Hi, after many trials and errors during the building phase, I finally got my DIY ATS built and had it running.
It's been 6 days and I'm not getting any growth, no slime, no hint of colour on the screen, no nothing.
Is this normal? Is there something not quite right? 6 days not enough to expect any sign of growth?
I got a little anxious and put some dried shrimps in the water 3 days ago. Should I remove it or leave it till I get some algae growth?
The details of the setup are as shown below.
*Waterfall ATS specification
Screen size:18cm(W) by 15cm(H) approx
Pump: 13w, 1,000L/h (Leecom PF-150, just a cheap Chinese pump)
Light: DIY LED light, 18 x 1W (660nm only) on each size, did not test the actual output/current.
Total water volume: 80~90 Liters approx
- Have been cycling the tank for about 3~4 weeks before putting in the ATS.
- The tank+sump is placed in a dark area with no light kept (dark all day and night).
- No live stock have been put into the system yet.
- Initially, some dried seafood bits have been put in to start the cycle (then removed).
- 3 days ago, I got a little anxious and put some dried shrimps in a mesh bag in the water.
- Lights were on and off every 2 hours (12 hours on, 12 hours off /day total), then I've increased the light time yesterday so it's 15 hours on, 9 hours off /day total (short off times put in between on times).
- The screen had been roughed up but I'm
* Water parameters
At the start of the cycling:
- ammonia 0.5ppm
- Nitrite 1ppm
- Nitrate 40ppm
When putting in the ATS:
- ammonia 0ppm
- Nitrite 0ppm
- Nitrate 80ppm
Today:
- ammonia ?? have not tested yet
- Nitrite 0.5ppm
- Nitrate 80ppm
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