tank cycle question

R

richg315

New member
Okay, so here's what i have so far....
-29 gallon saltwater setup
-added 13 lbs of cured fiji liverock 5 days ago to cycle tank
-have been testing water parameters since adding liverock and the latest results are...
ammonia - .025 (barely registers on test)
PH - 8.4
nitrite - .1
nitrate - 10 ppm
salinity - 1.024
temp - 79 deg.

my main question is will my tank have to go through a cycle before i can add fish? Also, will my tank cycle with cured liverock?
i was thinking about adding a fish in a few days if the water parameters don't change to start a cycle. I feel like im at a standstill and don't know what to do next. All help would be appreciated!!!!

rich
 
i always start ALL my tanks off with a fish right away as i add the live rock i always use an ocellis clown and NOT ONCE have i ever lost a fish doing this...hope this helps
 
thanks for the replies!!! i just tested the water parameters and still the same. Another question....do i have enough liverock for now? i have a 29 gallon tank with 13 lbs of cured liverock. I will add more when i get the cash, but just wondering if this is enough for now if i get 1 fish?

Rich
 
that should be fine, IME live rock isn't THAT big of a factor..i personally like the alternate route, very little rock, more open swim space. If you are planning on buying active swimming fish like wrasses, clowns etc. as oppose to manderins, or gobies...i think less is better...
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12566231#post12566231 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Fish_King_25
that should be fine, IME live rock isn't THAT big of a factor..i personally like the alternate route, very little rock, more open swim space. If you are planning on buying active swimming fish like wrasses, clowns etc. as oppose to manderins, or gobies...i think less is better...
Click to expand...

Are you kidding? Rock is one of the BIGGEST factors in a successful, healthy aquarium unless you are going fish only with canister filters or some other kind of sponge, bio balls or ceramics. The more you stock a tank, the more established it needs to be and it needs to have enough bacterial colonies to support the bio load. This is why you don't just add a bunch of fish to a tank at once and also why sometimes "just one last fish" can crash a tank. If the bacterial colonies cannot handle the bio load, you have problems. In order for the bacteria that complete the nitrogen cycle to become strong enough to handle a tanks bio load, you need enough surface area for them to colonize. This would be primarily LR and sand in a marine aquarium. This is the reason there are guidelines like 1.5 lbs per gallon. They kind of help give an idea of how much rock usually works to keep a tank healthy. You can go with less rock of course and be very successful but usually by stocking lightly.

I really prefer an open look to a tank and in my last set up I kept about 50% of my rock in my sump and refugium. Thats usually the best alternative.
 
I guess I should mention that porous rock is much easier for bacteria to colonize and thrive. The surface area available is more greater. The same reason sponges are very good places for bacteria to colonize. The problem with sponges, is that they are almost too good and can lead to nitrate problems.
 
i agree with that statement...but the fact that it is a 29 instead of something like a 150, where you are only going to be able to do like 4-5 fish max anyway, i think he would be able to get away with less rock if he wanted. a bigger tank with more fish, possibly corals and such...def need rock, i had a ton of fiji LR in my reef for that reason...my 30 i keep light.
 
agree with justinps. live rock is MAIN necessity and if you havent figured that out now, garunteed you will! it helps everything, every level etc. i would wait til parameters are perfect to add anything...my 30 is stocked with live rock and just cycling and getting ready, ill wait about a month. just my .02
 
Nothing right now. LOL. I moved and had to take it down. It was a lagoon style reef though with some soft corals and lots of macro algae. Two puffers and a few smaller fish. You can click on that red house and go to the last page to see it how it was.

Sorry off topic :D
 
If his nitrite is above zero, and the ammonia level is decreasing, wouldn't that mean his tank is in the middle of cycling? It would especially make sense given that the tank has been up for five days.

I would give it another week or two to be safe.
 
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