cycle stopped????? retry?? or let it be???

[drunkymunky]

on 2/17 i started my tank. ammonia started to slowly rise. i added shrimp and it rose to 2.0 by the 22nd(6 days later) then started going to to 0 by the 26 ( four days later) and thats it. nothing else. five days later there are no nitrites or nitrates!!(today is week 2) did i do something wrong. I had the lights on. protein skimmer and wet/dry filter with bio balls. i left shrimp in for two days and took out once levels hit 2.0

should i reintroduce some dead shrimp and how long should i leave in

should i turn off the pump and skimmer for a few days??

 

[jenglish]

That is a bit odd. Perhaps your test kits are faulty. I would try it again and maybe turn off the skimmer. I can't imagine a skimmer getting all the organics out b4 they were broke down to ammonia and once its ammonia a skimmer won't remove it. WHat brand test kit did you use and how old is it?

 

[Jason Donohoe]

If it is fully cycled you should not see an ammonia spike if you put the dead shrimp back in. If you do you know it needs to cylce (grow more beneficial bacteria) further.

About those Bio-Balls......

I think you will find that most reefers will recommend losing the bio-balls as they have a tendancy to promote high nitrate levles. If you have sufficient live rock and a good skimmer you will not need them. JMHO.

 

[dots]

Do a water change, get your params in check....double checked and triple checked.

Your done with the dead shrimp stage

If you still find no Ammonia and no Nitrites in a week.........I think it would be safe to say you have completed the initial cycle.

Please note, as you add fish they will cause a "mini-cycle" each time that will increase these bacterial cycle populations, this is why it is advised to slowly add your fish in order to ensure the cycle population is adequate in processing all of the new waste material.

 

[Saltliquid]

cycle

cycle

I am a big fan of everything remote,including algae scrubber and plenum.

Try setting up a tub or use a quarantine tank,pump your water to it and over flow back to your tanks sump or back in to your tank,it dosent matter it is useing your tank water any way.

Use some tough life forms or just some rotting matter for awhile in the tub and have nothing in it that may become bio active and this will get your bio area active that will run your tank with no fish in your tank while you stock it with inverts and mature it at your leisure.

All the tanks cycling can be done this way with out much to actualy do with your tank!

 

[Michael]

keep testing for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate for 1 more week, if still 0 then your done

 

[drunkymunky]

The test kits are Api. It's new, just bought it.
I do plan on getting rid of boi balls and replacing with live rumble.
As for testing, I test ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate twice a day morning and night to follow cycle.
For a month I had the LR in the garage in plastic container with just a heater and SW, could it have gone through a cycle then??

 

[Michael]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14524113#post14524113 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drunkymunky
The test kits are Api. It's new, just bought it.
I do plan on getting rid of boi balls and replacing with live rumble.
As for testing, I test ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate twice a day morning and night to follow cycle.
For a month I had the LR in the garage in plastic container with just a heater and SW, could it have gone through a cycle then??

my view would be to just get the bio-balls out now before anything goes in and at this early stage its not a worry, if you have enough rock in the tank then you wont even need rubble in the wet/dry, in fact you dont need the wet/dry either really, but it can be useful as an aid to water volume and temperature stability,you could hang a skimmer on it i suppose as well, how much rock did you say you had, sorry i forgot?

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14524262#post14524262 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Michael
my view would be to just get the bio-balls out now before anything goes in and at this early stage its not a worry, if you have enough rock in the tank then you wont even need rubble in the wet/dry, in fact you dont need the wet/dry either really, but it can be useful as an aid to water volume and temperature stability,you could hang a skimmer on it i suppose as well, how much rock did you say you had, sorry i forgot?

I agree--the rubble will only filter to the limitations of the bioballs.

It is only live rock and deep sand beds that can support anoxic bacteria--these are the bacteria that finish off the nitrogen cycle by converting nitrates to nitrogen gas which leaves the system.

 

[drunkymunky]

well i only have about 20 lbs of live rock or more, i just added anther 22lbs of Fl honeycomb. (not live) there is about 3" of a sand bed (less then 50lbs)
the skimmer is old. came with the tank from friend. it works nice. here is a pic

 

[drunkymunky]

scratch that, about 60 pounds or more of live sand. it was also in garage in seperate container with just SW. no heat or circulation. i only used the top portion since it smelt nice, the very very bottom smelt bad, did not use much of that. only used a little to start cycle

 

[Michael]

to maintain the system and enjoy a nice reef tank you need a bit more live rock tbh, 1 -1.5 pounds per gallon is the suggested amount, your a little short for a 72, its the best way forward, you need to get more rock when funds allow

 

[drunkymunky]

well that i plan on doing. each paycheck im getting 20lbs more. im only about 30 lbs off for 1:1 and 60 for the 1:1/2. not to bad. and the 20 that is live out of the 22 that is not. im sure there is more, i just didnt weigh. under quessing to be safe.

 

[KarlBob]

I think your instincts are correct. The smell comes from anaerobic decay deep in the sand. Anaerobic decay products are not something you want to add to your tank, because they will be mixed into the aerobic zone and mess with your water chemistry.

 

[jenglish]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14525720#post14525720 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Michael
to maintain the system and enjoy a nice reef tank you need a bit more live rock tbh, 1 -1.5 pounds per gallon is the suggested amount, your a little short for a 72, its the best way forward, you need to get more rock when funds allow

I see a lot of tanks that run under a pound a gallon even in BB tanks. I think that 60 is probably sufficient IMHO if you are happy with the look of it. the pounds per gallon is really a pretty rough rule as 1.5# per gallon of dense poor quality rock may not filter as much as 1#/gallon of good low density rock. If you want ot add more that will be good as well.

 

[Michael]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14525777#post14525777 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jenglish
I see a lot of tanks that run under a pound a gallon even in BB tanks. I think that 60 is probably sufficient IMHO if you are happy with the look of it. the pounds per gallon is really a pretty rough rule as 1.5# per gallon of dense poor quality rock may not filter as much as 1#/gallon of good low density rock. If you want ot add more that will be good as well.

well fair enough, however when its stocked with fish, inverts and corals to enable the waste to be converted via the nitrogen cycle i think imo hes a little short, i respect your views of course

 

[WaterKeeper]

The smell is from curing LR and if you add more, in increments, it will continue until each batch cures. All during that time ammonia levels will be evident and nitrates will keep climbing.

It is a penalty one pays for not adding all the LR at once. LS may increase ammonia as well but not nearly as much as rock. There are two solutions.

You can cure any further additions of LR/LS in separate curing vats until their ammonia reaches zero. The second is to add the LR to the tank and do large, like 50% weekly, water changes until ammonia drops. You will undoubtable have a massive algae outbreak in the following weeks but do frequent water changes and that too will subside. Welcome to the hobby.

 

[drunkymunky]

thanks waterkeeper for the welcome. i plan on getting 10 lbs of live rumble straight from TBS. (live locally) i hope since its a direct pick up there will be no curing to be done. will this be enough to seed my 22 lbs of base and boost the other 20 lbs or more LR that has little life left??

or just scratch that and get more base?? i love how the honeycomb looks. very big, porous and low density

 

[WaterKeeper]

Joe,

The more true LR one adds the faster things fall into place but, given time, the dead rock will return from the dead.

 

[drunkymunky]

thanks a lot, and to every one who has given ther HO and good advise.