Help with new 38G Nuvo Setup :)

nuvoninja13

nuvoninja13

New Member
Hello all! I have recently made my first saltwater aquarium purchase and have some general questions about the initial setup and cycling process. My Dad is a long time hobbyist and during the setup of my new tank I used water from his system to fill my new tank.
I am on day 8 of having my aquarium up and running. I purchased live rock and live sand with the aquarium and as stated I used water from my dad's system per the advice of an employee at our local marine store. I have not at this point introduced any livestock to my new aquarium.
Today I tested my water and the results are as follows:

  • Ammonia levels around 0.5 ppm

  • Nitrite seemed to be around 1.0 ppm
    This is what alarmed me: My nitrate readings were off the scale. Way over the test kit's chart maximum of 160 ppm.
I have been told that it is normal for nitrate levels to spike during the cycling phase, but is a nitrate level this high common? Will it decrease and stabilize with time? I actually discussed this with another hobbyist and he went as far as to say that I was misinformed about using water from a pre-established system and that I should do a complete water change (which I did to a certain extent; about 95%) and started from scratch. After I did the water change the nitrate levels did decrease, but were still very high yet readable on my test kit's scale. I hope that I am not trying to rush my tank through the cycling process by not fully giving the bacteria a chance to thrive, but I also wonder what i can do to quicken the process of denitrification.
If anyone has ANY advice or can answer any of my questions I would greatly appreciate it!! I have been looking for a good forum to join as I embark on my new hobby and saltwaterfish.com seemed like a winner!
Thanks so much!
Aaron
 
lubeck

lubeck

Active Member
Everything your going through is normal. Give it time. Water changes are good for your live rock while your cycling.
 
ak_reefer

ak_reefer

Member
Just a couple of questions, so you said you purchased live sand with the aquarium so was this setup up and running or you purchased some live sand from someone else? Sometimes if a system has been set up for a bit and then you move it and reset it the sand needs to be rinsed with RO water. If the sand has been established for a while and is not rinsed when it is set back up will cause a huge spike in your nitrates.
 
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