Do you think I'm ready for a F8?

[Pufferpunk]

LOL, only if the lFS bothers to calibrate theirs correctly!

[Iri4810]

I think i still have a lot of time to get more materials…8| Very disappointed, but again, we rarely get in figure eights, and this shipment didn't contain one. UGH

fingers crossed yet again, for the next shipment… Patience is definitely not my thing hah.

[Hillehaus]

I hear ya on the patience thing. It is rough. Take your time though...there's a lot you can do while waiting for the shipment to get in...for example: more research, tinker with your tank, make sure everything is just right again and again, spend more money on stuff you may or may not need

Another good thing to do while waiting is to perfect a water mixing and changing system that prevents spills/leaks so you never have that uncomfortable moment where you have to explain to your wife/significant other why the basement carpet is soaked and smells like the beach. Or, stage that exact event and use it as an excuse to buy a new shop vac and carpet shampooer.

[TheStig]

LOL @ Hillehaus!!!

[Iri4810]

Im crying guys



Guess who this smol guy belongs to!

I bought a liquid test kit, my ph is now a 7.5 with the black aragonite sand. Ammonia is 0, nitrite/nitrate is 0.

Hes so happy, he's been exploring the tank for a while now, and pecking at all the snails…and kinda uprooting my plants aha…8|
BUT ITS OKAY I don't mind :* he's a cutie. Stuck on a name however >.>

Anyway, thanks everyone for the help and advice! I really appreciate it!

[Iri4810]

I hear ya on the patience thing. It is rough. Take your time though...there's a lot you can do while waiting for the shipment to get in...for example: more research, tinker with your tank, make sure everything is just right again and again, spend more money on stuff you may or may not need

Another good thing to do while waiting is to perfect a water mixing and changing system that prevents spills/leaks so you never have that uncomfortable moment where you have to explain to your wife/significant other why the basement carpet is soaked and smells like the beach. Or, stage that exact event and use it as an excuse to buy a new shop vac and carpet shampooer.

I actually went through several google pages on research, added more plants (i seriously love a green tank), bought the test kits and refractometer with more salt and i think i went overboard with the spending haha~

Fortunately (or unfortunately) i don't have a significant other, so I'm pretty free to make a huge mess thankfully! ;D

[Pufferpunk]

Congrats!
How did you cycle this tank? You should be showing some nitrate.
I'm afraid those beautiful plants are not going to appreciate BW.

[Welch4]

I would highly recommend getting a bottle of calibration solution if the refractometer did not come with one.

[Iri4810]

Congrats!
How did you cycle this tank? You should be showing some nitrate.
I'm afraid those beautiful plants are not going to appreciate BW.

Thanks!!
And really? @_@ I used the Tetra SafeStart, and the tank has actually been cycling for two? three? months now. I also used the Caribsea eco complete gravel, along with some Nature's Ocean Bio-activ black aragonite sand for the ph. @_@? Is no nitrate a bad thing?

And yeah, they might not…but hopefully i acclimated them slowly enough? Its mostly just Cabomba plants (i looove these plants even though they're classified as weeds hah)
I'm just really worried about my baby dwarf tears. @_@ its strange however, when i first started them off in freshwater (they came submerged in fresh), they started having a major die off. When i slowly started adding the marine salt (at this point, most of the tears were dead and i pretty much gave up on them) I now have small green leaves??
Super confused with this, but huh. IM NOT COMPLAINING at all :*

[Iri4810]

I would highly recommend getting a bottle of calibration solution if the refractometer did not come with one.

I actually have one on the way through amazon!!
http://www.amazon.com/Standard-Seawater ... n+solution

this is the one i bought, seems to have good reviews. ^^ Thanks for the tip!

[Pufferpunk]

I used the Tetra SafeStart, and the tank has actually been cycling for two? three? months now.

Please describe your EXACT cycling process.

[Iri4810]

Started on July 27, 2015
1. Using Caribsea Eco-complete, created scape in tank, and inch of water layer on top
2. Planted tufts of HC, and three anubias nana in substrate
3. Let plants and water settle for a week under high lighting for 12 hours a day
4. Using separate tank and buckets, aged water with Seachem Prime

1-2 weeks
4. Baby tears start to die off. Anubias is still doing well
5. Filled the tank with aged water, added seachem excel
6. Water is murky at this point, and left to sit for another day or two.
7. Water is clear. Added SafeStart, and after an hour, started running aqua clear filter (media contains carbon, seachem purigen, filter floss, and aqua clear biomax. Kinda stuffed, but it made it.)
8. Tested for ammonia after two days, reads 0 in liquid kit.
9. Baby tears are still dying off. Looks terrible. Removed some, left the greenest ones.

1 month
10. Added several stems of Cabomba plants
11. Added another light for plants
12. Began to dose with very small amounts of seachem iron
13. Added Instant ocean sea salt over a week or two, putting in (dissolved in water first) half a cup of water every two days
14. Started adding decorations as well as a fine white betta sand for beneath a cave.
15. Put guppies in to help with tank cycle (left in for a week, then removed)
16. After guppies were removed, added opae Ula shrimp

2 months
16. Baby tears are sprouting new leaves?
17. Cabomba plants are doing great
18. Ammonia still 0, nitrite/nitrate was at 0 i believe, on test strips.
19. Added snails to tank
20. wait. wait. 8|

3 months
21. Tested water again, everything is the same.
22. Getting grumpy
23. Purchased Refractometer online; purchased kits in lfs
24. Tested water again
25. puff

[Welch4]

Dwarf baby's tears (hc) are normally grown emersed. It sprouting new growth could be it getting adjusted to the co2 levels in the tank.

[TOPuffers]

Congrats on the new fishy! Little NoName is adorable and looks like he/she is smiling in the picture you posted.

[Pufferpunk]

Thanks for your great, detailed information on this!
A couple of things I see here:
You MUST add Safestart the SAME time as fish or add ammonia to feed it or the bacteria dies off of starvation.
You removed the guppies, removing the ammonia food source for the bacteria.
Of course tests come out all 0s, there is no ammonia source & no live bacteria left.
Test strips are crap--get a good liquid test kit like API.
Don't expect most of those plants to survive in BW.