View Full Version : is it cycle????
this is my 6th day and just finished the readings
ph8
am 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 0
amonia already spiked up on the 3rd day and now is 0 for the last 3 days, nitrite and nitrate also spiked up but now is zero...
My question is am i done on the cycle or should i wait couple more days and get some more readings again>>
thank you
DeLgAdO
10-05-2005, 3:47 AM
whats the tanks inhabitants?
just LR and LS......no fish
unknownuza13
10-05-2005, 10:20 AM
I would think your Nitrates would still be present. It is odd to me that you got a zero reading.My tank is on the same track as you but I think I will still be showing 20-40 ppm of nitrate when it is done.
Miles
10-05-2005, 11:37 AM
Your live rock may have organisms living on it that have de-nitrifying properties?
Cycling and Maintaining a tank with LR and LS is the easiest way to do it..
I would add fish very slowly, with the hardier ones first.. Let the beneficial bacteria build up to the level of Bio-load you are adding.. Patience is key with SW. ;)
Miles
unknownuza13
10-05-2005, 11:45 AM
Oh sorry I did not even realize you were talking salt
OK....SHOULD I ADD 2 DAMSELS OR CLOWN TO MY TANK???? WHATS THE BEST??? JUST SLOWLY START...AND THAN MAYBE AFTER COUPLE MONTH ADD SOME OTHER FISHES
bluedempsey
10-05-2005, 4:42 PM
no damsels!
they will dominate the entire tank and attack anything you put in there.
try mollys, a brackish water fish capable of living in marine water
and alot less aggressive! ;) cheaper too
OK..WILL MOLLIES SURVIVE SALTWATER?? AND I WAS THINKING OF PUTTING SOME FOOD IN THERE FOR COUPLE DAYS JUST TO SEE IF THE AMONIA WILL SPIKE AGAIN SO I WILL BE SURE THAT IS CYCLED OR NOT....NO LIVING THINGS FOR NOW
Just finished my readings and they are the same.....nothing changed, i m confuse if i m done with the cycling or is just weird and impossible.....
i will take a sample of water to my LFS and see what they think
any suggestions???
Culinaria
10-06-2005, 9:05 PM
If you are using a berlin type system, your readings are quite normal. Your live rock,( if it was purchased "cured"), will have some die off of the benificial bacteria from the time it was pulled out of the water, till the time it was put in your system. This will then give you a small ammonia reading, then nitrite, and finally nitrate. Most test show no change in color untill you are above 10 ppm in nitrates. So you could have your 8 ppm of ammonia converted to nitrates with out seeing a reading. Miles is right, stock slowly. I like blue green chromis. They are cheap for saltwater, and don't hold the nasty reputation that other damsels do. They are reef safe and don't need to be pulled out before other fish are introduced.
rweedon
10-06-2005, 10:40 PM
you really just need to add some fish there really isn't much of anything in your tank that will create amonia I say start off with the green chromis that is how I did it and there was no die off..
philc21
10-06-2005, 11:24 PM
u can always just add some food into the tank that will create ammonia as it decays try a small piece of shrimp or sumthing meaty depending on the size of your tank.
i actually began my cycle with 3 uncooked shrimp and on the 4th dsay i took them out cause it was rotten and smelly.....that was the day when the amonia spiked and nitrite and nitrates also spiked, and than after that the ammonia went to 0, nitrite 0 and nitrate 5.
i used uncooked shrimp to spike the amonia....
Zygaena
10-14-2005, 9:29 AM
Just finished my readings and they are the same.....nothing changed, i m confuse if i m done with the cycling or is just weird and impossible.....
i will take a sample of water to my LFS and see what they think
any suggestions???
New marine tanks won't cycle properly on their own--meaning, there's gotta be some kind of bio-load for your filters, sand, and LR to start growing Nitrobacter. And even in the presence of a steadily increasing bio-load, Nitrobacter will only bloom to "cycled-tank" populations after a couple of weeks. A bio-load can be live fish (hardy ones like damsels) or anything that will decay and begin releasing ammonia into the water, such as some fish meat or shrimp meat. Nitrites should spike end of the first week, followed by nitrates early in the second week. When nitrites read zero, you've got yourself a cycled tank!
Alternately, it's also possible to rush the cycling by artificially "spiking" your water with an ammonium chloride solution, beginning with a weak solution and increasing the ammonia steadily over ten days. Peak ammonia concentration should approximate your expected bio-load, i.e. final number of fish livestock. You can begin by simply reading nitrites starting the second week. When nitrites hit zero, you have a cycled tank. Then, stop adding the ammonia soution and instead of the next scheduled "spiking", perform a 10% water change, and simply add all your fish at the same time. I've done it on several rush jobs, and it works fine. Just needs daily discipline and good/fresh test kits. Good luck!
MATTCB
10-14-2005, 9:46 AM
make sure that if you have alot of live rock that you really like what ever fish you put in there, because it will be a pain the neck to get them back out.
MATTCB
10-14-2005, 9:50 AM
what size tank?