Please help. :(

[AaronOwens]

Hey all,
recently set up a 50 gal tank (100 cm length, 60 high, 30 wide) it has a 2 foot sum underneath with a filter sock, protein skimmer, fuge with live rock only at the moment, going into a baffle with a carbon bag, then back to the tank.

I started my fishless cycle (with the LR in the fuge) on December 10 2015, it is now December 27th, 2015, and I have a Diatom covered sand bed, and it's starting to go on my base rock in the Display Tank (not live), also, the Ammonia will not go down, currently sitting at 2 ppm.. Is this normal?
I turned the sand bed over, but the rocks are getting worse.. should I run lights in DP, or just the fuge? is this normal.
Please help
Aaron

 

[ReefKeeperAiden]

Hmmm.... That is very weird. I am not sure why the ammonia levels aren't dropping. This would normally be a sign of the end of the cycle. In my tank, i started getting some algae spots like you,but all my chemistry was correct when I was cycling.

 

[Bogue Chitto]

The ammonia is probably causing the diatoms to flourish. May be that the algae is dying in places and building up more ammonia, not sure if that happens but the ammonia has got to come from somewhere. You need to run the lights so the algae will get through it's cycle quicker. You probably have a lot of silicates in the sand that will cause the algae to keep growing. The more you churn your sand, the more the silicates are brought out.

 

[Pet Detective]

It's only been 17 days.....a cycle can take over 45 days sometimes....patience grashopper, patience.

 

[Sk8r]

LEave the sandbed alone from now. Bad business to mess with in general. Expect a 4 week cycle.Do you have 2 lbs live rock per gallon in system? Expect 4 weeks cycle in general, as long as 8.

 

[powderblue1]

If it is a new tank, sump and skimmer, and not live sand with the rock in the sump cycling too then it could be normal. I would recommend getting a pound or two of live sand from an established tank if you can and pour it over the sandbed and don't churn the bed anymore. Also check for black spots on the live rock. If you find them scrub them off in a bucket of saltwater and then return the rock to the sump. Did you cycle the rock before you put it in the sump? This could have been done in a plastic garbage can with 100% water changes and a good plastic bristle brush scrubbing every other day for a week. If you bought the rock and had it shipped there can be a lot of die-off that can continuously let off nasties into the tank if not scrubbed off. That combined with all the silicates may be your cause. Cycling takes over a month if all parts are done in the main system at the same time. Good Luck:fun4: