mrkotabear Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 So at first like the dummy i was i started to cycle with a damsel in a 10 gallon nano, but than i returned him 2 days later. Anyways, i set up the tank about 3 - 4 weeks ago as of yesterday. I started with power filter, live sand, no live rock, and a heater. Eventually i got a powerhead and 7 pounds of live rock. Also i have done a 10% water change every other day. Day 1 of cycle- no ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate Day 2 - same as above Day 3 - Ammonia began to show Day 7 - Ammonia spiked Day 9 - Ammonia began to slow down, and low nitrites began to form Day 14 - Nitrite spiked, Bio Spira added - Damsel added Day 16 - Nitrite still spiked, nitrate began to show at 40ppm, 6 pounds of pre cured live rock added. - Damsel removed And after that i have no other records of what i did too busy and lost track of the journal and now i don't know where it is. i kept adding fish food everyday. Eventually my Nitrites began to lower, and so did my nitrates. So now at week 3 or 4 i think? My Ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are all showing 0. Did my cycle stall? Or did the pre cured rock help add bacteria? I'm worried cause now my nitrates are showing zero, when they began to show during the nitrite portion. Bare with me that journal stuff is just a rough estimate, i lost it. Damsel was actually probably taken and removed later on, i can't remember. I'm very very busy so i'm exhausted and should have kept that journal better. Link to comment
mrkotabear Posted July 28, 2014 Author Share Posted July 28, 2014 By the way, temp at 81.5, salinty at 1.025, and powerhead is at 120 gph. Maxijet400 Link to comment
mrkotabear Posted July 28, 2014 Author Share Posted July 28, 2014 I just read some other posts that had the same question, so I think my tank is cycled? Link to comment
mrkotabear Posted July 28, 2014 Author Share Posted July 28, 2014 Nevermind solved, I wasn't shaking bottle 2 well enough, banged it a couple of times to be sure. Nitrates at 40 ppm now. Link to comment
jimmy_c Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 Hi; From what you explained it does sound like your cycle did complete. The timming sounds about right about 4 weeks or so. When you took the Damsel back did you get anything else to replace it? Just wondering what you have in there creating waste (ammonia). I always kept a log book in my stand and wrote everything down even if it was just a date stating all looked good. After about a year and my tank was stable I didn't update it unless I was doing something major. Moving Rock, sick fish something like that.. Link to comment
DriftingNemo Posted July 28, 2014 Share Posted July 28, 2014 I had my cycle stall a few times, it felt like waiting for Christmas. In my opinion the hardest part of the cycle is trying to reduce Nitrates and Phosphates because there are so many variables as to why they happen. In my case, it was hooking up an overkill canister filter to my 15g. I don't use RO water and my tank is doing excellent. The live rock you added is loaded with beneficial bacteria, that's why your cycle is going so fast compared to mine which took 2 months. Link to comment
mrkotabear Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 Hi; From what you explained it does sound like your cycle did complete. The timming sounds about right about 4 weeks or so. When you took the Damsel back did you get anything else to replace it? Just wondering what you have in there creating waste (ammonia). I always kept a log book in my stand and wrote everything down even if it was just a date stating all looked good. After about a year and my tank was stable I didn't update it unless I was doing something major. Moving Rock, sick fish something like that.. I added fish food every night and day. It was just weird because one day my nitrite was super high, than later that day it just went straight down along with my nitrates. I hope my cycle didn't stall. Link to comment
mrkotabear Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 Also i added two black Ocellaris Clownfish, a zoa frag, and a hermit crab. The live rock i've got is purely beautiful. The seller was right. I think by adding the filter, powerhead, and rock, my tank is just so clean nothing is just showing up. I'm sure its cycled though. I hope it didn't stall, i'll keep an eye on the levles. Link to comment
mrkotabear Posted July 29, 2014 Author Share Posted July 29, 2014 Here's a pic of the coral, I'll try to get a better one when the clowns are out tomorrow Link to comment
mrkotabear Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 Lucky me, my cucle did stall. Now I'm getting no nitrite or nitrate readings...just ammonia now. Im doing water changes everyday and now I'm gonna have to start a fishless cycle and return the fish pretty soon so I don't harm them Link to comment
seabass Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 You never mention any specific levels. How high is the ammonia? Your tank had an established cycle for its bio-load. However, when you added two clowns, a crab, and a coral frag, the larger bio-load couldn't keep up with the ammonia production. It will adjust to the new bio-load. The level of ammonia would help determine if the fish need to go back ASAP, or not. Link to comment
mrkotabear Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 I'm doing water changes everyday, but the highest it's gotten is 1 ppm, it's usually at 0.25. Thing is Im getting no nitrites or even nitrates. And my fish aren't really seimming around or eating. Link to comment
mrkotabear Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 Should I be worried? I've had them since Monday and they haven't eaten. One swims around the tank sometimes and both of them host a little mug/cave Link to comment
seabass Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 Water changes will only temporarily lower the ammonia level (and will extend the time required to establish the cycle). However, once the ammonia level notably drops on its own, water changes are beneficial.I'm hesitant to tell you to leave the fish in there, but clownfish are hardy fish. I might try using some Seachem Prime to detoxify the ammonia. It's not uncommon for new fish not to eat for a few days. Nitrates at 40 ppm now. Thing is Im getting no nitrites or even nitrates. And my fish aren't really seimming around or eating. So what's the current nitrate level? The presence of nitrate reflects ammonia being converted into nitrite, and nitrite into nitrate. Link to comment
mrkotabear Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 So no water changes for now until it drops, got ya. Current level is 0ppm for nitrate it dropped from a few days ago. Nitrite 0 And yeah I am using prime, just bought a new bottle the other day actually I think it will spike by not doing the water changes but that's what I want right? Link to comment
jimmy_c Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 I agree with Seabass. Fish do need to take some time to adjust so eating is so-so.. I use to give mine some live food to help entice them to eat. I would think your live rock shold catch up pretty quick. If you could post your reading that might help other to determine your cycles... or not... ) Link to comment
seabass Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 I think it will spike by not doing the water changes but that's what I want right? I would prefer that the ammonia level drop, rather than spike. A drop indicates that cycle is processing the ammonia; while a spike indicates that the bio-filter is still being overwhelmed. However, I have discovered that water changes do very little (besides a temporary drop) to lower ammonia levels (and can prolong establishing a balanced nitrogen cycle). The Prime might also be messing up some of your test results. Link to comment
mrkotabear Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 When I get home I will post a picture of the testing results for you guys. My PH is at 8.0 right now I'm pretty sure? I don't know when I get home I'll add the picture. Thanks for your guys's help! Link to comment
mrkotabear Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 ph 8, ammonia at 1 ppm, nitrite 0, nitrate still 0 Link to comment
mrkotabear Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 That dang ammonia jumped again Link to comment
seabass Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 I'm not sure about the effects of Prime on your test kits. Here are some FAQs: http://www.seachem.com/support/FAQs/Prime.html Link to comment
mrkotabear Posted July 31, 2014 Author Share Posted July 31, 2014 Is adding the product stability a good idea to do? Just for my bacteria to catch up it gets good reviews Link to comment
seabass Posted July 31, 2014 Share Posted July 31, 2014 If I were to pick one bacteria product, it would be Dr.Tim's One & Only. Link to comment
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