Cycle Question

[justice3nj]

I HAVE A NEW 14 BIOCUBE I HAVE VERY GOOD CURED ROCK,,HOW LONG UNTIL IT WILL BE CYCLED,,ITS BEEN UP AND RUNNING FOR A WEEK,,NOT SHOWING ANY NITITE OR NITRATE AND A LIL AMONIA,,IM USING THE NTRI SEA WATER,,AND SUGGESTIONS,,THANKS JAY

 

[Agu]

First suggestion, don't use all caps, it's the internet equivalent of yelling.

Second, if you have measurable ammonia your cycle is just starting.

 

[justice3nj]

oops sorry about the caps,,well thank you for the info,,do you think i sould add any additatives,,or just water changes,,

 

[Reefer07]

I would just let it be and not put any livestock in it. If you have really good rock as you say you do then it could be done by the end of this week. Just check your levels every day, I think it will cycle fast.
Then just start adding gradually.
What are your plans for it?

 

[justice3nj]

well that was gonna be my next question do i keep the bio balls in,,or take out and run some rock in the back,,what do u think is the best way to go,,is there anything else i can do ,,

 

[Reefer07]

I am not sure but do bio-balls promote high nitrate? I have seen a lot of cubes ran with small pieces of rock in the chamber.

 

[justice3nj]

is that what you would do,,,rock in the chamber,,

 

[Reefer07]

I would personally do that but I have never had a biocube nor ran anything similar to this.

 

[hebygb]

I don't think your tank will cycle in just a week. Go Slow!!!!

IMO, the more LR w LS you have in display and in sump the better. Of course with LR you have die off and cycles.... Give your tank a month... keep testing and doing water changes... if you havent seen algae yet, you havent cycled. I strongly reccommend against any additives that are designed to speed up cycling or chemically eliminate algae during a cycle...

GO SLOW.. (yes I was yelling)

 

[Reefer07]

Definitely go slow like heby said but I believe that if you are reading ammonia, nitrites and trates and then they are gone by the end of the week you are done. If you are getting readable levels now then whenever you get 0 for all those levels you are ready to go. When I put up my 29 most of the rock was at least a year old and the tank finished cycling within a week and I had stuff in it the next week.
And also as heby said you are going to get a lot of algae over the course of the next several months.