slow cycle

[mbenson]

I am on my 6th week with 3 fish in my sw. I have a yellow tang, yellow tailed damsel, and a percula clown. My water has never cycled. My ammonia is .50, no2 is 0, and no3 is 2.5. My ph is 8.2 and alk is normal. Nothing has changed in 3 weeks. I bought some raw tiger shrimp but have not dropped any in yet. Is this slow cycle normal or should I try to speed it up with a raw shrimp and how long do I leave the shrimp in. Thanks.
Mike

 

[mchandler]

i would never cycle with a yellow tang or clown...they probablyu wont make the cycle. the yellow tailed damsel should be ok. I wouldn't dump any raw shrimp in the tank with the fish...everything will probably perish. If you can, see if you can return the tang and clown until it cycles. I cycled with some green chromis and yellow tailed damsels...didn't try the shrimp thing, although many on this foruimn swear by it. my tank is a 135gallon and wasnt really ready for about 1.5 months. That's just my 2 cents, and as you can tell, i'm also a beginner.

 

[mbenson]

As I am stuck with the fish as my local fish store is ***** and it is 45 miles away and they made it clear that they were mine when I walked out the door. I have learned a lot since then. I was too anxious and short on patience.

 

[thomas712]

Sigh
Ok-- Do you have any liverock that you started with, also did you use any live sand?, cycle bacteria?
Do Not put the dead shrimp in!
Believe me you are cycling, either that or your cycle is done but you are just begging to have an ammonia spike if you add that dead shrimp and the yellow tang will feel the ammonia at .5 no buts about it, its leathal, your tang will also feel very confined in that tank.
It is my opinion but you are pushing your bio load to the brink in a 26 gal tank, as they say bad things happen fast. Your ammonia needs to come down either by water changes, or letting your bacteria base catch up with your current bio load.
Fish should be added one at a time, wait two weeks for the bacteria to catch up with the one and add a second...and so forth. The damsal and the clown would be ok to cycle with, however if it had been me I would have just used the dead shrimp to cycle the tank and then add the damsal + clown after the cycle and a water change. I personally would not have added a tang to a 26 gal tank.
Did you test the water for yourself?, did you also have your LFS test it before adding fish? How long have the fish been in there?
Bottom line is I think you moved to quickly here.
Just another opinion
Thomas

 

[mbenson]

You are right I did move too fast. I had already added the fish before I found this web site and had my back against the wall. Since then I have just put everything on hold until my water cycles. I check the water my self every other day. I watch the fish very closely for stress but have not seen any yet. No, I do not have any live rock. I had decided against it just in case I could not make a go of a sw tank.
The fish have been in there about 4 to 5 weeks.
PS: I am open for anyone's opinion. Thanks.

 

[dattong]

My 100g tank is being cycled with a dead shrimp for 3 days. An online article recommends to leave the shrimp in tank for 2 weeks but I think Im gonna take it out tommorow. As you can see the browny thing has developed quite fast. The green circle is where the shrimp laying down. You dont have to have the fish suffered from the cycling period.

 

[col]

Dattong
Leave the shrimp in until you see an ammonia spike.
Mbenson
Well at least you know you have made a mistake - that is the first step. If you can't return any fish you will just have to keep a close eye on the ammonia and nitrite levels. Change some water perhaps. Are you just using an internal powerfilter for fitration?

 

[dattong]

Thanks Col, Amonia is 0.5 today. I think the cycle started well.

 

[goldrush]

Doing a water change during a cycle will just slow down the cycle.There should be nothing alive in the tank until ammonia is ZERO. No comment on a Tang in a 26,that's another issue. Read,read,read,so you don't continue to make mistakes.

 

[ophiura]

mbenson,
IMO, you need more biological filtration in that tank, and I would suggest LR. What other sort of decor do you have in there? How often and how much are you feeding?

 

[mbenson]

I have 2 medium and 1 large artificial rock and some artificial plants and 1 artificial coral tree for decor. I have a tetratec 150
power filter. I feed twice a day.
I just did not want to add the shrimp if my tank was going to cycle eventually anyway. I have learned that I will not add any fish until I am sure it has cycled.

 

[col]

I think you are just going to have to sit this one out and wait unless you can remove the fish to somewhere else.
If you add the shrimp it will almost certainly kill fish.
If ammonia and nitrite rise you will have to change some water, any trace of ammonia is not good anyway.
I would probably change some water now.

 

[coralwolf]

You said you don't want to add LR incase you find SW too difficult.
I had the same concerns when I started but I find now that once your tank is established SW is not difficult at all.
So buy that LR and stick with it.
Also keep reading this board, it’s a great source of info.
Good luck!

 

[jarvis]

I agree saltwater is not difficult I even find it easyier than freshwater, because I have a rough idea of what I have invested in my livestock for the tank. I would hate to loose it. It forces me to religously practice water changes and water testing. You just need to do your homework. My opinion is that live rock is the best and easyiest form of biological filtrations hands down. No gadgets or gizmos can compare. You really do need to get the tang out of the tank or be prepared to get a bigger tank down the road. I am probobly going to be the only one against doing any water changes till amonia and nitrite are zero. Or at least do very minimal water changes like 1gallon. It will prolong the cycle causing the fish to be in hostile water for a longer period of time. Add CYCLE a product made by hagen to you tank slowly and frequently. Keep testing your water. Cut down you feeding to a bare minimal. I wish you the best of luck.