cycling problem, please help!

colourmop

colourmop

Member
today i visited my LFS to browse their fish, and i told one of the person who works there that i brought cured and uncured LR for my tank (cycling) and he think it is stupid that i put uncured LR in a tank, and told me i should never done that (he never mention what need to do to save my tank)
now my uncured LR have somekind white/transparent film over them, i wonder what are those? are they somekind bacteria residues or somekind bad stuffs? what should i do now?
p.s. i start the cycle last thursday, after i put those uncured LR in there the water start to stink a little, and my ammonia had a huge spide (toxic level now, around 6 or something) also my nitrites are 3.0, and my nitrates are 110.
should i keep cycling or dump all the water our and start over(or the LFS guy dont know what he talking about)?
thanks very much
 
petjunkie

petjunkie

Active Member
No, you want uncured to cycle your tank, as long as it's a new tank you're fine and it will reek for a while. Let your cycle run it's course and you can take the rock out and scrub it if you want to but I don't know much about that as mine was precured.
 
xdave

xdave

Active Member
Just turn off the filter and squirt the white stuff off with a turkey baster. You can even just fan it with a spatula. I usually just put an otb filled with floss on there when I do it. You'll probably have to do it a few times. No prob, you just dont want that stuff to coat your filter media. Yeah, aroma therapy it aint.
The LFS guy is a big wus, he must have his mommy cure it for him.
 
colourmop

colourmop

Member
can i just leave those white stuffs on there? i think they covered all my uncured LRs (like 10 lbs and lota hard to reach areas >.<
btw what are they?
 
colourmop

colourmop

Member
can i just leave those white stuffs on there? i think they covered all my uncured LRs (like 10 lbs and lota hard to reach areas >.<
btw what are they?
 
xdave

xdave

Active Member
The slime is a combination of decaying animal and plant life on the LR. You need to remove as much as possible. Like I said it can be squirted off, or stick a hose back there and syphon it. It isn't nessasary to remove all of it but as much as possible.
 
colourmop

colourmop

Member
ahhh kk, thanks. just wondering, what will happen if i dont remove it quickly?
(live in a dorm and dont have access to a baster or somekind syphon thing)
 
mikeyjer

mikeyjer

Active Member
Originally Posted by colourmop
ahhh kk, thanks. just wondering, what will happen if i dont remove it quickly?
(live in a dorm and dont have access to a baster or somekind syphon thing)
Another option you have is take out the rocks and start scrubbing!!! Rinse with tank water not tap water!!! If not removed, you'll have really high ammonia shooting through the roof from all the excess die off, you'll smell it too!!! You should give the rocks plenty of flow during curing process!!! :happyfish
 
gatorwpb

gatorwpb

Active Member
I agree with Mikey. If you do scrub them off, you may be able to reduce the length of your cycle some (and smell).
Just let it sit for several weeks, testing the water each day or two for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Many many people cycle their tanks with uncured LR.
:happyfish
 
mikeyjer

mikeyjer

Active Member
Originally Posted by colourmop
how about suck them up with a turkey baster like xdave said? or i should squirt?
You could do either one, but just remember. Without taking your rocks out of the tank to scrub, your leaving all that decaying matter within your tank and it will smell!!! With time and water changes, it will go away eventually.... :happyfish
 
mikeyjer

mikeyjer

Active Member
Originally Posted by colourmop
scrubed for an hour, put all the rocks back in, hope for a less smell quick cycly :D
Good luck!! Let me know how the progess goes!!! :happyfish
 
colourmop

colourmop

Member
the white stuffs grow back again, but way less than the first time. i blasted them away with a turkey baster and my ammonia dropped to 0, nitrites is around 0.3 now, and nitrate is around 10 (ammonia dropped from 6.0 to 0 with in 5 hours, and massive brown looking fuzzy stuffs start to grow all over my tank)
think my cycle will be done with in 2-3 days? and put some snails in?
 
mikeyjer

mikeyjer

Active Member
Originally Posted by colourmop
the white stuffs grow back again, but way less than the first time. i blasted them away with a turkey baster and my ammonia dropped to 0, nitrites is around 0.3 now, and nitrate is around 10 (ammonia dropped from 6.0 to 0 with in 5 hours, and massive brown looking fuzzy stuffs start to grow all over my tank)
think my cycle will be done with in 2-3 days?
That's good to hear. Your cycle time isn't far away. The brown stuff is probably diatoms which it happens in newly setup tanks, it will go away eventually on it's own. :happyfish
 
colourmop

colourmop

Member
so once ammonia and nitrite stay near 0, i should do a 50% water change and can put some snails/cleaning crew in?
also, my pH is around 7.6, will this improve once i done the water change because low pH is the result of that cycle? or i need to find some buffers to fix it?
btw, thanks for the reply ^^
 
mikeyjer

mikeyjer

Active Member
Originally Posted by colourmop
so once ammonia and nitrite stay near 0, i should do a 50% water change and can put some snails/cleaning crew in?
also, my pH is around 7.6, will this improve once i done the water change because low pH is the result of that cycle? or i need to find some buffers to fix it?
btw, thanks for the reply ^^
Water change will improve some, but not enough since it's at 7.6 What type of salt mix are you using? I would use Marine Buffer to buff up your PH, use accordingly!! Don't do a 50% change, let the cycle finish. You have to be patient in this hobby, do not rush things!!! You know what, I wouldn't even worry about the PH right now, it's being weird because your going through a cycle so just let it be. But for future reference, keep what I said about the buffer in mind. Good Luck! :happyfish
 
oceanblue1

oceanblue1

Member

Originally Posted by colourmop
today i visited my LFS to browse their fish, and i told one of the person who works there that i brought cured and uncured LR for my tank (cycling) and he think it is stupid that i put uncured LR in a tank, and told me i should never done that (he never mention what need to do to save my tank)
now my uncured LR have somekind white/transparent film over them, i wonder what are those? are they somekind bacteria residues or somekind bad stuffs? what should i do now?
p.s. i start the cycle last thursday, after i put those uncured LR in there the water start to stink a little, and my ammonia had a huge spide (toxic level now, around 6 or something) also my nitrites are 3.0, and my nitrates are 110.
should i keep cycling or dump all the water our and start over(or the LFS guy dont know what he talking about)?
thanks very much
Ive had a REEF tank for a long time cycleing a tank with cured and some uncured live rock depinding on how long you want to wate is the total norm there are many wase of doing it and the way your doing it is fine... I would recomend you takeing all your uncured rock and shaking it around in your tank real well maybe even take out some water first some what clean the rock you dont need to clean it to much dont worry there will still be plinty of so called bad BIO. in the rock to kick start your nitrite cyl. And then do a 100% water change I no this sounds large but its the only way to get your nitrates down quick if you do a lot of little water changes the water will only dirty very rapidly (wasteing new salt water) leave all the rock in the tank dont leave any of it out of the water more than 1 to 2 hours Basicly leave the rock in the tank with your new water from the water change and check your (nitrites), & nitrates the next day with in 1 to 2 or so days your (nitrites) will go (high) to (low) need to be at (at 0.) & your (nitrates) will need to be in the safe zone if they are not do a 1/2 water change or 25% to 35% depinding on how high the nitrates are just guess you cant hurt any thing when the (nitrites), are 0.) this can happen over night. And the (nitrates are safe) If you have a nitrate reading low or high your (nitrite cyl.)has hit keep your nitrates low and your (nitrites should stay at 0.forever) your ready for FISH!!!! I would start with hardy Damsels, & Clown fish, the 2nd. most hardy !!!!!!!Doing it like this is the safest & fastest way I can thank of!!! GOOD LUCK YOU'LL DO GREAT !!!! :happyfish :happyfish :happyfish :happyfish :happyfish Remember to only have 1 fish per 2 Gallons of tank water for a while... :joy:
 
S

saltfreak4

Guest
one fish per two gallons of tank water. The rock displaces water so is this the water you have in the tank or what the tank is sold as?
 
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