my cycle 55 fowlr questions

[igotaweinerdog]

alright so i have a 55 gallon tank with 50lbs of live rock. i got the LR last thursday and put in 2 shrimp on last tuesday for a source of ammonia. after the LR came in i added 3 more shrimp and live nitrifying bacteria and a product called biozyme. recently i have been frustrated because i hadnt had any ammonia readings. well today i decided to test for ammonia nitrites and nitrates and i discovered that i have 20ppm of nitrates. does this mean im almost done with my cycle?

 

[keith burn]

Imo remove the all of the shrimp!!!
It is use to start it and it is started.
Imo 4/6weeks and ammonia in 0%

 

[igotaweinerdog]

I have also heard that i should leave them in there until they dissolve. also my friend is just getting done with his cycle his nitrates are at 40ppm. would it be benneficial for me to take his water that he removes and add it to my tank?

 

[ocellaris_keeper]

Originally Posted by igotaweinerdog
alright so i have a 55 gallon tank with 50lbs of live rock. i got the LR last thursday and put in 2 shrimp on last tuesday for a source of ammonia. after the LR came in i added 3 more shrimp and live nitrifying bacteria and a product called biozyme. recently i have been frustrated because i hadnt had any ammonia readings. well today i decided to test for ammonia nitrites and nitrates and i discovered that i have 20ppm of nitrates. does this mean im almost done with my cycle?

You've jumped the gun by putting in the LR and the two shrimp and by adding the three more shrimp you've skipped the Ammonia and Nitrite cycle.
I suggest you buy two maroon/tomoato/ocellaris/percula clown fish and turn on your skimmer. You should be done.
My tank - I put 5" of a DSB (20 lbs of bateria sand, and 4 lbs of live sand seeded from a friends tank, and 120 lbs of other sand - mostly fine agagonite but 40 lbs of coarse aragonite for the DSB) and 45 lbs of dead (nothing living on it at all Rock)
then I put two ocellaris clowns in three days later - the skimmer was already running and the tank never had an ammonica/nitrite spike because of the live sand and the seeded sand.
It's past the diatom blume and I now have four ocellaris, 25 astrea snails, 10 hermit crabs and one star fish.

 

[toeknee]

Originally Posted by ocellaris_keeper
You've jumped the gun by putting in the LR and the two shrimp and by adding the three more shrimp you've skipped the Ammonia and Nitrite cycle.
I suggest you buy two maroon/tomoato/ocellaris/percula clown fish and turn on your skimmer. You should be done.
My tank - I put 5" of a DSB (20 lbs of bateria sand, and 4 lbs of live sand seeded from a friends tank, and 120 lbs of other sand - mostly fine agagonite but 40 lbs of coarse aragonite for the DSB) and 45 lbs of dead (nothing living on it at all Rock)
then I put two ocellaris clowns in three days later - the skimmer was already running and the tank never had an ammonica/nitrite spike because of the live sand and the seeded sand.
It's past the diatom blume and I now have four ocellaris, 25 astrea snails, 10 hermit crabs and one star fish.

Wait What?

 

[igotaweinerdog]

alright ive never heard of skipping them but if so great. but my nitrates are only at 20ppm shouldn i wait until they get a little higher then do a water change and then buy the fish and turn my skimmer on

 

[sepulatian]

If the rock was already cured then there would have been enough bacteria on the rock to handel the spikes quickly. It is entirely possible that you missed the spikes. The nitrates do not have to spike higher. You can do a change now and add your cleanup crew.

 

[sman]

Sounds like your in the same boat is me, I seen a VERY small spike in ammonia, and an even smaller one in nitrites, but my nitrates are about 15, I added alot of live sand and a fair amount of live rock, along with a shrimp, I "seem" to have "missed" the major spikes. Im getting the clean up crew tonight in just a few hours as I am starting to get hair algae on my rock. And it seems I am starting to get diatoms in my sand as well.

 

[igotaweinerdog]

well i just picked up a clean up crew and a maroon clown they are acclimating right now. ill let you know how it goes