Tank cycling question

R

ReeferNtraining

New member
So I have 10 lbs live rock and a 6"X8"X1" tray of miracle mud in the sump/fuge on a 29g tank that has 36g water volume. I setup the system on 1-4-17. On 1-6-17 i added biospira and put a jumbo shrimp from the deli in the sump to start the cycle. Everything was moving along fairly quick. On 1-8-17 i was testing ammonia at .75; nitrite at .25 and nitrate at 0. Yesterday, same readings. But, this morning the ammonia has appeared to drop to about .25, nitrite at less than .25 and no nitrate. The shrimp looks like a puff cloud in the sump. I am wondering if it is completely broken down and should i add another fresh shrimp or just wait until the ammonia and nitrite get back to zero and add a couple of small clowns regardless of getting a nitrate reading or not?? Thanks for any advise!
 
I would remove the remnants of the shrimp and wait for the ammonia to hit zero. Once the level holds at zero for a week or so, a couple of clownfish should be fine. I'd wait for the nitrite to be less than 1 ppm or so, as well, but that seldom seems to be a problem.
 
Well i removed the shrimp at 4pm...nasty. It stunk and it was unrecognizable. At 7pm i was curious about the numbers so I ran pH=7.9; ammo=barely .25; nitrite was so undetectable the vial was clear. No blue at all. Nitrate was undetectable and solid yellow. BYW, i am using API test kit. Knowing the chemistry involved, i simply do not understand how i dont have nitrate. Does the miracle mud help process nitrate?
 
It's hard to predict what bacteria are present, and when they show up. The live rock might have come with reasonable denitrification bacteria. Miracle Mud itself shouldn't do much for nitrate. Algae might, though, if present.
 
No algae present so far. I've kept the light off for the most part. I did have the live rock, along with approx 20 lbs dry base rock curing at 70 degrees for a month before putting it in the tank.
Wouldnt the anaerobic portion in the miracle mud have the same denitrifying bacteria as the live rock? I am just looking for answers where there might not be any. I have just never had a tank cycle and not get nitrate readings. Course I've never had a tank cycle in 4 days either.....
 
The anaerobic part of the mud might be able to do nitrification at a significant rate, but I thought that Miracle Mud came as a dry product. I don't think it'd have much in the way of bacteria at the start, if so.
 
Yes, the mud is a dry product. I made an acrylic tray to put the mud in and then mixed in some sump water. Leveled it out and then put a quarter inch of sand on top to keep down the silt when i lowered it into the sump. This was the first thing i did after getting my circulation going. When i added the biospira i put it in the sump and in the display tank. So, i am guessing the Biospira really did alot of good along with my live rock and mud. Thanks for you help Bertoni, you really make me think about things and i appreciate that!
 
ReeferNtraining said:
Tested this morning...pH=7.9; All 3 tests=0
Click to expand...

Now add ammonia till you get to roughly 2 ppm and see how fast it gets converted to zero..

Don't rush... I personally will NEVER cycle/start adding critters in less than 1 month on any tank.. I know that nothing good happens fast in this hobby...

The tank is still maturing,etc.. for at least the first 6 months of life.. Algae cycles will come/go,etc..
 
I've read alot about doing that. My question is, where are you guys getting the ammonia? I looked at Kroger and Lowes and their ammonia has another additive that says Surfactant. I was too leary to put that in the tank.
 
Personally, I wouldn't bother adding more ammonia. I'm not sure what the point is. I'd just wait. If you're worried about the effectiveness of the filter, adding small amounts of fish food once a day, maybe ¼ of what you intend to feed the first fish, would be more than adequate. That would feed any small animals that survived on the live rock, as well.
 
I think im going continue to monitor it until Friday. If everthing has stayed at 0 until then, Im going to purchase 2 Ocellaris that are an inch or less. I will closely monitor my levels after that to ensure I am stressing the fish. Thanks for the input!
 
I wouldn't recommend adding any more ammonia as it will just end up as nitrate. Sounds like you have the best plan going forward, just give it time!
 
Thanks to all for the input. I want this tank to be a success as my last tank, 8 yrs ago, slowly fell into an algae mess. I dont want to go down that road again so I'm trying to do things right this time!
 
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