Wondering whats going on?

[lovelyepona]

Okay I started this Jan 2.
Its a 20L with 30lbs of LR and 20lbs of sand.
I have tested daily (curious as to what it was doing and gives me something to do ).
Three days ago my ammonia dropped to 0
I tested last night, ammonia 0.25
This morning they were 0 (tested at home and LFS), then this afternoon they tested at .50
My nitrites are at .25, nitrates are 40ppm. I took the Fission skimmer I had one off today (wasn't working right). I do 5 - 10g water changes weekly, top off with R/O water when needed.
Up until last night the only thing in the tank was a featherduster that came in on the rock.
I got a cup of LS from a friend and the LFS. Both of their waters tested ammonia 0, nitrites 0, etc etc.
Friend gave me two small soft corals, and a small snail (we're talking they all fit on a dime together).
I turned a peguin filter into a refugium, basically added some cheeto and LR rubble.
The LFS (good people who don't blow smoke up your butt like others) don't understand whats going on either.

 

[mikenpam]

It appears like you are going through a cycle. Your tank has only been up for a few weeks. I would just give it a bit more time. Have you also been cleaning any detrius off of you rock and sand when you perform your water changes? One thing I have learned from this hobby is patience so just give your tank a bit more time and things should stabilize.

 

[lovelyepona]

Okay, I thought when your tank cycled your ammonia dropped to 0, then you waited for your nitrites to drop to 0, then your nitrates came up.
Before the ammonia dropped to 0, I had a massive ammonia spike.

No, I go tomorrow and get a vac for the tank.

 

[chip721]

Re: Wondering whats going on?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6556705#post6556705 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by lovelyepona
Okay I started this Jan 2.
I got a cup of LS from a friend and the LFS. Both of their waters tested ammonia 0, nitrites 0, etc etc.

Your tank is barely 3 weeks old. Your friends tanks are probably more mature, hence their ammonia is zero. Was your live rock cured or uncured? IMO, sounds like nothing is wrong and your tank is simply still cycling.

 

[lovelyepona]

The LR was cured.
So a cycling tank will spike ammonia levels over 8ppm then drop to zero then up to .25, then down, then up again to .5?
Let me ask it this way,
Why won't the tank stabilize?
Until last night there hasn't been anything in the tank other than the LR. I understand the ammonia spikes with the die off of LR. What I'm not understanding is why I'm having little die offs?

LOL I know my friend's tanks are mature and mines still being a pain in the butt.

 

[chip721]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6556772#post6556772 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by lovelyepona
The LR was cured. What I'm not understanding is why I'm having little die offs?

If you're still getting die offs, then maybe the lr wasn't fully cured? What type of test kits are you using? Are you confident in the test results? IMO, 20g, 30# of lr and 3 weeks still might be a little premature to expect stability.

 

[Chappy]

The organisms on your live rock don't necessarily die at the same time. Everytime they die, you will have a little ammonia spike, then nitrite, then nitrate. My question is why are you doing water changes already? Let the ammonia and nitrite build up, that will build up your bacteria. If you change the water in your tank evertime you have a spike, you won't build up the bacteria needed in the future. Be patient, most cycles will take a month anyway.

 

[PatMayo]

The bacteria live on the rock and substrate and the walls of the tank. Not in the water. Doing water changes should not effect the cycle or the time of the cycle.

I would wait. It's obvious that you are still having some die off somewhere. 3 weeks for a tank is not long. Especially a SW tank. You need to be patient. I have a tank that took me 6 weeks to cycle.

Regards,

Pat

 

[bertoni]

I would do some water changes, maybe 3-4 gallons each, if I had the energy, and wait a few weeks. Once the ammonia stays below 0.5 ppm (as a fairly random number), the water changes aren't so critical.

 

[doodoobrown]

wait it out and see what happens. 3 weeks is not long at all. dont test your chemicals everyday it will make you crazy. it will take time and every tank is differant. it sucks waiting but thats all you can do when you just start a tank. have you even had a diatom outbreak yet?

 

[lovelyepona]

Yeah I have, LOL. though it was really minor and now I'm getting green algea.
I'm patient, just curious as to why it happens that way. Coming from a chemistry background, I love the testing part, too bad I don't have a microscope otherwise I'd be staring at those lil organisms daily.
I'm waiting till all my paramieters are basically set in stone before I add anything. I didn't know what to do with the things the friend gave me. I did tell her my tank wasn't done cycling, that my nitrites were still .25. She said no biggie, they'll probably make it. I figured what the heck. At least its something to look at and gets my hubby off my back about an empty worthless expensive tank. They seem to be making it so far. Crossing my fingers.
Thank you for all your advice.
Yesterday I found some new feather dusters on my rocks, and some aitaspia (spelling sorry, its late). Guess I'll have that problem to deal with!

 

[doodoobrown]

go ahead and get some joes juice or something and start knocking out your aptasia