How's my cycle look? Growing impatient...

[davidinga]

My 210 was filled the first of March and the sand and rock was added a week or so later. I used a hand full of raw shrimp as my source for ammonia. Below are the tests I have done over the weeks; how much longer do you think I have to go?

March 7 ammonia:

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[davidinga]

3-13-2013

Ammonia

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Nitrite

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pH

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Didn't bother with nitrate test this early...

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[davidinga]

3-21-2013

Ammonia

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Nitrite

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Nitrate

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[davidinga]

Seems ammonia has dropped significantly and nitrates are growing. No algae yet in the tank though

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[jmike50]

Looks to me that the nitrite and nitrate are peaking...like barbara said the key is patience...IMO I would give it a little longer. You may want to get a lean up crew to help. Snails, hermit crabs. Good Luck.

 

[heathlindner25]

jmike50;851990 wrote: Looks to me that the nitrite and nitrate are peaking...like barbara said the key is patience...IMO I would give it a little longer. You may want to get a lean up crew to help. Snails, hermit crabs. Good Luck.

there's nothing for them to clean up yet, and they like water was a little better numbers. I would hold off on the clean up crew.

 

[davidinga]

heathlindner25;851996 wrote: there's nothing for them to clean up yet, and they like water was a little better numbers. I would hold off on the clean up crew.

Ya tank is pretty sterile still...

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[heathlindner25]

you're clean up crew should be built slowly as you add your bioload.

 

[davidinga]

I was thinking of buying 10+/- lbs of uncured LR to get things rolling along; whataya think?

Edit:

DavidinGA;852108 wrote: I was thinking of buying 10+/- lbs of uncured LR to get things rolling along (and to seed the marcorock); whataya think?

 

[kilralpine]

Uncured LR??? there's no cured or uncured LR, if its alive its LR as far as seeding goes; its a good idea.

cured - bleached, rinsed, air dried
uncured - likely hasnt been killed off/rinsed/air dried an thus requires you to clean it yourself
live rock - habitat for bacteria and small inverts, safe to add to a cycling tank to kickstart it

 

[jdavid]

If you don't have rock in the tank yet, then you aren't going to be able to complete your cycle. you need aerobic and anaerobic bacteria (bacteria that likes oxygen and bacteria that doesn't like oxygen) thriving in your tank. This is the whole point of the initial fishless cycle, to get the bacteria up and running to cycle the ammonia that will occur naturally in your tank from fish waste and other stuff. The bacteria that likes oxygen will live on the surface of the rock and sandbed if you choose to have one) where oxygen is plentiful, and the bacteria that doesn't like oxygen will live deeper inside the pores of the rock and deeper in the sandbed.

Edit: just read a little bit better. you have some rock in your tank, but you want to seed it with live rock. All I can say is that pick your LR wisely. Biodiversity is good, but there are things that you do not want in your tank. some things you will not be able to see, such as spores.

 

[kilralpine]

+1 ^ not sure what he means by "spores" but there are many nuisance things that can come in on LR that you are unsure of, aptasia, nudibranch, mojanos, and like a dozen other things. Get your LR from a reputable LFS that checks their stuff or someone in the hobby that your sure has healthy rock.

 

[jdavid]

aiptasia, algae, mojanoes.. all these things reproduce by sporulation

 

[rdnelson]

You have a ways to go yet as others have said. Give it time and you will be glad you did.


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[gort]

One thing I noticed, a little off topic. Your using an API test kit. I have seen many times people put those test kits down. I have compared them to Salifert tests and they seem to be ok to me. Close as I will ever get cause I am not a lab technician. And they are less expensive too.

I need a few tests and am out of a few. I think I will get the Saltwater Master kit like you.

 

[davidinga]

Would some LR be beneficial right now to increase bacteria levels if for no other reason?

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[rdnelson]

DavidinGA;852250 wrote: Would some LR be beneficial right now to increase bacteria levels if for no other reason?

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It wouldn't hurt but patients is cheaper. . And in the long run it will help you prepaid. It takes 9 months for a baby to be born not so the baby is ready but so the parents are ready! Same thing here. Sit back and enjoy. Watch for all the live that pops up. Things you didn't put in. Ask questions and learn. Then when the tank is ready, you will be too.

As for API they are fine for what you are doing now. Soon though you will want better. They turn on you at the worst time.


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[davidinga]

3-26-13
Nitrite

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[jdavid]

DavidinGA;852250 wrote: Would some LR be beneficial right now to increase bacteria levels if for no other reason?

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live sand in a bag can't hurt.

Edit: I have NEVER seen nitrate that high lol.

 

[rdnelson]

JDavid;852340 wrote: live sand in a bag can't hurt.

Edit: I have NEVER seen nitrate that high lol.

It is nitrite not nitrate. . But yes that is pretty high.

At OP, did you take the shrimp out? With the levels you have I don't think you need to keep an ammonia source in the tank.


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