Help with cycling

Nshan

New Member
I've started my first tank, it's 200L with 25kg of live rock. On day one I added a dead shrimp to help the cycle. Here are my first three sets of tests
Ammonia: .25-.25-0
Nitrite: .05-1->1
Nitrate: 12.5-12.5-100....not a typo 100

I was really alarmed with the huge nitrate spike and removed the shrimp that was already surrounded with a clear white film. Was this the wrong move? Are the levels of nitrate going to kill all of the bacteria I'm trying to grow? As someone new to this am I worrying or do I have a problem I need to address?

Thanks in advance
 

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
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to ReefSanctuary, a real Sanctuary of reef forums, with lots of very nice members :nessie:


Start a tank thread & share your tank with us so we can follow along, we love pics

all looks like a normal cycle progress to me, I would add another shrimp & let it rot till gone... once the cycle is complete, any remains the cuc will take care of overnight :)



Cycling tank:



Watch for the ammonia to soar then fall to zero, then the nitrites soar & then fall to zero, then the nitrates soar, once this happens, do water changes to get rid of the nitrates - tank cycled



Depending on the state of your LR (how cured it was & how much die off it had), in general it will look something like this...





CyclingGraph.gif
 

Nshan

New Member
welcomefish.gif


to ReefSanctuary, a real Sanctuary of reef forums, with lots of very nice members :nessie:


Start a tank thread & share your tank with us so we can follow along, we love pics

all looks like a normal cycle progress to me, I would add another shrimp & let it rot till gone... once the cycle is complete, any remains the cuc will take care of overnight :)



Cycling tank:



Watch for the ammonia to soar then fall to zero, then the nitrites soar & then fall to zero, then the nitrates soar, once this happens, do water changes to get rid of the nitrates - tank cycled



Depending on the state of your LR (how cured it was & how much die off it had), in general it will look something like this...





CyclingGraph.gif
Thanks for the response! I'm only on my fifth day so I was a little worried.
 

DaveK

Well-Known Member
You can get a massive amount of nitrate during the initial cycle. This can be normal, and shows your tank is well on it's way.

What some people do when ammonia and nitrite drop to 0 and nitrate is high is to make a 100% water change, and wait another week or so. By getting rid of the nitrate at that point, you are much less likely to have algae problems.
 
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