New Tank Cycling

[muffinman356]

I am in the process of cycling my tank right now and when i check my levels i get
P.H. 8.2
Ammonia .25
Nitrite 5.0ppm
Nitrate 40ppm
Am i on track to almost being cycled. Also i have 10lb of live rock and 30~40lb of dry rock, how do I know when the dry rock turns into live rock.

 

[lilclowns]

Most likely when they start growing stuff on them
Quote:
Originally Posted by muffinman356 http:///t/390538/new-tank-cycling#post_3459289
I am in the process of cycling my tank right now and when i check my levels i get
P.H. 8.2
Ammonia .25
Nitrite 5.0ppm
Nitrate 40ppm
Am i on track to almost being cycled. Also i have 10lb of live rock and 30~40lb of dry rock, how do I know when the dry rock turns into live rock.

 

[oneradtek]

ok so it seems that your cycle is more in the middle of it than the end. ammonia is still .25 and that means it probably on teh trailing end of it and should drop to zero soon. Then you have to wait until your nitrite goes down to zero also. Both of these are very toxic to animals. after those drop to zero you will still have some remaining nitrates, then you can do a little water change since they are the by products of teh cycle and can be removed via water changes. do water change and test again, and i would say to add critters after nitrate goes below 20ppm.
your base rock by now shouuld have the beginning of microbial life on it. this in essence means that it is alive. however it is still cycling the rock to be a more "mature" live rock. at the end of your cycle the base rock should have bacterial colonies in it and you will see algae starting to form on it. dont be fooled by the brownish "algae" you are probably seeing now, because that doesnt mean its done!. cycling takes around a month or even more. you are done cycling when you get the correct numbers

 

[xandrew245x]

I was going to reply with a goo answer but one of my keys stoppe working, can you figure out with one?

 

[xandrew245x]

(guess I can answer now, the key started working, at least momentarily)
You are most likley in the middle of your cycle, once your ammonia hits 0 you will be nearing the end, just have to wait for your nitrite to hit 0, from the day you see your nitrite hit 0 I recommend ghost feeding(feeding as if fish were in there) for a week, and if you still have consistent readings, go ahead and add 1 fish.
If you don't have a quarantine tank set up, this would be a good time to set one up, and make sure you quarantine all new arrivals for at least a month. If they look healthy then add them to your tank once the month is up.
How long has your tank been up and running?

 

[njbillyv]

Quote:
Originally Posted by xandrew245x http:///t/390538/new-tank-cycling#post_3462288
(guess I can answer now, the key started working, at least momentarily)
You are most likley in the middle of your cycle, once your ammonia hits 0 you will be nearing the end, just have to wait for your nitrite to hit 0, from the day you see your nitrite hit 0 I recommend ghost feeding(feeding as if fish were in there) for a week, and if you still have consistent readings, go ahead and add 1 fish.
If you don't have a quarantine tank set up, this would be a good time to set one up, and make sure you quarantine all new arrivals for at least a month. If they look healthy then add them to your tank once the month is up.
How long has your tank been up and running?
Agree.
Yep you're in the middle of a cycle. I usually let a cycle run about a month minimum to give the bacteria time to grow properly. You might want to add some Special Formula, it's great for cycling. As for the dry rock, if you aim a powerhead at your live rock and have it blow onto your dry rock that will speed the curing process up. And when you are ready for fish, stay away from damsels, use good frozen food, and don't overfeed.
Good luck.