New tank cycling. Please read my tests. What can I add?

Smoker

Smoker

Member
20g Long w/1g HOB macro algae fuge
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15# base rock
20# live rock
3" to 4" aragonite, 60% live from older tank
Few snails, mostly mini cerith.
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150gph Fluval C3 (GFO, CP, Purigen & Carbon first 4 weeks then nothing.)
100gph MJ400
170gph generic
480gph 2x Hydor Nano 240
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900gph

132W LED (44 x 3W day & blue)

Test kits are API glass. Phosphate is Salifert.

4-12-13Tests.jpg


Alright to add CUC? I plan for beginner corals at first until it ages somewhat. Does it matter how many corals go into the tank at the same time? Fish planned are occ. clown, watchman goby & red-banded sailfin goby. Is it safe to add any/all of these now?

Any helpful suggestions?

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ddelozier

ddelozier

Well-Known Member
PREMIUM
RS Ambassador
i'd hold off. Stop doing water changes till the cycle completes. You are removing the stuff you need. Leave it for another week or so then do WC to get nitrates down under 10.
 
Maprik

Maprik

Member
Get some Smart Start. My tank cycled in 3 days... I was a sceptic but I tried it and my water tests showed it worked. Stop the massive water changes as you need to let the bacteria establish itself in the tank.

Your sand bed is really deep. I thought that the current trend is away from deep beds? Something about massive tragedies with sudden nitrate explosions? My sand bed is 1 inch and combined with 10 more pounds of live rock than my tank size my water parameters are all ideal. I am also using a HOB remora protein skimmer.
 
PSU4ME

PSU4ME

JoePa lives on!!!
Staff member
PREMIUM
To be honest, I think your results look good because I bet your ammonia is zero but the API test is showing .25.

To be safe, let it set for a week without water changes then introduce a small clean up crew and move slowly from there with introducing things.

Keep in mind that 20gallons isn't a lot when it comes to fish. Judging by your lighting I'd say you want corals so just keep your bio load in mind.

Good luck!

Reef Cleaners| Clean up Crews and Macroalgae - ReefCleaners.org | Custom Clean Up Crews and Macro Algae
 
Smoker

Smoker

Member
I will let it sit awhile not doing anything, except I had snails on order and had to add some of those.

A year ago I tried breaking in a 10g and all was fine except the cyano would never leave. 7 months later I used Chemi-clean but it came back. I had a protein skimmer, UV, AC with GFO, etc., etc., and the cyano was relentless. Eventually I also got GHA and gave up.

I use RO/DI only and suspect something sneaking in from the 250/TDS tap water. I test it and get 0s and the same with the RO before adding it to the tanks.

During this current 20g cycle I had clean base rock in before the cured (& cured again) live rock and the base rock grew hair algae. I cooked it for a couple weeks and the hair algae was doing quite well. I got rid of it with peroxide, baking soda and vinegar.

Is it alright to add a reactor and some Phosban or carbon or ?

I was reading another thread where one said to not use media during a new cycle and the other said to use it. Both are apparently successful reefers. I'm not and don't know which is the right thing to do?
 
K

klok95330

Member
Your ammonia and nitrite should both be 0. Neither should come back up after the cycle. Wait till it reads steady 0 on both for a few days before you add anything. Use only RO/DI water... And I wouldn't be running any kind of media/cheato or anything during the cycle at all, as it can throw your tests off or even remove what the tank needs to for the bacteria to eat/grow/reproduce. Wait till after the cycle is over and your levels are stable, and you do your water change. Then add your media (purigen/chemipure/gfo/carbon and cheato or whatever is in your fuge once your levels are fine and cycle is done. Go slow!!!! And don't dose anything you cant test for!
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
I agree re:no reactors/dosing right now. Keep it simple and your odds of long-term success are much greater.

I'm curious... have you added anything to the tank to "feed" the cycle? I would toss a cleaned deli shrimp into a filter bag and let it stew. If the numbers stay fairly constant then you should be good to go. The shrimp will be adding organics to you system just like adding a fish and feeding it would. If the tank is truly cycled the shrimp shouldn't make much difference in your test numbers. If it does your tank wasn't ready and the shrimp will FEED the cycle.

Shrimp it and forget it for a few days (do test so you "see" the cycle).
 
Smoker

Smoker

Member
Tests tonight were 0 nitrite and nitrate and .25 for ammonia. I turned off the fuge and filter is empty.
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In the beginning I dosed the tank with flakes and frozen krill for a week. My shrimp on hand was treated with garlic or stuff so I didn't use it. Maybe it doesn't matter? I have frozen silversides and crab legs. Can that be used?
 
K

klok95330

Member
yes they can be used. basically it needs dead/decaying matter, which when it breaks down, it releases ammonia. any living matter will work so long as there are no chemicals added to them
 
Smoker

Smoker

Member
I put 10 silversides in a very porous filter bag then into my empty HOB filter, now a Whisper 5-15. The Fluval C3 needed a bath as it had stopped.
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Cyano appears with lights on (3 hours or less) then disappears with lights off. Is that indicative of any phase of the cycle?
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
That's a lot of silversides but it shouldn't harm anything... you may have a little extra "cycle aroma" in a few days. The key is "Seeing" the cycle by seeing your Ammonia spike followed by Nitrite Spike then soon there after (a few days in between usually) followed by Nitrate spike. As your Nitrates start to soar you "should" see Ammonia and Nitrite levels drop to nearly undetectable levels. Nitrates will stay elevated because on a new system they are removed by large water changes.

Once you see the numbers start to spike keep posting the results and we'll take it day by day.

You don't even need to run the lights during the cycle. You "can" but it's not required. During my cycle I usually only run water circulation and heater equipment. I only run the lights when I'm in front of the tank and needing to view something :) I keep it simple during the cycle.
 
K

klok95330

Member
if youre using live rock, make sure to pull those silversides out of the tank once your ammonia is around 4. if you leave them in there it can bleach your rock/kill your coralline algae on the rock and anything else living on it. It bleached the crap out of mine and only got to 5.0 ish. It is possible. Just keep that in mind.
 
Smoker

Smoker

Member
klok95330 said:
if youre using live rock, make sure to pull those silversides out of the tank once your ammonia is around 4. if you leave them in there it can bleach your rock/kill your coralline algae on the rock and anything else living on it. It bleached the crap out of mine and only got to 5.0 ish. It is possible. Just keep that in mind.
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Not even two days yet and my ammonia is at 4. I don't doubt you but I don't recall having read this before anywhere. Should I get a dead shrimp instead?
 
Smoker

Smoker

Member
I hope this cycle is over soon. It's beginning to stink already.

Tests4-17.jpg


Monday I asked a Walmart pharmacist if they had droppers. She reached into her pocket and said, "like this?" It was sealed in cellophane and she handed it to me. I asked where to pay for it and she said they're free. It's the perfect size for filling API test vials.

dropper.jpg
 
K

klok95330

Member
give it time. the ammonia will drop to 0, then nitrite will go up, then nitrite will go down and nitrate will go. once ammonia and nitrite are 0, and only nitrate is registering, do a good sized water change to drop it down. you should get an algae bloom or diatoms or something soon, if I remember correctly, then add your clean up crew. once its cleaned up. add a first, wait for a month or so before adding anything that will increase the bioload. corals at this point should be fine. just monitor your levels.
 
Smoker

Smoker

Member
klok95330 said:
give it time. the ammonia will drop to 0, then nitrite will go up, then nitrite will go down and nitrate will go. once ammonia and nitrite are 0, and only nitrate is registering, do a good sized water change to drop it down. you should get an algae bloom or diatoms or something soon, if I remember correctly, then add your clean up crew. once its cleaned up. add a first, wait for a month or so before adding anything that will increase the bioload. corals at this point should be fine. just monitor your levels.
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Thank you. You have been giving me the exact advice I've needed - where the cycle is going and where it should end up before adding anything.
 
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