New to reef...need some advice

[CRAP! Another Hobby]

Thanks for the advice everyone

FYI...the LR was out of water for only 2 hours. Would it still take a few weeks for it to be ready?

[michika]

Its not so much a set time in weeks, as its more when your levels drop to 0. Since your live rock is older and it wasn't out of the water that long, it could be a very quick cycle, a few weeks, or it could be longer.

Track your parameters for a week and watch the trend. Post them here if you want. You can also start a tank journal for more feedback.

[ElGuappo]

My (first) reef tank is now 7 monthes old and i am now finally at levels that are good like undetectable phos Nit and such it this long for my tank. hoever i stockedt too early and had a bad ntite spike and later a phos spike. the nitite i believe was due to my sifting to much sand during a rockscape change.

[Marlin65]

If you used all cured rock out of someones tank and depending on how much you will need to wait for your glass and rest of your stuff to become live. (bacteria attached to it)
You might have no noticeable cycle. Just don't add a lot of stuff at ones.
Only bad things happen fast in this hobby.
Have a picture?

[Myka]

Since your rock was previously used in another tank, and was only out of the water for a couple hours you will likely get very little cycle, and it may be over in just a few days.

Since you are very new to this hobby if you answer some questions and post a photo of your tank we can you get off on the right foot.

What are the current water parameters? (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, temperature, salinity)
What brand of test kits are you using? How old are they?
Are you using a float arm hydrometer or a refractometer to test salinity?
How often do you test salinity?
Is the sand new or did you get that from another reefer too?
What kind of fish, corals, and critters would you like to keep in your tank?

[CRAP! Another Hobby]

Originally Posted by Myka

Since your rock was previously used in another tank, and was only out of the water for a couple hours you will likely get very little cycle, and it may be over in just a few days.

Since you are very new to this hobby if you answer some questions and post a photo of your tank we can you get off on the right foot.

What are the current water parameters? (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, temperature, salinity)
What brand of test kits are you using? How old are they?
Are you using a float arm hydrometer or a refractometer to test salinity?
How often do you test salinity?
Is the sand new or did you get that from another reefer too?
What kind of fish, corals, and critters would you like to keep in your tank?

Thanks again for all the great input

To answer some of your q's...
-params = NH3 is 0; NO2/NO3 no detectable levels; 8.5 pH; salinity 1.023
-Test kit is a NUTRAFIN Master test kit...few months old
-Testing salinity in AM and PM...top up of RO/DI in PM
- Float arm hydrometer (saving up for a refract)
- No sand...just LR for now...got it from another reefer.
- No special lighting (yet)...still searching for a deal on used lights.
- Still researching the fish and what-nots for inhabitants ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR A BEGINNER REEFER IS GREATLY WELCOME REGARDING THIS

But speaking of critters...some hitchhikers that we aquired are showing. Looks like dried strands of spaghetti (same size...all under a few inches long) with an orange feathery "thing" coming out the end of the tube. It quickly retracts into the tube as soon as I cast a shadow over it. We don't know if it is a good critter or a pest. ALSO...have a number of critters that are about 2-3 mm long running all over the place. Clear appearance...kinda look like little shrimps.

I'll post some pics later this week.

[ElGuappo]

The shrimp looking things are Copapods? not sure how to spell but they are good. anatureal food source for fish. my rusty angel has just about cleared mine out when i droped my feeding amount.(now my ph is undetectable)

[VFX]

Originally Posted by CRAP! Another Hobby

But speaking of critters...some hitchhikers that we aquired are showing. Looks like dried strands of spaghetti (same size...all under a few inches long) with an orange feathery "thing" coming out the end of the tube. It quickly retracts into the tube as soon as I cast a shadow over it. We don't know if it is a good critter or a pest. ALSO...have a number of critters that are about 2-3 mm long running all over the place. Clear appearance...kinda look like little shrimps.

I'll post some pics later this week.

Congrats!

Sounds like you have some Feather Dusters & some pods

.

[Marlin65]

Your critters are fine worms are good and the clear shrimp are probally pods.