Cycle Question after the fact!

4fun

4fun

Member
Hello All,
I jumped into this without researching first (Bad Mistake) and now I am afraid that I have been misinformed by LFS.
Purchased 75 gal saltwater aquarium. Wet/Dry Filter w/ Lifegard Quiet One pump (780 gph). 60# live rock. Set up 11 days ago..... Don't yell at me.... 6 blue/yellow tale damels, 3 have died. One due to sickness and I believe the other two due to fighting.
Bio Spira was used at time of set up. Test results taking at LFS yesterday afternoon. Temp 79, Ammonia .2, Nitrite 0, PH 8.2, Salinity 1.024. I have also tested myself over the past 10 days and nothing has ever spiked, what I have read says I should be spiking now!
Should I buy shrimp and see if that will make my tank cycle correctly? Did the Bio Spira screw things up?
:help:
 
squidd

squidd

Active Member
No need to add the shrimp, in fact that would be a bad thing at this point...
The Damsels are adding all the waste the bacteria need to grow and produce stable populations to maintain your tank...
Between the Bio Spira and the bacteria that was already present on the LR, you may alredy have a "fairly decent" population of bacteria already, hence not "seeing" the spikes..(spikes in ammonia and nitiIte are evidence of "excess" waste ....if there is "some" bacteria procesing it the spike will not be as evident)
BUT... you still show "some" ammonia so you do not yet have a full complement of bacteria to support your present (or any "near future") bioload...
Stay the present course for now...and when Ammonia drops to 0 do a water change and continue to monitor...
If all remains stable... you will be able to add 1 aditional fish...continue to monitor...
There is no set "deadline" for cyclng a tank and spikes and levels will differ depending on "method and material" used to set up tank..
Nothing to worry about at this point...but don't add the shrimp...:nope:
 
4fun

4fun

Member
Thanks Squidd!
I now know to not do anything with out researching first! I am just going to wait and be PATIENT.....
:jumping: :happy:
 
thejdshow

thejdshow

Member
I see youve learned your lesson about LFS's... I learned about them the hard way too. "ya your tank will cycle in a week and will be ready for fish by next monday" said the LFS to me when I first got my tank.. 6 weeks later my tank finished cycling :D So dont be fooled by LFS. I think they wanted to see my tank fail, so I would have to buy more fish. this place is a great source for info, and patience is key in this hobby.
 
shilpe

shilpe

Member
im new to this too, i just wanted to confirm i am going about this the right way. I have to empty out my 75g this coming weekend and take apart the freshwater set up. I have regular sand, reef sand and live sand. How much sand should I add to get a 3-4" base, also when am i supposed to add live rock. Also if the live rock is already cured will that make a difference? Just want to make sure I am doing this right. Please help!
 
4fun

4fun

Member
I believe the LFS is trying to sabatoge me! They advised Tap Water in our area is fine to use in tanks. It that is a true statement then why am I fignting brown/red yuk algae? I have had two LFS advise that I do not need a Protein skimmer with FO/LR tank. That is certainly not what I am reading. I actually tried buying a R/O system at one of them and the owner starting rambling about Phos. and how all living things need them to survive. So, if I do buy a protein skimmer which I most likely will, it will not be from either one of the LFS, it will be off the internet, that goes for the R/O system as well!
Both of these stores specilize in SWF, so I just do not understand why they are discouraging me from doing the right things.
Thanks for the input and helpful info on this site!
 
1journeyman

1journeyman

Active Member
Welcome to the board all...
This site is great for learning, especially as the older crew are very open and honest about their past mistakes.
I seriously believe that some LFS just don't know any better. They keep sterile tanks and have high turnover rates.
For ones that have steered you wrong, I'd suggest talking to them. Get their opinions after you've learned and read up. Then decide if they are just trying to make a quick buck.
I would also suggest, in addition to this website, to get a couple of good books. "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Fenner is an excellent start. Robert Fenner also has a tremendous webpage at wetwebmedia. You can't beat it for literally thousands of pages of info.
As for the damsels fighting, you might look into taking them back. They can be aggressive little fishies.
 
thejdshow

thejdshow

Member

Originally posted by shilpe
im new to this too, i just wanted to confirm i am going about this the right way. I have to empty out my 75g this coming weekend and take apart the freshwater set up. I have regular sand, reef sand and live sand. How much sand should I add to get a 3-4" base, also when am i supposed to add live rock. Also if the live rock is already cured will that make a difference? Just want to make sure I am doing this right. Please help!
You can add LR anytime while your tank is cycling.. You should Cure your LR reguardless if it has been precured or not. Put it in a bucket of saltwater, and put a powerhead on it for a while. try to get as much of the loose stuff off of it as you can as this will just end up in your tank. I read a great article about LR on here I will link you to it if i find it

[hr]
https://www.saltwaterfish.com/vb/show...postid=1184399
That should link you to an article that will answer all of your questions about curing LR. Enjoy :D
 
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