Getting the cycle started

[scbrooks87]

Ok so finally got everything rolling, sump going, tank going, have about a 5.5lb chunk of live rock with about 50% coralline coverage on it... Got that in last night, water cleared up this morning... I checked my ammonia levels before leaving for work this morning... nothing...

Would you suggest waiting it out longer for the ammonia to finally start showing up? I don't know how long it takes for it to show? The live rock spent about 15ish mins out of water on the way home in a bag from the LFS, i KNOW there had to be some die off to get this cycle started lol.

Here's a teaser pic from night before last, it looks much much nicer now. I'll post a clearer one ASAP, work and school keeps me busy!

-Scott

 

[amheck]

You can throw in a piece of raw shrimp if you want, but give it 3-4 weeks and you should be mostly there.

 

[Agu]

If the rock was well cured you may not have a cycle and that's a good thing.

Feed a pinch of fish food every day to stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria. If there's no ammonia spike after a week or two you're good to go.

 

[scbrooks87]

Thanks for the responses... I'll definitely monitor it... I'm gonna be keeping logs, which I need to start creating the log at school tonight which I should be doing assignments lol.

But I want to log my progress by date, calling yesterday my official start date.

I havent even started heating or lighting really though, I will probably get that all dialed in tomorrow after work when I don't have school.

But as far as the cycle goes, I will probably feed the tank something to get the ball rolling, I think that's a good idea.

Thanks!
-Scott

 

[Whisperer]

Tell us if you notice abundant white mucus all over. That's what happened to my marco rocks when I was cycling with raw shrimps. I used only marco rocks. You might not notice this if you have plenty of flow. I did not when the tank was cycling.

 

[scbrooks87]

Tell us if you notice abundant white mucus all over. That's what happened to my marco rocks when I was cycling with raw shrimps. I used only marco rocks. You might not notice this if you have plenty of flow. I did not when the tank was cycling.

Thanks! I will definitely look for that. I do have oodles of flow... 1 Koralia 2, 1 Koralia evo 750, and it seems like I must be pushing about 400-450gph out of my return pump (much more than I expected to be honest)

I do however have some questions as to what all I have hitch hiking into my tank on the live rock... I think I might have killed some of it when I got the water going cause of lower than optimal salinity lol... Got that corrected now though!

There's definitely a small clam looking thing of some sort on one part of it... Then there are a bunch of little white tube looking things on the rock, maybe 1-2" length each, very small diameter around, this morning when I looked I could see a little thing sticking out of the end of one of them... greyish in color, like the head of a duster or something hehe.

Dunno what it is, and havent had a chance to take close pics, but i'll be trying to get some shots asap of that piece of rock to show and see what you guys think!

-Scott

 

[scbrooks87]

PICS!! FTS and HH

PICS!! FTS and HH

Ok so heres 2 pics, 1 is a FTS, other is a HH on the chunk of live rock in the tank, I think it's a feather duster, there are a bunch of them on the rock... Let me know if I'm right or wrong!

 

[scbrooks87]

Here's the HH, sorry I had to do it in 2 posts... The comp I'm on is giving me a hard time!!

-Scott

 

[scbrooks87]

Nothing? No guesses on the HH?

 

[Agu]

Feather dusters, good to have.

However if you allow a heavy ammonia cycle you're likely to kill them off. That's why I'm opposed to the "toss in a dead shrimp and create an ammonia spike" school of reefkeeping. I didn't pay good money for the life on my rock just to kill it.

Feed lightly and do water changes if ammonia starts to rise is how I cycle a new tank.

 

[scbrooks87]

Thanks for the reply!

but jeez... I hadn't thought of that... My ammonia seems to have stayed at pretty much a solid 0 so far, nitrites 0 last night. nitrates <5 last night also. my PH is at around 7.9 or 8.0


I am definitely waiting it out a while though cause it's not even close to ready to have anything added right now... the cycle has just begun I'd say.

I am keeping a log of test results at this point so I can monitor results closely.

-Scott