Is tank Cycled

[edwar050]

Figured this would be the best place for this to get answered. I have cycled a couple of tanks. Usually after adding cocktail shrimp the ammonia has averaged around 4 ppm's within the next week after. Nitrite and Nitrates have shown up within the next month after etc. and tanks were cycled.

My tank ammonia shot up to 1ppm with 4 cocktail shrimp in my 120. I kept them in there for a four days, "they were roting heavily when I took the out and tested for ammonia daily during this period." Three weeks later and the ammonia is 0 ppm's and so are the nitrites and nitrates. Kinda been freaking me out as I have only detected light on both nitrates and nitrites last week. I also have "50" foot long mangroves from my estabilhed 55 added after the first week. Check my test kit with a friends and they read the same. Also have added nice sand bed from my reef and friends 5year old reef tank. I have added 150# of cooked rock and some rock from my estabished reef.

Kicker I added 5 hermits and all seem to be doing well, so is this bad boy cycled. Going to add a chromis tommorrow just to be sure.
Suppose it could have fully cycled within 3 weeks.

 

[Pandora]

Cycling's a dynamic process that all depends on what's IN your tank. In reality, what we do is partially cycle our tanks in preparation for a few fish, and then the cycling process continues as we add more and our systems re-equilibriate. I think what you are asking is if your tank is ready for fish, in which case I'd say, probably ok for a few , since it's been 3 weeks and you know your system had enough denitrifying power to bring down the first spike (though I would have just left ONE shrimp in... four is a lot for cycling, even in a 120 with that much rock). I'm not sure if I would start with a whole school of chromis, since that's a sudden jump up in load. It is a 120, so you have a little more buffer and wiggle room than a smaller tank, but I still like to stay on the cautious end of things during the first 2 months.

 

[ddevlin]

Mine took 2 weeks to get 0 levels and almost the same setup (no live sand) in the begining.

 

[Monkeyfish]

IMO you're ready for a few fish. But like Pandora said, don't fill up the tank all at once or you'll overload the tank's eco system.

 

[edwar050]

Great, Exactly what I was thinking just needed some points of reference to back me up on it. Planning on adding my reefsafe "not to shrimp" valentini puffer and chromis in three days after I test again. A week after that I will take my 55 move 40 gallons of water from my fifty five to my 120 and add my purple firefish, mandarin dragonet, bi color, corals, and cardinalfish.

Reccomendations as to when to run the aqua C ev Skimmer, add the cheimi pure and purigen, and run carbon? Just running 50 foot long mangroves currently which is enough...

TIA.

Brad