This can't be right!

[alohami]

Alright, after much thought and discussion about my first shrimp not kicking out enough ammonia to get a good cycle, I decided to challenge it and added 4 small cocktail shrimp (in a 16 gal).
Well, it's been 3 days and still barely a trace of ammonia, if that. It just doesn't seem right. The water really smells and my skimmer is pulling out a decent amount of gunk, so I just don't see how there isn't any ammonia. I've been testing for ammonia daily so I know I didn't miss it.
Nitrites: 4
Nitrates: 100
I'm testing with Salifert, but I'm thinking I must have gotten a bad one. I am thoroughly confused and frustrated!
Any thoughts?

 

[ogdog30]

take your water to your lfs

 

[usinkit]

Your test kit is probly bad. If the water smells Iam sure there should be some ammonia reading by now.

 

[scotts]

^
:
: :yes:
Sounds like a bad or expired test kit.

 

[alohami]

The expiration date on it is August 2005, so I thought it would have been ok, but I guess not I'll have to get a new one.
It really ticks me off because it's cost me probably 2 weeks additional on my cycle!

 

[alohami]

oops! Double posted, sorry!

 

[snipe]

It could be a faulty test kit. Also dont run your skimmer while your tank is cycling dont run anything that will filter out the amonia and such.

 

[usinkit]

I believe skimmers dont take ammonia out. I ran my skimmer during my cycle. I was also curing 170# of live rock then too.

 

[snipe]

Skimmers will effect the cycle that is why everyone tells you not to run it during a cycle. It pulls out nutrients and that is what is released when the shrimp decomposes "nutrients".

 

[alohami]

Well, from everything I've read on here it seems the jury is split on whether to run skimmers or not during the cycle. I just thought I would get a head start on breaking it in.
Plus, I figured with the amount of shrimp I added, even if it does take some of the ammonia out there will still be plenty left to cycle.
I've come to the conclusion that my ammonia test is bad. My cycle seems to be progressing fine since my nitrites and nitrates are both up, so now I just have to be patient and let it run it's course.

 

[reefraff]

Originally posted by AlohaMI
Alright, after much thought and discussion about my first shrimp not kicking out enough ammonia to get a good cycle, I decided to challenge it and added 4 small cocktail shrimp (in a 16 gal).
Well, it's been 3 days and still barely a trace of ammonia, if that. It just doesn't seem right. The water really smells and my skimmer is pulling out a decent amount of gunk, so I just don't see how there isn't any ammonia. I've been testing for ammonia daily so I know I didn't miss it.
Nitrites: 4
Nitrates: 100
I'm testing with Salifert, but I'm thinking I must have gotten a bad one. I am thoroughly confused and frustrated!
Any thoughts?
Did you use cured live rock or live sand. If you have Nitrites and Nitrates at the levels you list you aint gonna see amonia because you already have enough bacteria to break it down. Amonia is broken down into Nitrites and the Nitrites are further broken down into Nitrates once the bacteria is established. Unless your make up water is polluted I'd say you are nearly cycled.
It took me less than a week in a 125 with 7 lbs of live sand (added to about 60 pounds of agromax) and 100 pounds of cured Fiji. Had a super small amonia spike (Actually used skimmer gunk from another tank to start the cycle) and the nitrites spiked (again, pretty small) and were back to zero in like three days. It can happen fast.

 

[usinkit]

AlohaMI,
Dont worry about running your skimmer. Running it will not affect your cycle where you would notice it if at all.

 

[snipe]

If your breaking it in then I would run it. But if it is already pulling things out then I would shut it off.

 

[alohami]

Originally posted by reefraff
Did you use cured live rock or live sand. If you have Nitrites and Nitrates at the levels you list you aint gonna see amonia because you already have enough bacteria to break it down. Amonia is broken down into Nitrites and the Nitrites are further broken down into Nitrates once the bacteria is established. Unless your make up water is polluted I'd say you are nearly cycled.
My rock was uncured when I got it, but it had been curing for about a week before I added 20lbs of Arag-alive and the first cocktail shrimp to get the cycle going. I used RO water, so that shouldn't have caused a problem.
I know I wouldn't see the ammonia now, but I never did see it and was testing regularly. Maybe between the rock and live sand I had a good bacteria base already? My nitrites and nitrates seem to be going as they should for cycling, so I'm not going to worry about it anymore. But anyway, you are right that there had to be some ammonia action, or I wouldn't have the nitrites and nitrates at the level they are.

 

[alohami]

Originally posted by Snipe
If your breaking it in then I would run it. But if it is already pulling things out then I would shut it off.
It's not pulling out anything too spectacular yet anyway. Just mostly brown water. I'm still trying to figure out how to adjust it to work the way it should, so that's why I started messing with it now. I want to have all the bugs worked out of it before I add any livestock.

 

[snipe]

Yeah it is good to do that now. I thought from the othe post it is broken in. And you can tell taht is pulls out the bad stuff I over fed one night woke up the next morning and my collection cup was alost over running.