cycling help

[<3fishchef]

my 47 hex is in the process of cycling; i have live rock in it and im waiting for my paycheck to add more.lol i was wondering if it is normal for the nitrates and nitrites to be through the roof? and will adding more live rock will help that? is it too late to add live sand? any help and input will be greatly appreciated

 

[180dude]

Is your live rock cured or did you mail order it? You can expect high nitrates and nitrites during the cycle period, especially if your curing live rock in your tank.

 

[mikeyjer]

Originally Posted by <3FishChef
my 47 hex is in the process of cycling; i have live rock in it and im waiting for my paycheck to add more.lol i was wondering if it is normal for the nitrates and nitrites to be through the roof? and will adding more live rock will help that? is it too late to add live sand? any help and input will be greatly appreciated
It's going to get high cause your cycling a new tank. Adding more live rock is fine if you have enough money to finish the project, no it's not too late to add live sand, just becareful when you add it in cause you'll have a big sand storm if you just dump it in. Someone suggested by using a pvc tubing and placing on end on the bottom and dump in from the other end, another thing I read, you can place the sand in a closed lid container and bring it to the bottom then open the lid and dump the sand on the bottom lightly, of course you need to have the sand with tank water mixed in, live sand are wet anyway though, have it filled with water. Good luck!

 

[<3fishchef]

thanks for your input..but the rock i bought i believe was cured. i bought it from a reputable fish store here in providence. thanks again

 

[danedodger]

Even liverock that claims to be cured can have some die off in the process of getting it to your house. Since you got it from a LFS if they cured it properly I'd say in just the time it took to get it to your house it wouldn't cause a lot of die off but perhaps some. When you're starting a tank and have no animals in it putting the liverock directly into your tank will work as it'll cure and start the tank cycling. After you put animals in it though if you get any more liverock I'd cure it in a big rubbermaid or a seperate tank no matter what the seller says about it being already cured just to be on the safe side.
I gotta agree. It sounds like your tank is just cycling and there's no need for alarm. Wait till your ammonia is 0, nitrites 0, then do a water change to bring the nitrates down as close to 0 as possible but under 20 is acceptable and you're ready to add critters! :happyfish

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by <3FishChef
my 47 hex is in the process of cycling; i have live rock in it and im waiting for my paycheck to add more.lol i was wondering if it is normal for the nitrates and nitrites to be through the roof? and will adding more live rock will help that? is it too late to add live sand? any help and input will be greatly appreciated
That's perfectly normal. Water changes will help keep your rock live. Try to keep your ammonia level below 0.5ppm and your rocks will stay healthy.
Go ahead and add the extra rock when you can. Just keep an eye on ammonia and do a 20 - 25% water change when it gets high.
Live sand should go in last but you can add dead sand at anytime.