Will a Mini Cycle kill?

[NewbyReefer]

I just put a new 20long sump online over the weekend and I think I'm having a mini cycle. The reason I'm saying this is my ammonia is at .75 and my nitrates are at 10. I also added a carbon reactor to try and lessen any ill affects. What are the chances I will make it though unscaved? Right now everything looks terrible. LPS are not opening fully if at all and all the SPS look like there is no polyp extention.

 

[speedstar]

Yes it will kill. I just went through this with a error that killed my pods, snails and hermits. Caused a smaller spike than you have and I lost several SPS and now a week later not seeing polyps on the survivors and they are very bleached. Thinking use I prodibo might have saved me from further loss. Still I figure it is wait n see.

 

[elegance coral]

You shouldn't get a cycle from adding a sump. If the readings are correct, you must have done something else to cause the crash.

 

[NewbyReefer]

You shouldn't get a cycle from adding a sump. If the readings are correct, you must have done something else to cause the crash.

Nope. Just added an additional 10gal to the tank to make up what was missing.

 

[elegance coral]

Nope. Just added an additional 10gal to the tank to make up what was missing.

Then I would double check your test results. Make sure you do not put your finger over the test tube when you're shaking the ammonia test solution.

Adding more water volume and a clean container to hold it, will not cause a cycle or tank crash. The only way to cause an ammonia spike is to overload the biological filter with a sudden load increase, or by kill off a portion of your biological filter. Correctly adding a sump will do neither of these.

 

[NewbyReefer]

Then I would double check your test results. Make sure you do not put your finger over the test tube when you're shaking the ammonia test solution.

Adding more water volume and a clean container to hold it, will not cause a cycle or tank crash. The only way to cause an ammonia spike is to overload the biological filter with a sudden load increase, or by kill off a portion of your biological filter. Correctly adding a sump will do neither of these.

I transfered the rubble rock. Could this be the cause?

 

[bobssecrtsn]

Moving rock and stir up any detritus that has been building up, and the amount of it could've caused a cycle

 

[NewbyReefer]

I think I know what I did. I think the sal has dropped slowly over time and putting the new sump online pushed it over the edge. Never really tested the sal of the tank until today, just whats in the mixing bucket. Its at 1.022

Also had a mass die off today. 100's of brittle stars came out of the rocks and were dead all over the sandbed. I did a quick water change and made the new SW around 1.027 to try and slowly raise the salinity.