Cycling tank

[Eloy Cardenas]

So just a quick update on my 75g tank. I painted the back wall black. I also add sand and rocks. I used plain base rock and got 2 pieces of live rock from the local fish store. I didn't add a lot of rock as I will be adding corals one day and like plenty of room for fish to swim. I started to ghost feed yesterday and will be checking for ammonia to start to go up. I been adding a pinch daily like if I am feeding 1 fish. Not sure if that would be enough or should I add more to get a quick spike? Here are some pics... Enjoy.

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[geridoc]

Nice start! I can't tell for sure, but it looks like your rocks are on the sand. They should be in the sand, resting on the bottom of the tank. Otherwise, sooner or later some organism is going to undercut some rock, and the whole thing will come down. Ghost feeding will take a while. Easier and faster to just put a cocktail shrimp into a nylon stocking and suspend it in the tank until the ammonia levels rise, then discard it.

 

[Eloy Cardenas]

Nice start! I can't tell for sure, but it looks like your rocks are on the sand. They should be in the sand, resting on the bottom of the tank. Otherwise, sooner or later some organism is going to undercut some rock, and the whole thing will come down. Ghost feeding will take a while. Easier and faster to just put a cocktail shrimp into a nylon stocking and suspend it in the tank until the ammonia levels rise, then discard it.

Hi. I placed the bottom rocks on the bare bottom. And then I pushed the sand around the rocks. Yeah it's does look like its on top. Lol.. I may get a shrimp to get the ammonia up faster.

 

[Eloy Cardenas]

Well 3 days of ghost feeding and ammonia still at 0.. Didn't test anything else yet. Think I am going today to get a shrimp.

 

[silverado61]

If your ammonia didn't spike at all, your tank hasn't cycled yet. It could take up to a month. 3 days is just the beginning.

 

[Eloy Cardenas]

If your ammonia didn't spike at all, your tank hasn't cycled yet. It could take up to a month. 3 days is just the beginning.

.
Yes cycle hasn't started. I used some live rock and wondering if the ghost feeding is putting enough ammonia that the bacteria on the live rock is consuming. Was thinking of getting a shrimp to add to tank to start or speeding up the ammonia spike. Can alway feed more as well.

 

[silverado61]

If you put a shrimp in there, when the tank does spike, it'll die. Is it really necessary to kill an animal?

 

[Eloy Cardenas]

If you put a shrimp in there, when the tank does spike, it'll die. Is it really necessary to kill an animal?

I am not killing an animal. I would use a dead cocktail shrimp from a local market to use it for the cycle process. I have used that method several times. I decided to ghost feed this time and 3 days in no ammonia. Normally with a dead shrimp decomposing I see an ammonia spike already.

 

[silverado61]

Sorry. I've read so many threads about people doing needless cruelty to animals to cycle or stock their tank, I first thought was "Oh no. Not another one." My bad.

 

[Eloy Cardenas]

It's ok. I understand.

 

[silverado61]

If your going to use a "dead" shrimp, might I suggest you put it in a piece of nylon stocking with a line tied to it. Nylon makes it easy to retrieve when it's time because it'll start to crumble when it decomposes.

 

[jay0705]

I would say adding only the small amount of live rock , u didn't have enough die off from it to start the cycle yet u do have enough bacteria to help w your ghost feeding. So the dead shrimp will kick start it. Unless u can get some "safe" filter media from an existing tank. This will be loaded w bacteria, where one of two things happens.
1 you don't have enough food for all that bacteria some start to die causing your cycle or 2 you get a soft cycle where nothing really gets crazy high bc the bacteria are keeping up w it.
This is how I start new tanks but the media is coming from my own tanks I know there free of disease and such

 

[Eloy Cardenas]

Yeah. Not sure. Been feeding for 3 days enough for 1-2 small fish. After 3 days amonmia is still 0.. So will add the dead shrimp and that should kick start it.

 

[AliensAreDemons]

Never ghost feed, check your equipment thoroughly now for dead matter, go buy Bio Spira and add your fish in 3 days.

 

[AliensAreDemons]

Dead fish is bad bacteria Bio Spira is good living bacteria in a bottle...

 

[bang guy]

Yeah. Not sure. Been feeding for 3 days enough for 1-2 small fish. After 3 days amonmia is still 0.. So will add the dead shrimp and that should kick start it.

Just continue to ghost feed. You don't need the big ammonia spike from a dead shrimp. You already kick started the cycle with the ghost feeding, the bacteria colonies are growing. Just stay on the path and the tank will healthy long term.

 

[AliensAreDemons]

I know from experience the damage it does stop while you can. 75 Gallon bottle of Bio Spira from Instant Ocean only 20 dollars...

 

[bang guy]

I know from experience the damage it does stop while you can. 75 Gallon bottle of Bio Spira from Instant Ocean only 20 dollars...

The bacteria are already in the tank or the ammonia wouldn't read zero. Just need to continue to feed them so the colony can mature and stabilize.

There's no damage that I've experienced. Can you elaborate on your negative experiences with ghost feeding? What happened? How many tanks have you cycled?

 

[beaslbob]

FWIW if the algae on the live rock is sufficient it is entirely possible the algae is preventing an ammonia spike. with a resultant nitrate spike as the algae is consuming ammonia for nitrogen instead of nitrates. Which is entirely normal for tanks started with macro algaes in a refugium.

But then it is also possible the cycle hasn't started which is a much more dangerous situation.

my .02

 

[Eloy Cardenas]

Well. Day 6.. I was ghost feeding enough for 2 small fish for the first 3 days.. I then added a shrimp to help cycle the tank. The shrimp looked like it was decomposing and decided to pull it out on day 5. I checked all my levels and ammonia is 0. nitrite 0 and nitrate 0. I thought maybe I missed the ammonia spike. But seeing the other numbers 0 make no sense to me. Like others said maybe I have enough bacteria to process the ammonia but I should be seeing something. tested my Phosphate 0.5ppm. I quess I should just keep ghost feeding and keep waiting. Any other ideas?