Issue with tank cycling

D

davbry

New member
Hi everyone,

I'm new to this hobby and have recently purchased a 200 Litre/50 gallon tank. The tank has been set up for just over 3 weeks now, with 30 Kg/66 pounds of live rock. I'm pretty sure its fully cured rock, the LFS said I could just put it in the tank.

The issue is the ammonia levels seem to vary between 0.25 and 0.50 ppm and are not dropping any further. I know by now they should be at 0 and I should be starting to see nitrites.

I have tested for nitrites a few times (most recently a couple of days ago) but still showing 0.

I don't have a skimmer set up yet, but I have 2 powerheads and a heater running.

Salinity - 1.023
Temp - around 24C/75F
PH - 8.1

I spoke to my LFS and they recommended a product called stability to assist. Should I get this? Any ideas on what the problem is here?
 
Where, exactly did this "live" rock come from? If it were truly cycled live rock, I would expect a small, quick cycle, if any at all. What, if anything, did you use to start the cycle? What test kits are you using to test the water?

It sounds like you are on the right track, but I too am a bit surprised that you are not seeing at least some nitrites by now.

I, personally, am not a big fan of anything put into the tank to speed it along. IMHO, the more natural you can let it be, the better
 
As billdog said, don't rush this phase, and stay away from things that "promise" to speed things up. Nature knows things better than we do. What test kit are you using? API? You should be getting something by now. Do you have nitrates showing?
 
+3 on staying away from products to 'help speed cycle'. You might bump up the temp to 80 degrees & drop a raw peeled shrimp in to help kickstart that stalled cycle. Good luck & welcome to Reef Central.
 
If ammonia is not dropping, then that means that there is not enough bacteria in your tank. What did you actually do to kickstart the cycle? As above, try dropping in a shrimp. Better yet, mash/puree it and spread it all over the tank.
 
Thank you to everyone for your prompt replies! I will definately stay away from artifical products to speed it up.

I haven't used anything to kickstart the cycle, just relying on the rock and associated die off. I have now purchased a frozen shimp to throw in though, thanks for the feedback on that (it's about 4 inches long).

The rock came from the LFS, they have it sitting in a big heated tub. Not sure on any other details about the rock.

The test kit I am using is API although it is a freshwater kit - the guy said it would be fine for salt water as well? Just tested for Nitrate, showing 0.

Photo of the tank:

b5ykMXN
 
This looks like dead rock to me and that's what I suspected. That is also why I've asked you to post a picture of your tank. Nothing wrong with that, but it will take way more time to cycle.
 
IMHO, the shrimp will help. I would consider putting it in a mesh bag (old pantyhose or similar) to aid in it's removal in a few days. The "live"rock you have looks nice, but I think it was very recently dry rock that was not really well cycled by the LFS. It just looks too clean to me. The test kit you are using will work fine for now, but consider upgrading to something more appropriate. My go-to tests kits are Salifert., especially for the 3 biggies (if you plan on corals), Calcium, Alkalinity, and Magnesium. They are easy to use, plenty accurate for our needs, and give very repeatable results. Don't waste $$$ on expensive kits for Ammonia or Nitrite - after the cycle is complete, you will rarely (if ever) test for them again.

Just to make sure you are getting accurate results, I would consider testing at home and then taking a fresh sample of tank water to your LFS and having them test. Insist on actual numbers. "Your water is fine" is not acceptable.

Again - patience is the true key to success with this hobby. Good luck, and keep us updated!
 
Only leave that shrimp in the tank about 3 days..you don't need the ammonia to get too high to initiate your cycle...let it get up to about 3 ppm. You just need some nitrites and then take out the shrimp.
 
Thank you all for helping me get to the bottom of this. I'm pretty disappointed with the rock I've received, it was sold as live rock but that is clearly not the case (although there are heaps of amphipods and we also saw a tiny brittle starfish in there, so its not completely dead rock)

The shrimp is in now and I will keep an eye on ammonia/nitrite levels over the next few weeks.

Appreciate the link johno4, but I think I'll go with the tried and true method (in line with advice from everyone else) here.
 
The one rock on bottom right does look as LR, I suppose that's where the copepods and amphipods came. Smart choice in taking the slow route.
 
davbry said:
Appreciate the link johno4, but I think I'll go with the tried and true method (in line with advice from everyone else) here.
Click to expand...


No worries, was just trying to save you from having an empty tank for a long period of time. Enjoy your tank.
 
Good advice given by all. I think I might discuss with the LFS about a bit of a credit if they sold that as all live rock. IMO experience there is usually a pretty good price difference between dead & live rock. Good luck to you.
 
Hi all, Merry Christmas.

Just wanted to provide an update here, I added the raw shrimp as advised and had it in the tank for 3 days. Ammonia peaked at 3 ppm when I removed it, and then decreased over the past two and a half weeks.

I tested this morning, and ammonia was at 0.50 (was at around 0.25 a couple of days ago - coincidentally these are the same numbers as when it stalled the first time). Nitrites and nitrates are still both showing 0 - ammonia has still not hit 0.

I'm at a loss on what to do next. Should I increase the ammonia again? Would a water change help? Could the test kits be showing incorrect numbers? Any help would be very much appreciated.
 
I think your test kits are fine since you are testing all 3 ammonia, NO2 & NO3. Bring the temp up to 80/82, don't do any water changes yet, you could put in another shrimp or put in some flake food, just a small pinch a day to keep bacteria going. Seems like something stopped your cycle and it is started over. If ammonia is at 50 now I personally would just use flake food and you should see ammonia drop soon.
 
Personally, I'd invest in a saltwater testing kit. I could be wrong but I'm not sure you'll be getting accurate reading using a freshwater test kit.
 
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