kit/techniques on a salt tank is not a good recipe for success.


You might want to read the stickies here too, but I find the book has all the necessary information in a concise, readable format

 

[Lotus]

I agree with Wayne about reading up on saltwater tank setup.

You should be able to buy live rock at any store that sells saltwater fish. If the store doesn't sell live rock, I wouldn't get fish there, simply because it would demonstrate to me that they don't know anything about modern saltwater fishkeeping.

 

[angelsj247]

I have a book, but i guess its not that informative, ill go out and get a diffrent book today
thanx

 

[wayne]

I am glad to hear that. the other book I like for beginners is John Tullochs Natural Reef Aquaria, but the Paletta book is a bit simpler.

It is worth reading one of these and getting it right at the start as there have been terrific advances in marine aquaria keeping in the last 20 years, and life in a new style setup is so much easier than for a modified 'freshwater setup'.

 

[bigredspecial]

Like Wayne said... saltwater fish keeping is a relatively new hobby, and as such is rapidly evolving/changing. A book that is just ten years old, is generally full of erroneous 'facts'. They were believed to be the best method previously, but the test of time has proven them false.

In short, get a new book.