adidas Posted December 16, 2004 Report Share Posted December 16, 2004 Hello all... saltwater NewB here. I have a 55 gallon I'm cycling with live rock, I also had 3 dead cocktail shrimp in for about a week. It is now day 7 since adding 5lbs of live rock, and my levels are: ph 8 ppm ammonia 1.0 ppm Nitrite 8 ppm does this mean the ammonia has already dropped and the Nitrite has spiked? I will also check for Nitrates tomorrow. I will also post some pics of mt setup if anyone would like to have a look. TIA J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adidas Posted December 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2004 Here's a few pics of the setup. I have an Eheim 2217 filter and a red sea prism skimmer. after cycle would like to biuld up a reef. I can't wait! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlkWolfe Posted December 16, 2004 Report Share Posted December 16, 2004 (edited) Hey J You dont really need the cocktail shrimp to cycle a tank. Unless you bought base rock (dead sterile rock) there will be plenty of critters and things on the rock that usually die during transport and you end up with ample ammonia to start your cycle going. Personally id pull the media outta the Eheim and just use it for flow and to throw in some carbon should the need arise. If you wanna go reef, you definatly need some more rock, especially if theres gonna be fish involved. Live rock serves as a great bio filter and doesnt get plugged up and become a nutrient sink like most mechanical filters do. and you get to make all kinds of caves and perches to stack your corals on Happy reefing Edited December 16, 2004 by BlkWolfe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adidas Posted December 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2004 Thanks for the reply! I plan to add more live rock, just used 5pounds for the cycle. Just did a few tests today, and there is a high amount of nitrates 35ppm and the amonia is now at 0.35. can my cycle really be thiis far ahead after only 8 days? J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlkWolfe Posted December 16, 2004 Report Share Posted December 16, 2004 (edited) Depends on where you got it from. If the LFS or wherever had it for awhlie it could have cycled in their systems and your just getting a minicycle from the dieoff that occured when you were bringing it home. Every time you add new live rock, unless its kept submerged or at least real moist and warm during transport is going to have some dieoff and will give you an ammonia spike when you throw it in your tank. So it would be best to either buy all of it at once in the beginning and cycle it all together, or buy say 20lbs to start, then add maybe 3-5lbs every month until your happy with what you got. Its not as good as getting it all in the beginning, but it does limit the stress on any inhabitants. What kind of corals are you gonna keep? Edited December 16, 2004 by BlkWolfe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adidas Posted December 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2004 Not sure what type of corals to get, as I am a beginner. When I got the live rock they said it wasn't completelly cured yet. Not sure what that means. What do you think about my ammonia and Nitrate readings? looks like Nitrate is spiked and ammonia is deminishing. I'll check Nitrite levels tonight as well, if they are dropping as well as amonia, that must mean the cycle is in its final stage? J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adidas Posted December 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2004 just tested all the levels, day 8 live rock cycle: nitrite 2.0 nitrate 15 ammonia 0.25 any input? thx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahfai83 Posted December 18, 2004 Report Share Posted December 18, 2004 Hello, my tank is a nano tank...I used a couple of live oysters and 3 live clams to cycle the water...in fact I didnt check the chemical level at all....the 3rd days after the set up, I add 2 percula clowns in, and they lived fine until I added a clarkii into the tank 2 months later...they were killed-_-" You may wanna try a couple of live oysters if u are going to start your tank with a couple of hardy fishes~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtac Posted December 18, 2004 Report Share Posted December 18, 2004 Looks like your aquarium is on it's way to "cycling". Congrats . Every aquarium is going to be different, yes there is a general guideline but if you test and chart what's going on, that's the only concrete way in determining where in the "cycling" process you are. My 35gal "cycled" in 4 days w/ mature/cured LR. My 55 took 2 months w/ uncured LR. You have lots of possibilities in that spot. Keep us posted as it evolves. Oh yeah, the aquarium is in a nice spot...I envision hanging MH lighing, refugium and sump system in your furure...LOL. Wilson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtac Posted December 18, 2004 Report Share Posted December 18, 2004 Also, if I can make a suggestion, since you're going to build a reef, I'd get 3-4 MaxiJet 900 powerheads (PH), place them in different spots on the back w/suction cups pointing in different directions. As you buld up the rock structure, this will hide the PH's and the added water movenent will greatly benefit the LR. IMHO/E, LR is the heart of a reef system. Keep it healthy with lots of water movement around it. Have fun . Wilson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adidas Posted December 22, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2004 Wooohooooooooo!!! Tank is now cycled! Started the cycle Dec. 9th, as of yesterday (dec. 21) my levels are: PH 8.1 NO2 0 NO3 0 NH3 0 Is that an ok PH reading? also My salinity is at the high end of the "safe zone" on my hydrometer. i'm sure a water change could bring that down a bit, is it nescecary? (spelling?) Also, my temp is set at about 81F. any tips appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murminator Posted December 24, 2004 Report Share Posted December 24, 2004 I bought established rock and never had a spike I don't run a sump 1 powerhead a a AC mini with nothing in it just for flow been about 3 months I have lots of coral doing good except for a zoo frag and 2 fish clown and a firefish :thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adidas Posted December 29, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2004 Well, since my last post i went a little crazy...lol I now have: Naso Tang Threadfin Butterfly 2 Bangaii Cardinal's Unicorn Tang Saddleback Clown 2 cleaner shrimp coral banded shrimp 2 sand sifter stars another star (forget its name) 21 hermit crabs and 13 snails They are all doing fine so far will keep posting any updates! Can someone give me a good idea of how many frozen brine shrimp cubes/day should be fed? TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap'n Posted December 30, 2004 Report Share Posted December 30, 2004 1 cube / day at the most. I try to leave at least one day per week where I skip the frozen food and feed nori and a bit of flake. Few comments about stock if you don't mind. Sand sifting stars are counter-productive to live sand as they eat all the beneficial organisms that allow a sandbed to function as a filter. Eventually you will have dead sand and dead stars. Threadfin is a good butterfly but will probably eat any polyp type corals in the tank. If not now, eventually. Unicorn tang should not be in anything but the largest of systems and the naso will also eventually outgrow your tank. Don't get discouraged by negative feedback, I learned all the above from experience. Tank sounds good, looking forward to more pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adidas Posted December 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2004 hmmmm, 1 cube/day? the unicorn tang usually devours the whole cube on his own! all i have are the shrimp cubes and dried seaweed, what other foods should i get? regards to the sand sifters, i have crushed coral, not sand. Not sure if tyhat makes a difference. and i'll have a nice new bigger tank b4 my cute tangs get too big thx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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