HELP!!! Tank cycling day 4

[Lizzy_lray]

Hey,


My tank is at day 4 with cured liverock added to the tank. The water looks slightly cloudy right now and this morning it was crystal clear.

My test levels are

160 nitrate highest it's ever been
10 nitrites highest ever
8.5 ph
Carb hardness 180
Gen hardness 180

Is this normal? I'm at work and my husband tested the water and s nt me a pic
I'm very worried since I can't be there right now.

 

[OnceTrueFalseBr]

Hey,


My tank is at day 4 with cured liverock added to the tank. The water looks slightly cloudy right now and this morning it was crystal clear.

My test levels are

160 nitrate highest it's ever been
10 nitrites highest ever
8.5 ph
Carb hardness 180
Gen hardness 180

Is this normal? I'm at work and my husband tested the water and s nt me a pic
I'm very worried since I can't be there right now.

Well you got a long way to go. 4 days is not long at all.

I hope you don have fish or inverts in there right now.

how are you cycling it?

what is your Ammonia? are you running activate carbon?

Frozen Shrimp? Get a bottle of Dr Tims Nitrifying bacteria to start a bacteria colony. but you need at-least 2 months for full cycle.

what lighting, tank size? What test kit? is the test kit for Saltwater or fresh water?

 

[Lizzy_lray]

No nothing but live rock and live sand. I didn't use anything to kick start the cycle just put in my live rock that's it my guy at my LFS told me it should cycle on it own.

The test strips are the cheap ones, I was planning on having the LFS test the water this weekend.

 

[gone fishin]

Looks like your well on your way. I would not be concerned, the tank is just cycling along. If the cloudiness persists for awhile maybe you can post a pic.

I would not bother testing nitrates until nitrites are gone. Nitrites can skew a nitrate test giving false readings. Did you ever get an ammonia reading?

 

[OnceTrueFalseBr]

the cloudiness could be from your husband moving rocks around and stirring up the sand =P

 

[OnceTrueFalseBr]

No nothing but live rock and live sand. I didn't use anything to kick start the cycle just put in my live rock that's it my guy at my LFS told me it should cycle on it own.

The test strips are the cheap ones, I was planning on having the LFS test the water this weekend.

I would progressively build a good test kit.

i personally trust ELOS brand

the API is good for learning and getting into the routine but not the most accurate.

the dipping test strips are not accurate at all...

Don't fret. The most important ingredient is to KEEP CALM and RELAX =D

the best Medication for a fish tank, is when its care taker adds gallons of Patience =P

 

[gone fishin]

I would not use the strips. Get yourself a test kit.

 

[Lizzy_lray]

So I should just leave it be other then doing a test for ammonia? I will need to top off the tank here soon so no small water changes?

 

[gone fishin]

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1031074

there is a ton of useful info in the link. It is a sticky at the top of this forum.

 

[Lizzy_lray]

the cloudiness could be from your husband moving rocks around and stirring up the sand =P

He better not have lol!

 

[gone fishin]

No WC, just topoff with fresh water for evaporation. I personally would drop in a deli shrimp or some pure ammonia to verify that your LR can process it. how much live rock did you put in the tank?

 

[Lizzy_lray]

No WC, just topoff with fresh water for evaporation. I personally would drop in a deli shrimp or some pure ammonia to verify that your LR can process it. how much live rock did you put in the tank?

Well since it's only day 4 and I've only found a few pieces I really liked for my rock scape I only have about 12lbs

 

[Azedenkae]

Hey,


My tank is at day 4 with cured liverock added to the tank. The water looks slightly cloudy right now and this morning it was crystal clear.

My test levels are

160 nitrate highest it's ever been
10 nitrites highest ever
8.5 ph
Carb hardness 180
Gen hardness 180

Is this normal? I'm at work and my husband tested the water and s nt me a pic
I'm very worried since I can't be there right now.

Actually that is absolutely not normal. If it is cured live rock you shouldn't see such crazy results. There would be some die-off, but the curing process means that life on the live rock should be pretty well established to deal with it quickly.

 

[Lizzy_lray]

Actually that is absolutely not normal. If it is cured live rock you shouldn't see such crazy results. There would be some die-off, but the curing process means that life on the live rock should be pretty well established to deal with it quickly.

My LFS said it was cured it had little to smell but he was confident that just the live rock would trigger the cycle. Should the water be a little cloudy? I'm on my way home now to see it for myself

 

[Jritter02]

2 months to,cycle is not true. Only took me a week and a half. I was dosing with ammonia. But before putting the rock in my tank, It was in an established Tank. In between his tank and mine, it sat in tubs in my garage with heaters and pumps.

 

[Lizzy_lray]

If I added more liverock from the same source will it cause my cycle to be longer?

 

[Jritter02]

Anytime you add rock it will if the rock is out of water for a period of time. I'd try to keep it as wet as possible.

 

[OnceTrueFalseBr]

2 months to,cycle is not true. Only took me a week and a half. I was dosing with ammonia. But before putting the rock in my tank, It was in an established Tank. In between his tank and mine, it sat in tubs in my garage with heaters and pumps.

cycle to getting nitrates up is one thing.

getting the tank full of the right organism, pass the diatom bloom, pass the algae bloom, and getting the parameters to a consistent point, especially learning the handling of salinity and calcium etc etc is part of the cycling phase for a new reefer.

just cause the tanks passed the nitrite spike, doesn't mean the owner is ready to start dropping SPS in there...

 

[ecniVince]

You're fine!

 

[Azedenkae]

My LFS said it was cured it had little to smell but he was confident that just the live rock would trigger the cycle. Should the water be a little cloudy? I'm on my way home now to see it for myself

Lol, then the rocks are not cured then. You should NOT expect a cycle if using cured rock. At least, not a major cycle.

Also as above, don't expect 'two months' as the time to cucle. Or six months. Or two days. Cycling times vary, and vary greatly. I cycled my tank for example, over one week. It is a 36L tank and I fully stocked it 10 days after set up with 5 fish, a giant hammer (compared to the tank size) and a bunch of other corals.

It's important to cycle properly. And that includes knowing not leaving it for too long or too short, and you need to know what parameters you'd need to see and all that.