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From: andre@nrc-ut.UUCP
Newsgroups: alt.aquaria,rec.pets
Subject: Re: Nitrification...
Message-ID: <355@nrc-ut.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 1-Dec-87 20:18:22 EST
Article-I.D.: nrc-ut.355
Posted: Tue Dec  1 20:18:22 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 5-Dec-87 18:40:39 EST
References: <7044@pur-ee.UUCP> <155@bacchus.DEC.COM> <2426@gryphon.CTS.COM>
Reply-To: andre@nrc-ut.UUCP (Andre' Hut)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Network Research Corp.  Salt Lake City, UT
Lines: 38
Keywords: How long??? has this been going on. duh duh, da da da da da da.
Xref: hoptoad alt.aquaria:47 rec.pets:2006

In article <2426@gryphon.CTS.COM> richard@gryphon.CTS.COM (Richard Sexton) writes:
>In article <155@bacchus.DEC.COM> gringort@decwrl.UUCP (Joel Gringorten) writes:
>>In article <7044@pur-ee.UUCP> tom@ee.ecn.purdue.edu (Tom McCain) writes:
>>>  I was under the impression that it only took a week
>>>maybe two. 
>>

This is a discussion about salt water tanks.  The only real way to tell how
long it takes is to measure the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels in your
tank.  There are a number of good test kits.  It takes some ammonia to get
things started however.  I have heard recommendations that ammonia be added
to the new (no living anything) tank, and monitor the ammonia cycle.
The solution I have used most often, is to start with a fish that can
take the ammonia cycle, such as salt-water catfish.  Put in a couple of
these babys, add some of the nitrifying bacteria and monitor the chemical
cycle.  Once the nitrite level has subsided (can take many, many weeks),
add a few more fish (don't go overboard yet), and keep monitoring the cycle.
It will go up and down as you increase the number of fish.  Start with the
more docile fish like blue-tangs, and get the more aggressive (and more
expensive) fish later.  Stay away from damsel fish.  They are real cute,
but aggresive fish, and eventually all your other fish will stop eating.

Don't fall into the trap of getting a bunch of the nitrifying bacteria, and
a boatload of fish and hoping that things will work out.  I tried this
when I first started out in salt-water fish, and it worked for about two
weeks.  Then I had about $120 worth of dead fish.
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