New Tank Cycling

Susanedw

Susanedw

Well-Known Member
My tank has been set up since Dec 15. I have
60 lbs carribsea bimini live sand
45-50 lbs dry rock from Marcos, 2 pcs pukani from BRS, 1 Tonga shelf from BRS
I also used bio spira in the water after water added.
No charcoal

I added 1 jumbo shrimp (to my hubby's horror) to the tank around the 17th

I've seen NO ammonia at all. Had a one day spike of Nitrites of .5 on the 18th, and .005 Nitrates on the 19th.

Shouldn't I be seeing some numbers moving here? Am I not going to go through a huge cycle due to the stuff added to the sand and the bio spira? Do I need to add a hardy fish to really get going?

How long should I leave the shrimp in. It's a jumbo and looking quite gross. Don't want it to totally foul things. Or maybe I should remove it and replace it?

If the bio and sand have done the job, can I add my first fish? I have no algae so no cuc is needed yet.
Susan
 
nanoreefing4fun

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
This is masking your test results... from your rotting shrimp that is creating ammonia

BIO-Spira is an essential water conditioner for setting up new marine aquariums. Contains patented and patent-pending live nitrifying bacteria that detoxify ammonia and nitrite. BIO-Spira accelerates the establishment of the bacteria necessary for successful biological filtration to prevent fish loss due to new tank syndrome. In just minutes after adding BIO-Spira to your saltwater aquarium, you can introduce your fish without exposure to dangerous levels of ammonia or nitrite. BIO-Spira can also be used after a water change, when adding new fish, or after medicating your saltwater aquarium. New shelf-stable formula requires no refrigeration.

see what others suggest...
 
nanoreefing4fun

nanoreefing4fun

Well-Known Member
RS STAFF
Here how the cycle goes... without the ^

Cycling tank:

add an ammonia source (like a rotting shrimp...)

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
 
Susanedw

Susanedw

Well-Known Member
I haven't had ANY spikes, except one nitrite for one day. The shrimp, a very large one was in for just over 3 days and was almost soupy when I took it out today. Very gross and stinky! Still no ammonia spike. I didn't test the first couple days--not until the 17th but have one of those suction ammonia things that hang on the glass and never say any ammonia rise. Will test water later today.
 
Susanedw

Susanedw

Well-Known Member
Here are my tests since I started. I waited a couple of days. I think I mistyped results above
17th NH4 0, NO2 0, NO3 0
18th NH4 0, NO2 .5, NO3 0
19th NH4 0, NO2 .05, NO3 0
20th NH4 0, NO2 .02, NO3 2
21st NH4 0, NO2 .01, NO3 10
I'm using the Red Sea kit
 
spiraling

spiraling

Well-Known Member
Susanedw said:
Here are my tests since I started. I waited a couple of days. I think I mistyped results above
17th NH4 0, NO2 0, NO3 0
18th NH4 0, NO2 .5, NO3 0
19th NH4 0, NO2 .05, NO3 0
20th NH4 0, NO2 .02, NO3 2
21st NH4 0, NO2 .01, NO3 10
I'm using the Red Sea kit
Click to expand...

Those numbers would suggest the tank is pretty much cycled. Are you continually adding the bio-spira or was it a one time use? You can add another source of ammonia (shrimp or straight pure ammonia) and see what the numbers do. If your NO3 goes up then the ammonia is probably being converted. It takes quite a while to build up what you need to help with the NO3, but Red Sea nopox does a pretty good job at keeping it down.
 
Susanedw

Susanedw

Well-Known Member
@spiraling I did add a jumbo shrimp. Kept it in for over 3 days until it got nasty. I removed it on the 21st and barely got it out! I picked up some flake food--tetra. Not sure if it's good for saltwater fish or just freshwater. I think it says tropical. Was going to ghost feed some of that to see what happens. Might order fish tonight to arrive friday
 
Susanedw

Susanedw

Well-Known Member
I have diatoms appearing on the sand bed. Just a few spots. I'm assuming this is a good thing as it means the tank is progressing? How long do I let it go before adding in some CUC's
 
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