LR Spike

[rcbc3384]

Hi Everyone.
Yesterday I added 20lbs of LR to my new aquarium. Today I tested the ammonia and it had spiked to 4.0. Is this normal? When can I expect it to go down?
Thanks

 

[stevenb]

did u cure LR.

 

[rcbc3384]

I bought it from this web site and was told that it was pre cured. What should I expect

 

[ohioguy06]

is there any fish in the tank

 

[rcbc3384]

No
I just sort of figured out what cycling was, so I didn't want to take a chance.

 

[crimzy]

Even if the rock is cured, there will be die off during transport. This die off is minimal if you buy it from, for example, a lfs 20 minutes away from the house. But from a website with overnight shipping, you're going to get a lot of die off. So to answer your question, yes this is normal for online lr. In the future, when you get it, you should cure it in a rubbermaid tub with a powerhead for a while.

 

[rcbc3384]

Thanks
Do you have an ETA when the levels will go down?

 

[crimzy]

Originally Posted by rcbc3384
Thanks
Do you have an ETA when the levels will go down?
You'll probably start to see the ammonia levels go down and the nitrite levels go up in the next 3-4 days or so.

 

[rcbc3384]

Great. Thanks
Sorry for all of the questions but when do think it will be safe for either fish or the reef packages they sell on this site?

 

[damselsrck]

It really depends on your tank. Are you going to be adding more lr? imo it would be better to add more lr (if necessary) before adding fish or inverts. just my .02.

 

[ohioguy06]

If your just adding liverock you at least imo 2-4 weeks from fish.

 

[rcbc3384]

I intend to add another 20-30lbs of LR. Will the tank spike again if I get it from this web site (days it basically takes for shipping from Internet)

 

[hot883]

Originally Posted by rcbc3384
I intend to add another 20-30lbs of LR. Will the tank spike again if I get it from this web site (days it basically takes for shipping from Internet)
Yes, it will spike again because you will be adding a new source of ammonia (dead things in the rock). YOU are 3-5 weeks IMO away from adding fish. If you are just now adding LR then the tank needs to fully cycle. This is the hardest part of starting a sw tank, the waiting game. DO NOT rush into getting a clean up crew or fish.

 

[rcbc3384]

Thank you very much for the advice. I'm even enjoying the cycling part of this hobby so I have no intention of rushing. The tank is beautiful just with the 20lbs of LR. I cant wait to see what it will look like w/30 more lbs. of LR