20g Brackish Tank-Talk me through the set up!!!

[Pandora]

Thanks for the quick reply, I haven't done a water change at all yet, and I am using the striip tests, what is doing my head in is that there is nitrite now and there wasn't a couple of days ago, there was just nitrate, is that normal?

[edmlfc1]

Yes that is normal. Your tank is going through a cycle. You may get amm. readings soon also. Once the amm. & nitrite go back down to 0 your tank will be cycled.

[Pandora]

Thank goodness for that!! I just thought it was odd to have nitrite after 7 days when I have just had nitrate til now, do you think it will be ok for next weekend? I have a prawn in there (very yucky fluffy prawn eeeeew) and am feeding the tank with fish food

[Pandora]

I think maybe the salt in the water killed off the bacteria I had put in from my freshwater tank, todays levels

Nitrate - .80
Nitrite - 5
PH - 8
KH - 80
GH - 120

Is it a bad idea to do a 50% water change?

[Pufferpunk]

Why did you add salt while cycling? The bacteria is very delicate at this stage. WC is fine.

[Pandora]

I thought I read somewhere if it's gonna be brackish to cycle it as brackish
Did a 30% change and got the nitrite down to 3 it is still at 3 this morning with 50 nitrate 8 PH. I am hoping it'll be ready for the F8's by the weekend but we'll have to wait and see
Thanks for helping

[Pandora]

Nitrite levels are starting to drop nicely now......down to 2 today so keep your fingers crossed for me

[Nick]

Yay!

[Pandora]

I know......getting excited now (OMG I'm turning back into a little kid!!!)

Plants were posted today, so should be here tomorrow, if I do a 1 bucket a day wc SURELY it'll be ready for Sunday

Another question tho.....does anyone else have a Hagen Master Test Kit? Seriously tempted to get one as it does the SW and Fresh so would be good for the F8's and DP's

[cobra1713]

is it a liquid test kit? personaly i perfer the liquid test kits they give much more accurate results, i would use a company like API or salilfert, or any liquid test kit, and if you are going to keep your F8' in low brakish a freshwater test kit will do fine, i used my freshwater test kit on my GSP tank until it got to a salinity of 1.019 and the colors were just a little hazy (i use the API freshwater master test kit)

[Pandora]

Yeah it's liquids, says its good for fresh and salt, come in a little case and looks like a chemistry set lol

Did another 1 bucket change tonight and (Drumroll please!).................

Ammonia - 0
GH - 180
KH - 120
PH - 8
Nitrate - 40
Nitrite - 0.50!!!!

Woohoo!!!!! Nearly there folks

[Pandora]

Nitrite now down to 0 and F8's reserved for collection on Saturday!!! So excited!!

Bloomin plants haven't got here yet but I got a great deal on some Cherry shrimps from ebay of all places, I paid £12 inc post for 6 of em, and when they got here this morning there are 8 alive and well

I'm going to put 2 in with the DP's as the 2 I have in there already do a top job keeping the place tidy and drip water from the F8 tank slowly in with the other 6 this afternoon to get them used to the salt before I do the big water change tonight then they can go in and get themselves settled before the F8's arrive on Saturday.

Thank you every body for all your excellent advice