Nearing end of new tank cycle?

[makorunner013]

I think I'm at the end of my "New Tank Cycle Process." I went from skyrocketing numbers last week to now; Amonia at 0.0, Nitrites are 0.0 and Nitrates are around 2.0 or less (Light color pink on on the test strip. What happens next? Does it take long for the Nitrates to drop to 0.0 or do I still have a way to go? Anyway to speed it up? (Starting to get impatent.) Any thoughts when I can get some nicer Fish, Corals, ect. Can you recomend a Fish/Coral that will do o.k. now. Besides Damsels, Clowns, Thank's, Rick

 

[canareef]

Test strips can be very inaccurate. I would look at getting a master test kit lots of different brands this is one they sell on here. https://www.saltwaterfish.com/site_11...ot_parent_id=6 See what your numbers are like with the test kit also I would look into a Refractometer to check your salinity if you are not already using one.

 

[florida joe]

Actually my friend I would like to say, and this is just my opinion. We should stop (all of us) saying we have finished cycling our tank. In fact I believe what happens when we can no longer monitor ammonia and nitrites is that we have now begun the full cycle of nitrification and the beginning of denitrification. The cycle has not stopped it has just begun

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/2971850
Actually my friend I would like to say, and this is just my opinion. We should stop (all of us) saying we have finished cycling our tank. In fact I believe what happens when we can no longer monitor ammonia and nitrites is that we have now begun the full cycle of nitrification and the beginning of denitrification. The cycle has not stopped it has just begun
Good point, Joe! As hobbiests, we are basically bacteria farmers who happen to keep fish.
To the OP: if you're sure ammonia and nitrite are gone for good, you can slowly introduce fish. Nitrates need to go back to zero before adding corals or other inverts. I assume you have enough LR to allow for nitrate elimination? Nitrates at a moderate level won't hurt fish like they do inverts. ( As canareef said;please get a good set of test kits, don't rely on strips.)

 

[florida joe]

Good point, Joe! As hobbiests, we are basically bacteria farmers who happen to keep fish.
Absolute correct my good friend, if for not the luck of being able to propagate nitrification and denitrification through bacteria farming we would not have the ease of maintaining our tanks. Bacteria nitrification and denitrification as I am sure you know is not the prime sources of filtration in the worlds reefs

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by florida joe
http:///forum/post/2971966
Absolute correct my good friend, if for not the luck of being able to propagate nitrification and denitrification through bacteria farming we would not have the ease of maintaining our tanks. Bacteria nitrification and denitrification as I am sure you know is not the prime sources of filtration in the worlds reefs
Right, and the ability of LR to de-nitrify was discovered long after it was already being used for aquascaping. I doubt that the anaerobic bacteria that LR can culture serves any real purpose in the ocean, it just found a niche. But now it makes reef tanks possible; quite a co-incidence!