Please help?????

[fishyface]

Can someone help me understand this. How do I know when my tank has finished cycling??? I set the tank up 8 days ago... (72 Gallons) I put in a little live rock, and 7 damsels. 4 of the damsels died already. (I didn't know that would happen!) The jerk at the petstore didn't tell me.
The 4th damsel just died last night, but I tested the water today and all levels are fine. How do I know if my tank is cycling, and when is it finished? Has it even started cycling yet? And, why are my fish dying? I am so confused. Does this happen to a lot of people? And, it's not like I haven't tried researching... I just don't understand. Please help?!?! Thanks. - Jen

 

[bot587]

Jen,
Its a new set up, you have to understand all your bacteria has not built up yet. Give it time. Your tank has probably finished its short cycyling period (it may take a little bit longer though). However, a tank is not fully established until you have it set up for about 3 months (sometimes longer). Give it time. The reason the damsels probably died is your system has never handled living organisms before. The problem is that the water is too pure. The bacteria will soon set in, until then cross your fingers and do not go expensive!

 

[benr]

hey jen,
a Saltwater tank takes along time....well everyone knows that. Dont rush.. your levels could go back and forth ( up and down ) the first couple of months. your tank is going to go through a period when it is bouliding up bacteria. If i would you i would check your water often and check the salt. what is your salt? im not the best advice giver but i would just slow down and take it one step at a time. if any of your damels die, i would just take them back and wait a while maby 3 weeks and try 2. thats my words.

 

[pontius]

you need to buy test kits and test every 3 or 4 days. that way you can watch the progression of the cycle. my tank has been up for 3 weeks. I've tested and watched the ammonia and nitrites go from 0, to off the chart, and back down to almost 0 again.
for cycling, I used a cocktail shrimp the first week and then added substrate and live rock the second week. I just don't see the point of using live fish because they actually produce less ammonia than one piece of shrimp.
damsels are used for cycling a lot of times because they're so hardy. but hardy doesn't mean invincible. cycling puts a lot of stress on even hardy fish. I cycled my freshwater tank with 8 tiger barbs (they're pretty much the freshwater version of damsels as far as hardiness and aggresiveness), 3 of them died.

 

[bot587]

pontius is right on all accounts, however damsels are LIVING meaning they consistently produce ammonia, and they are carrying their bacteria (that you will eventually need). Damsels are higher risk, but they get the job done.
Personally i always shock my tanks. I throw in 7-10 damsels and let them die off. Its a lot of money, but it throws all your levels haywire, then in time the levels will come down. You will learn over time that cycling is a long process that takes months!

 

[hagfish]

You say "all my levels are fine". Well, what are the exact numbers? What about salinity, water temp, and PH. How much LR do you have? Do you have LS? You say only a little LR and only 8 days so I'm sure there isn't much benificial bacteria in there yet. If you don't want your fish to die you should probably slow down quite a bit. Some of those damsels may live through the cycle, but as you can see you may lose some too. I think it usually takes about a month for a cycle to complete. When you do add fish, it's best to add smaller quantities at a time so that the biological filter can adjust for the increase in waste. HTH.

 

[fishyface]

You say "all my levels are fine". Well, what are the exact numbers? What about salinity, water temp, and PH. How much LR do you have? Do you have LS? You say only a little LR and only 8 days
Right now, my nitrites are a little high. The temp is about 77 degrees... I only have a measly 7 lbs. of live rock in there. I plan to get more...
And, PH levels are about 8.0
I will take it slow... I am only just learning about this cycle process... It's so interesting!!! WOW!!! I've only just begun learning, and I am so intrigued!!!
Anyone got any live rock I can buy???