New Tank Syndrom NEED HELP!

frosty

frosty

Member
I have a 10 gallon tank and it has been up and running for about four months now. I cycled it with live rock and some hermit crabs. The tank has been a qt tank that has never been used. We took the live rock out and put it in our 55gal when the cycle was done. We now put 11 pounds of new LR we bought at the fish store back in the 10 gallon. This has now caused the tank to go through another cycle. How long will the new cycle take? Is there anyway to speed up the cycle? There are no creatures in the 10 gallon besides the LR. What should I do?? I want to put some seahorses in there.....asap!
SALINITY 1.023
PH 8.0
Ammonia 0.25
Nitrite 0.3
Nitrate 50ppm
 
granny

granny

Member
If the live rock you put in was uncured, it will probably take 5-6 weeks to complete the cylce and be safe for sea horses.
You can add 'CYCLE' to the tank to speed it up a little bit, but as you know patience is essential to this hobby. Keep testing-when all is 0, then do a partial water change, and only then add a seahorse or two.
Make sure you have something they can hold onto, not just regular live rock, but sea fans or tonga branch live rock. They have to be able to anchor themselves and will grab onto anything small enough towrap their tails around, even plants, worm tubes or plastic decorations.
 
promisetbg

promisetbg

Active Member
Seahorses should not be kept in a 10 gal. tank. A 30 would be minimum..most grow to 6" or so, and the tank needs to be twice as tall as the seahorse at least. Please research seahorses thoroughly before getting them, they are not easy to keep. Unless you buy tank raised, they will not have anything to eat in that tank and will starve. Tank raised seahorses are raised on mysis shrimp. Seahorses should NEVER go into a newly cycled tank.
 
frosty

frosty

Member
Sorry I did not specify that they are DWARF SEAHORSES. The tank is not newly cycled it is four months old but the LR must have spiked the levels a bit. It is fully cured LR but there must have been some die off in the process of getting them from the store to the house. I tested the levels today and they are dropping. I think it was just an initial spike that will quickly correct itself. I have done research on keeping seahorses and I am prepared for them. I have them in a breeding trap in my 55gal now and they are doing great. They are tank bred and eating frozen mysis and brine.
Ammonia 0
Nitrite .01
Nitrate 30ppm
 
moby

moby

Member
JMO, but I think that nitrate level is still too high.
I would do another water change and get that down to about 10.
I have never kept sea horses but everything I have read indicates they are very sensitive to high trates.
Moby
 
frosty

frosty

Member
The nitrates are still way to high. I will wait a few days and see if they level out. Then do a water change, test again and go from there. I'm just glad it was just a mini cycle and it didn't spike the levels for weeks.
 
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