3 day cycle??

[dawgface]

Question, is it possible for a tank to fully cycle in 3 days of setup?

I set up a 72g bow front aquarium 3 days ago. I started with a leak check, then added prime to remove the chlorine. Next mixed my salt in a separate 35 gallon drums. Once my salinity was sufficent I added 80 pounds live sand and 85 pounds LR. I've since waited 2 days so a water check and now I have my readings are as follows:

PH 8.2
A 0
NI 0
Na 0

Oh and almost forgot, this tank was purchased used with a under cabinet sump filter. Ive added a protein skimmer and UV sterilizer.

 

[carpenter981]

maybe it hasnt started yet?

 

[dawgface]

Thats what I was wondering... What happends if it in fact it hasnt? Do I try to kick start it? Or with readings like this try damsels?

 

[rjrgroup]

What do you mean by LR and LS? If everything in your tank is "live" as in it is mature and at least a portion of your water is mature then you may not have a "cycle". 80lbs of LS is a lot to start with so if it's mature, you should be fine. IMO...

 

[dawgface]

hmmm I'd hate to put expensive fish in there only to see them die, I think i'll play it safe and give it a week to make sure my readings stay the same.

 

[gmpolan]

i had a similar experience once, id still let it cycle for a good two weeks plus...regardless or atleast till you start to see the diatom bloom in full effect

 

[grouper therapy]

ja4207;595061 wrote: hmmm I'd hate to put expensive fish in there only to see them die, I think i'll play it safe and give it a week to make sure my readings stay the same.

I'd hate to see any fish put in there to die ,expensive or not. Smart move to wait:up: but I would wait longer than a week maybe 2-3 weeks. Short cycles do happen but not often. Patience is truly a virtue in keeping reef tanks. We would love to see some pics as well!!!!:yes:

 

[jennm]

Was the rock cured? If it was, you may not see ammonia or nitrite, as the rock was already settled out and balanced.

3 days is way too soon to decide either way. Even with fully cured rock I recommend waiting for the water params to check out AND the diatom bloom before adding a clean-up crew.

I totally disagree with the notion of forcing an ammonia spike when one has used cured rock (via dead shrimp, liquid ammonia, pee, etc.) Just let it settle out and find its ionic balance (that process prompts the diatom bloom) and go from there. Adding something big to decay just sets you back and lengthens the process. IMO there's no benefit to doing that. Just let it settle out, find its equilibrium and proceed slowly and with common sense.

Damsels aren't necessary, unless that's what you want to keep (most people regret damsels at some point). Go slowly, research your choices, you'll be just fine.

Jenn

 

[rjrgroup]

Well I feel like a horse's "patoot". I thought the posting said 3 week cycle. My bad!:doh: