How to initially cycle your tank?

[TheMuggle]

Hello there! This is my first time trying to care for Opae Ula and I have just started my tank which is about 2 to 2.5 gallons. Before I go into my specific question this is what my tank set up is like. I have small black lava rock as the main substrate, and small red lava rocks and calcium carbonate stones bought from this store. Additionally, I have a macroalgae ball also bought from this store, a barnacle shell, and a dead sea fan present in the tank. The tank was filled with distilled water, and all the objects were either rinsed with distilled water or RO water.

It has been about a week since I have started to cycle the tank and within a few days, I noticed cloudiness which cleared up pretty quickly (from my understanding this is to be expected due to the growth of bacteria). I have tested the water with test strips to see where it's at and I got the following rough measurements.

Nitrates and nitrites are at or around 0
Ammonia is at or around 0
pH is around or slightly below 7
Chlorine is above 0

My main worry right now is how can I raise the pH? Also, should I worry about the chlorine? Thank you for any help for this newbie !

[sliphorn]

Hello there! This is my first time trying to care for Opae Ula and I have just started my tank which is about 2 to 2.5 gallons. Before I go into my specific question this is what my tank set up is like. I have small black lava rock as the main substrate, and small red lava rocks and calcium carbonate stones bought from this store. Additionally, I have a macroalgae ball also bought from this store, a barnacle shell, and a dead sea fan present in the tank. The tank was filled with distilled water, and all the objects were either rinsed with distilled water or RO water.

It has been about a week since I have started to cycle the tank and within a few days, I noticed cloudiness which cleared up pretty quickly (from my understanding this is to be expected due to the growth of bacteria). I have tested the water with test strips to see where it's at and I got the following rough measurements.

Nitrates and nitrites are at or around 0
Ammonia is at or around 0
pH is around or slightly below 7
Chlorine is above 0

My main worry right now is how can I raise the pH? Also, should I worry about the chlorine? Thank you for any help for this newbie !

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Did you add marine salt to the distilled water to create a brackish water environment? Half seawater strength is what is needed.
Also, I suggest you remove the sea fan as they tend to break down and cause problems.
..

[TheMuggle]

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Did you add marine salt to the distilled water to create a brackish water environment? Half seawater strength is what is needed.
Also, I suggest you remove the sea fan as they tend to break down and cause problems.
..

Yes I have added marine salt so the level is around 1.010. I have seen some people mention the sea fan may eventually cause trouble so I'll keep an eye on it! Is there anything I can do about the chlorine and pH? I'm wondering if I have faulty test strips, maybe I just need to invest in the liquid test kits instead.

[TheMuggle]

Also if I were to buy a liquid test kit should I buy the freshwater one? Or does the reed or saltwater one work better for this kind of brackish water tank?

https://www.amazon.com/API-FRESHWATER-8 ... 771&sr=8-1

[Super Jess]

1 week is not long enough for the tank to settle. Don't do anything, just wait. No fast moves and your opae tank will sort itself out.

[TheMuggle]

1 week is not long enough for the tank to settle. Don't do anything, just wait. No fast moves and your opae tank will sort itself out.

Okay! Do you think the chlorine level will drop at some point? Not sure if it will evaporate from the water or if it will sit there for a long time :\

[Varanus]

If you used distilled water then there shouldn't have been any chlorine in the tank to begin with. So indeed the test strip could be faulty.

But yes, chlorine does dissipate from water over time. Chloramine, however, acts rather differently. So you may still want to treat the water with something like Prime if you keep getting readings like that.

However, usually you shouldn't need to test the water for a supershrimp tank anyway. The general rule is to wait until algae starts growing somewhere in the tank or on the water's surface. Once that happens the tank is ready. You can generally add snails and macroalgae/moss balls right from the start to potentially speed things along. Should algae not be visible after a month or so then it's usually still safe to add shrimp.

[TheMuggle]

If you used distilled water then there shouldn't have been any chlorine in the tank to begin with. So indeed the test strip could be faulty.

But yes, chlorine does dissipate from water over time. Chloramine, however, acts rather differently. So you may still want to treat the water with something like Prime if you keep getting readings like that.

However, usually you shouldn't need to test the water for a supershrimp tank anyway. The general rule is to wait until algae starts growing somewhere in the tank or on the water's surface. Once that happens the tank is ready. You can generally add snails and macroalgae/moss balls right from the start to potentially speed things along. Should algae not be visible after a month or so then it's usually still safe to add shrimp.

Thanks, I'll have to be patient to see where the tanks cycling goes !

[sliphorn]

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Keeping an eye on the sea fan will do nothing. The trouble begins with no visible signs of change to the sea fan. I would remove it. Do you want success? Remove it.
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[Dch48]

My tank has had sea fan in it from the beginning over a year ago now. It has not deteriorated at all and has posed no problems. If it is properly dried and sterilized, it's perfectly safe. I wouldn't go picking some up off a beach and using it but if it's been dried and treated and sold as aquarium decoration, it's almost certainly safe.

[TheMuggle]

My tank has had sea fan in it from the beginning over a year ago now. It has not deteriorated at all and has posed no problems. If it is properly dried and sterilized, it's perfectly safe. I wouldn't go picking some up off a beach and using it but if it's been dried and treated and sold as aquarium decoration, it's almost certainly safe.

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Keeping an eye on the sea fan will do nothing. The trouble begins with no visible signs of change to the sea fan. I would remove it. Do you want success? Remove it.
..

Thanks, the one I bought is marketed for fish aquariums so I'm hoping for the best.