my tank cycle

jhebi

jhebi

Member
this is my 6th day and just finished the readings
ph8
am 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 0
amonia already spiked up on the 3rd day and now is 0 for the last 3 days, nitrite and nitrate also spiked up but now is zero...
My question is am i done on the cycle or should i wait couple more days and get some moe readings again>>
thank you
 
murph

murph

Active Member
That seems kind of fast. If you started with a lot of pre cured live rock I guess it may be possible.
Its kind of a tuff call from here. I would suggest adding a couple of pinches of flake food and see if your ammonia spikes again. Some would suggest a dead shrimp but IMO thats kind of overkill.
Others will suggest you start to add some of your clean up crew but on the other hand inverts will be more adversely effected by a renewed spike than a fish.
Adding any new life to a newly established tank is a risky proposition so don't get discouraged if something gos awry the first couple of months and add that new life as slowly as your patience allows. Hopefully you are looking at years of having a thriving tank so no need to rush into things right off the bat.
Good luck.
 
newfishguy

newfishguy

Member
What did you cycle the tank with?
Originally Posted by jhebi
this is my 6th day and just finished the readings
ph8
am 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 0
amonia already spiked up on the 3rd day and now is 0 for the last 3 days, nitrite and nitrate also spiked up but now is zero...
My question is am i done on the cycle or should i wait couple more days and get some moe readings again>>
thank you
 
jhebi

jhebi

Member
Ok...had A 55gl With 60lbs Of Lr And Also Have Ls. Used Freshwater From Day One, Added Some Shrimp Also On Day One But Took I Took It Out 2 Days Ago, Which Was Rotten And Smelly.....
I Had No Living Things In There Just The Lr And Ls, 2 Emperors 400, 2 Ph's, 1 Skimmer And Thats It....
Should I Wait Couple More Days Or Can I Add 1 Fish Like A Damsel Or Clown??
 
J

jdragunas

Guest
What kind of test kits are you using? Where did you get your LR, or if you didn't use your LR, how did you start the cycle? Did you do any water changes yet at all? If you haven't done water changes, i'd say maybe your tests are wrong. After your cycle is over, there should be a good amount of nitrates, not 0. This is my first indication that it's not finished cycling. I agree with murph that you should add some flake food for a few days, and see if that causes a spike in ammonia. If it does, your tank's not ready for fishies yet.
Jenn
 
hot883

hot883

Active Member
I would have to beg to differ. That tank IS NO WHERE near cycled. 3 days is impossible IMO.. 3 weeks pushing it, 3 days NO WAY. If you used fresh sw there is no way the cycle could be done. It takes 4-6 weeks. PERIOD. If you try to put live stock in here you will regret it.
As a test; phantom feed the tank (feed the tank like you would if you had fish in there) every day for a week and see if you get a spike.
 
cushen123

cushen123

Member
i cycled mine in less than 2 weeks, so it is possible. I've talked to several people that say it can be done in less than a week. if you use enough lr and ls in the beginning it will cycle quickly.
 
jhebi

jhebi

Member
WILL DO SO, JUST WANTED TO KNOW BEFORE HAND...WILL KEEP ADDING FOOD AND SEE IF THE AMONIA WILL SPIKE AGAIN......TKS
WONT ADD ANYTHING ALIVE UNTIL I AM SURE...TKS GUYS WILL KEEP POSTED
 
jhebi

jhebi

Member
Originally Posted by jdragunas
What kind of test kits are you using? Where did you get your LR, or if you didn't use your LR, how did you start the cycle? Did you do any water changes yet at all? If you haven't done water changes, i'd say maybe your tests are wrong. After your cycle is over, there should be a good amount of nitrates, not 0. This is my first indication that it's not finished cycling. I agree with murph that you should add some flake food for a few days, and see if that causes a spike in ammonia. If it does, your tank's not ready for fishies yet.
Jenn

I Think is called the masterkit for saltwater (i m not home right now so i dont know) and also I used LR with LS and also 3 uncooked shrimps.....I did 1 water change only......
As of today the readings are the same....i m thinking about takin a sample of my water to my LFS and test it to see whats going on....last 2 days i added fish food to see if the amonia spiked, and nothing until today.......
I think is 2 things:
1) either i am weird and testing wrong
2) test is coming out wrong and I am still weird... :notsure:
 
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