how to get my amonia to rise

[bretth7377]

I've had my tank setup for 9 days now with 2 damsels. My amonia level is floating between 0 and .25... Should it be higher by now for my tank to cycle? (45 gal)
Thanks,
Brett

 

[gobylover]

You can;t really rush the cycle .The biggest thing in this hobby is patience.If your in a hurry,add another damsel.The more they pee,the faster you'll cycle.

 

[cchung718]

I think you can probably put raw shrimp in the tank like others say. Or put anything that will give off ammonia.

 

[andymi]

Did you start with live sand and such? I think if you have Live Sand I have heard that the ammonia cycle would be very short and would start going into the nitrate/nitrite cycles. Just what I heard.
--Andy

 

[bretth7377]

no live sand just crushed coral... i'm a little concerencd with the amount of crushed coral i have. its about 1 - 1.5 inches deep in the tank... do i need more or is a good idea to get live sand or live rock and add it right now? also if i add anything will it slow my cycle or "restart" my cycle?
Thanks!

 

[nm reef]

Patience is the key to completeing a cycle.....with what you have it should progress.....
as far as ls and lr.......if you plan on either...now is the time to do it....
in my opinion ls is much better than cc..........but check around for other info
lr will greatly benefit any system and now is the time....may even help motovate the cycle.......
and welcome to the board......pleasure to meet ya

 

[moewrestler]

the best thing to do is wait..............my tank just finished cycling and it has been about 2 1/2 months to finally finish. like the rest said if you are really desperate then add peices of raw shrimp. but i would highly suggest to just wait it out

 

[rob 10737]

Cycling can be done in a shorter time. I would stay away from damsels and get them out if you can. I just finished cycling my 100 gal. FO with fritz-zyme and raw shrimp. My ammonias where off the chart in about 3 days and my nitites peaked in about a week. The complete cycle took 15 days! My tank has been cycled for a little over a week, and all my numbers are still perfect. Gonna be adding fish in a couple of days. Good Luck

 

[jjspati]

definetly go with raw shrimp. i had just finished my 45gal about 2 weeks ago. i cycled using no LS or LR using just 2 raw shrimp. i used some enzme for ammonia bacteria. my ammonia never really spiked at all, but my nitrites and nitrates. Finished cycling in 2 weeks and 4 days.

 

[jjspati]

definetly go with raw shrimp. i had just finished my 45gal about 2 weeks ago. i cycled using no LS or LR using just 2 raw shrimp. i used some enzme for ammonia bacteria. my ammonia never really spiked at all, but my nitrites and nitrates. Finished cycling and everything dropped to 0,0,0 in 2 weeks and 4 days.

 

[goldfish]

Patience is a virtue.........do go slow. It's hard to wait, but in the long run you will so much happier that you did!
It's exciting to keep adding fish, but if you do it too quickly you will have a tank full of crud or possibly fish doing the backstroke. Take your time--I agree with the post about choosing your next fish then doing research on it. That way when you do get it home with you, you'll be completely aware of its needs etc.
Good luck!

 

[bretth7377]

I'm going to go with the LR and LS route but could someone tell me how much of each is reccommended for a 45 gal tank and also should i remove my cc or just put the LR & LS over it and in what order?
Thanks again!

 

[benihuma]

Let's get this discussion back to the top, I'm interested to hear what people say.