I need help

[unbreakabl]

I just bought a 125 gallon tank. 48x24x24. Well i was wondering when i could add fish. I have let it run for about 4 days now and i added 2 krill to my tank to start the cycle and nothing happened. That was 24 hours ago and nothing spiked at all. The ammonia is 0. nitrate 0 nitrie 0 ph 8.3. Can i add fish yet or not thanks.

 

[shanev]

It would be best to wait until you see the spike in ammonia and nitrates, and they return to 0. Through in some more krill if needed. Odds are your tank hasnt cycled yet.

 

[kzoo]

You need to add a bigger ammonia sorce, Raw shrimp or you could just pee in it :hilarious

 

[unbreakabl]

well i really didnt test everything every day so i was j/w if it could have already happened. I added a few snails just to see and they are fine. Oh and i put them in yesterday at 8 in the morning. Does this mean anything or not? thanks for any help you can give me.

 

[hot883]

Cycle takes 4-6 WEEKS. be patient or this will be an extememly costly and frustrating hobby. Research cycle or cycling.

 

[lion_crazz]

Hot has it right here. Two pieces of krill will not spike the ammonia much at all. Throw in a few cocktail shrimp. You need to wait 6 weeks to add fish to your aquarium. I would also recommend you research cycling. It is always good to know what is going on with your tank.

 

[tangs123]

Originally Posted by kzoo
You need to add a bigger ammonia sorce, Raw shrimp or you could just pee in it :hilarious
now thats an ammonia spike for ya

 

[unbreakabl]

well guys i just tested my water the reating is ammonia 0 nitrite 0 and nitrate 20. Does that mean that the ammonia has already spiked and the nitrite and all i am waiting for is the nitrate to go down. please help i would really appreciate it.

 

[tangs123]

not neccesarily, nitrates are the stongest form and are broken down to nitrites

 

[scfatz]

Well I'm new to SW but not aquaria...I'll offer a thought fwiw.
First off nitrites get converted to nitrates not the other way around.
How did you start the tank...live rock and sand?
Your test results say you are cycled,but your time line doesn't imo...unless of course you added sufficient bacteria at the start up.
Please keep in mind that I am here to learn and not advise...so if anyone with SW experience disagrees with my post please ignore it.

 

[puffer32]

Originally Posted by Unbreakabl
I just bought a 125 gallon tank. 48x24x24. Well i was wondering when i could add fish. I have let it run for about 4 days now and i added 2 krill to my tank to start the cycle and nothing happened. That was 24 hours ago and nothing spiked at all. The ammonia is 0. nitrate 0 nitrie 0 ph 8.3. Can i add fish yet or not thanks.
I would say your tank hasn't even started cycling yet! Especially since you have only used krill to jump start the cycle. Slow down and tst again in a few days, don't add any fish, and you will probably lose the snail when the ammonia spikes, i would take it back to the lfs.

 

[unbreakabl]

well then why is my nitrates so high?

 

[rs1831]

I would go to the store and get some raw cocktail shrimp and add them to your tank and see if the ammonia and nitrites go up. Waiting another few days or even weeks will not hurt anything and will most likely just save you money.

 

[puffer32]

Originally Posted by Unbreakabl
well then why is my nitrates so high?
I am actually cycling a tank now and my nitrates were high first also, then my ammonia spiked, went down to 0 and my trites are high and so is trates. Take our word for it, it isn't cycled yet

 

[sharkbait9]

Your trying to rush nature, not a good idea. You need to just let nature do its thing.
You can help the nature with a raw cocktail shrimp in your tank for a 4/5 days then pull it out and let the cycle finish. If you want a healthy tank wait the six weeks like lion said.
If you choose to ignore the experience of the veteran hobbyist and don’t practice some patients , you’ll just be one of the thousands of people who tried to keep SW and claim “SW is to hard and a waste of money“.
In this hobby patients is a virtue and a must. To get your tank were you want just let the tank cycle save your money and buy equipment first. Fish and coral will thrive and live a lot happier and healthier if you just relax, read and educate your self for the better.
If not, we’ll be here to answer your questions when your tank crashes.