Some help/clarification!!!!

[ggreene66]

Ok, so as some of you may know I'm finally cycling my tank. It's a 48x24x24 something like that anyway. About 150 lbs of dry rock and about 120 lbs of dry caribsea dry aragonite sand. 40 breeder sump refugium with curve 7 skimmer and eheim1262 return pump. I am confused as to wat is going on with my cycle so I will give you all the info I have and hopefully someone can tell me what's going on. Also I began dosing with microbacter7 day two but stopped around day 8
Day 2: ph 7.8,Ammonia 0-.25,Nitrite .25, Nitrate 5
Day 4: ph 8.2, ammonia .50, nitrite .50-1, nitrate 5-10
Day 6: ph 8.4, ammonia .50, nitrite 1, nitrate 10
Day 8: ph 8.4, ammonia .25, nitrite 1, nitrate 10
Day11: ph 8.4, ammonia .25, nitrite .50, nitrate 0
Day 14: ph 8.4, ammonia .25, nitrite 0, nitrate 0
Day 16: ph 8.4, ammonia 1-2, nitrite 0, nitrate 0
I tested it today just for giggles. today is day 17 and now I have
Ph 8.4, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 0

 

[aquaph8]

Seems like it's coming along, takes a while for dry rock to build up some bacteria and it's common for it to leach a little phosphate at first. I'd expect some algae as the tank matures, just add stuff slowly and let things adapt to small changes.

 

[danfeig]

Is it possible that when you checked ammonia yesterday that the testing tube may have been a little dirty or contaminated from a previous test? The rise from day 14 to 16 seems too significant as does the drop from 1-2 down to 0 in one day.

In any event, I would check again in a few days and perhaps bring a water sample in to your LFS.

 

[ggreene66]

True. I checked the ammonia twice on day 16 just to be sure and that was the result both times tested. I'm just curious as to where my cycle is at this point because of my testing results. Also wondering because of the diatoms that have died off and the green algae I'm getting now. From my understanding these algaes usually show up around the end or beginning of the end of a cycle. ( also I'm getting impatient and want a clean up crew haha!)

 

[prickles]

Well,

I would test again today and if all 0's, add a small part of the CUC. I wouldn't add all of it, but perhaps a couple to cure your itch. Then I would keep testing.