4th week of cycle and still no readings...

[reilersjr]

Here's the setup:

55 gallon
20g long sump
protien skimmer
about 55 lbs. live rock
aragomax substrate
1 yellow tail damsel (1.25")
1 4 stripe. (1.5")
4 Astria snails,
4 red leg crabs
now about 13 blue leg crabs

The tank has been established since April 24th, 2004. Just 3 weeks old. "Pre cured" live rock. Damsels were added the following Monday. I have been testing the water daily and still haven't really seen any spikes in the ammonia, or nitrites, or nitrates. Do I just need to be more patient? Should I have seen a spike by now? I think the ammonia is somewhere around 0.25 - 0.50 ppm as I took a reading tonight. Or, it could be at 0 and I just can't tell the difference on the Doc Wellfish color card... Nitrites and Nitrates both at 0. Is this the beginning of the cycle? The Ammonia doesn't really look like it's moved from day 1.

I don't want to move too quickly and put in a soft coral before the tank is ready, but at the same time I want to get something in there.

How can I be sure that the cycle is over? What if I'm already through the cycle as there was no real die off on my rock and things are already sprouting out of it.

Thanks for any words of encouragement or advice.

Rick

 

[ade]

"I don't want to move too quickly and put in a soft coral before the tank is ready" - if you ask me, you've already added 23 animals too early (crabs, snails, fish).

I'm guessing that you've probably shown no spike etc as the crabs etc are eating the waste before it gets a chance to break down to ammonia to start the process.

Just my thoughts...

 

[reilersjr]

Good point. Maybe I'll remove them and go from there. Thanks for your advice.

 

[ostrow]

Where did you get the live rock from, how much of it, and what did it look like color-wise? If it was premium, fully cured live rock with coralline all over it and critters alive inside, then you could only end up with a mini-cycle anyway. That isn't really a live sandbed you have, right?

 

[leanne]

I wouldn't worry too much if you are doing regular tests. I didn't get a spike either. Probably due to the ready culture in the live rock and live sand. I wouldn't add your fish too quickly though. I added them at 48 hour intervals to give the bacteria a chance to catch up with the increase in waste.

 

[reilersjr]

Thanks guys for the responses. Let me see if I can answer the new questions. My live rock was "premium precured" from marinedepotlive. 44#'s of it. It did have corraline all over it. From day 1 I saw a little critter jump into the sand and burrow it's way away. Some of the corraline algae has faded, but is now comming back. I purchased about 15 more pounds at the LFS that was really colorful and healthy looking.

I did not purchase live sand. Just a 50# bag of Aragomax.

When I first tested the water 3 days after all the rock was in, before I put in any fish, the only thing I could get a reading on was the Nitrates. They were around 30 ppm... If I read the color correctly. They dropped off to nill now and the ammonia may be up just a tad... How about this? I'll test tonight, take photo's of the viles and place them up here. I'll also put up a picture of the tank itself. Thanks for the feedback.

Rick

 

[ostrow]

2 things. First, sounds like the rock was well cured. Should have had substantial die-off from the MD rock to provoke an ammo increase. Your test is showing something. But and this is second, you have really poor kits. Get yourself Salifert (preferred) or maybe the Red Sea or Tetra Test (?) kits. I only use Salifert. Then you will know what you have.

 

[Great Lakes]

I agree. With the MD live rock, it should have had enough dieoff to spike your ammonia..

GL

 

[leanne]

I'd stay away from TetraTest - I have had false high readings from them...

 

[reilersjr]

Here is a picture of the test vials:

Here is a picture of one of the rocks in the tank:

Thanks for all the help. What can you make of the test vials? From left to right, Ph, Ammonia, NO2, and NO3

Rick

 

[leanne]

If htey were my API kits they would be

pH 8.2-8.4
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate about 10 (poss a little higher)

Not sure what kit you use but the colour combinations look the same.

 

[reilersjr]

Doc Wellfish kit.