Cycling Worries

[Haley]

MMK. So let me just get something out of the way, I am a massive worrywart. And this is my first personal saltwater tank I have set up in years. Although all that time I was working professionally at lfs reef stores etc, I just didn't have time for my own tank (and I was trying to save money because it is hard as heck to not buy all the cool stuff from work!).

Basically I set up my new innovative marine sr-80 with 80lbs of caribsea fiji pink live sand, 35lbs live rock pulled from very established tanks, water fresh from the ocean, and FritzZyme® TurboStart 900. I also threw in two massive halloween hermits, and a bumbleebee snail was a little hitchhiker. After a few days on 2-1 I also put in a royal flasher wrasse.

Now I let it run for three days before I started testing (work got crazy). So it was set up 1-28 and I started testing water parameters every day since 1-31. Every time I have tested I get Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate/Phosphate = 0! And pH = 8.

Is it possible it is already cycled? It is safe to move my pair of golden dwarf morays to their new home?

 

[JUNBUG361]

It could be, your using live sand with cycle water in the bag & live rocks. I’d keep testing the water parameters just to be sure

 

[thegrun]

I would be surprised if it wasn't cycled. The majority of the bacteria is going to live on the rocks and if you added rock from an established tank there should already be enough bacteria on the rock to process and fish waste.

 

[Night Reefer]

20 years ago I did the same thing getting water from the ocean. I thought it was a great idea and living in Florida made it that much easier. Big mistake! I grabbed mine too close to shore and brought home something that killed anything I put in the tank. I was 100 feet offshore and it still was not enough. The further out you go the better off you are just make sure you are not in any traffic lanes as the byproduct of boat engines don't help. Don’t get me wrong sea water has a lot of benefits, it introduces so many micro organisms to your tanks chemistry. All I’m saying Is your taking a chance anything can happen.

 

[mcgyvr]

Cycling is the process of building up sufficient colonies of bacteria in an environment that basically had none to start with as everything was dry/dead,etc.....

As you started with established rock you instantly brought in sufficient colonies of bacteria so there is no cycle..

 

[Haley]

Thanks everyone! Thats what I though, I just tend to worry out any common sense I have. I don't want to lose my eels, Casper&Banana, I have gotten very very attached! I will move them to their new tank today ! And of course I will still continue testing my parameters. It is still a new tank after all.

 

[mcgyvr]

Now depending on the size/hunger,etc... of your eels you may want to continue monitoring for ammonia for a bit just to ensure you haven't thrown too much of a bioload into the tank so quickly but you should be ok..