Question bout cycling

[Hunt3r]

Hi! Im fairly new to this hobby but been reading a lot for couple of months. Anyway i have a fluval edge 6g with 6 pounds of fiji and branch live rock and 10lbs of live sand. I used a premix saltwater from my lfs. Now my tank is running on its 3rd day. Since yesterday my test result is like this

Ammo = 0

Nitrites = 0

Nitrates = 5-10 same as today.

Ph = 8.2

Sg -= 1.022

Question is am i in the right direction? I know its early but im i close to be done cycling?

[Pjanssen]

Im not sure what branch live rock is, but if there is nothing in there to die off then I'm not sure how your tank cycles. Sorry, that's not much help I know. I tank usually takes 2-3 weeks to cycle. I'm sure more experienced reefers will chime in soon. Good luck.

[SideCar_Falcon619]

Well the Fiji is live right?

 

I had great success cycling my 14g in 3 weeks with 14lbs of live rock and 20lbs of live sand and just RO Salt water.

it was really quick!

 

I think the live rock and live sand route is by far the best IMO

 

People groan about the nitro cycle, but honestly for me that was a very exciting 3 weeks. You get to see all kinds of life start to emerge and stuff start to grow.

 

Test your water religiously tho.

Buying a test kit was my best investment

[Hunt3r]

My lfs said the branch like rock is a tonga. Not sure if its the name. All my rocks are cured and live with purple color on it. Im not so sure if i need to add shrimp. What if my rest shows everything is the same with 0's ammo and nitrite and some nitrates. I havent add anything yet with my tank. I dont know if its really cycling or it already cycled?

[Hunt3r]

Also on my first night i had 1.030+ of sg. Then the next day i exhanged 1g with some rodi water.

[Hammerstone]

Welcome!! ?

[brandon429]

http://reef2reef.com/threads/new-tank-cycling-tank-bacteria-and-cocktail-shrimp-live-rock-no-shrimp.214618/

 

 

That thread was written precisely for your tank condition you are likely fully cycled already going off your details.

[Tamberav]

My lfs said the branch like rock is a tonga. Not sure if its the name. All my rocks are cured and live with purple color on it. Im not so sure if i need to add shrimp. What if my rest shows everything is the same with 0's ammo and nitrite and some nitrates. I havent add anything yet with my tank. I dont know if its really cycling or it already cycled?

 

Add a source of ammonia to see how fast it processes, like a pinch of fish food, if the tank can handle it find, I wouldn't worry. I would give it at least a week or 2 to be sure though.

[brandon429]

Wanted to point out some tie ins from the thread, if any are wrong we w update the thread with references:

 

Don't dose live rock with ammonia unless you want to lose animals that we paid extra for, live rock bacteria presence can be detected visually without the test, and without seeing bacteria. The ammonia test is for group A rock yours is stated group B as soon as you mention coralline.

 

 

The coralline signals the bacteria are there, without the test. No coralline or live animals? Test away, rock wasn't live with obvious forms like classic group B. The title of the thread says not to spike ammonia to known live rock.

 

There is no condition in which real coralline is on live rock and the rock isn't fully covered in bacteria that do not require us to feed them. A non fed group A system would take forever to naturally cycle, but we are dealing with stated live rock and the thread says that's two completely opposite types of cycles and that no feeding is required from us during a wait period of any time frame. try a year if we need to test it. After one year in a vat unfed (there are threads, we consulted them to get the info presented above) live rock still passes a digestion test...organic stores are associated with live rock and myriad other feeds get in as well. We feed to speed up a cycle, but yours was already cycled if there's coralline.

 

no feeding of bac is required for true live rock and detailed biologically in the thread. By knowing the true nature of bacteria, what your tank is able to do changes, your care and control options change.

 

Good luck choosing your takeaway lol this is web reefing. Reefers cannot kill bacteria by withholding feed that was in excess of what they already get from live rock

[Pjanssen]

I might question at this point as to whether the rock actually has coraline on it, or if it was sprayed purple as LFS' are sometimes known to do. Can we get pictures?

[Tamberav]

Wanted to point out some tie ins from the thread:

 

Don't dose live rock with ammonia unless you want to lose animals that we paid extra for, live rock bacteria presence can be detected visually without the test, and without seeing bacteria. The ammonia test is for group A rock yours is stated group B as soon as you mention coralline.

 

 

The coralline signals the bacteria are there, without the test. No coralline or live animals? Test away, rock wasn't live. The title of the thread says not to spike ammonia to known live rock.

 

There is no condition in which real coralline is on live rock and the rock isn't fully covered in bacteria that do not require us to feed them. A non fed group A system would take forever to naturally cycle, but we are dealing with stated live rock and the thread says that's two completely opposite types of cycles and that no feeding is required from us during a wait period of any time frame. try a year if we need to test it. After one year in a vat unfed (there are threads, we consulted them to get the info presented above) live rock still passes a digestion test...organic stores are associated with live rock and myriad other feeds get in as well. We feed to speed up a cycle, but yours was already cycled if there's coralline.

 

no feeding of bac is required for true live rock and detailed biologically in the thread. By knowing the true nature of bacteria, what your tank is able to do changes, your care and control options change.

 

Good luck choosing your takeaway lol this is when reefing. Reefers cannot kill bacteria by withholding feed that was in excess of what they already get from live rock

 

You're right about pure ammonia, I wasn't thinking it through.

 

Still I would add fish food to see how the tank handles, there is no picture or detailed info of the rock other than "live rock" which could mean many things. Quick fish food test would show what the tank can handle and shouldn't harm anything unless you dump a lot in.

[brandon429]

It probably won't harm them to try, but again ammonia is ammonia. In the head we looked for collateral verifiers besides coralline...fanworms accreted to the rock with crowns, and pods etc that were in the holding tanks or the OP tank. Brittle star arms waving from the LR...

Since endpoint ammonia is the same, if the keeper is determined to test anyway beyond excess visual indicators I'd still use liquid ammonia so the dose can be kept accurate and low. They will need an accurate test kit before doing anything along the lines of redundancy testing of live rock.

 

 

Can't wait to see if coralline is literally the only verifier possible. If so, zap the system with 1ppm from a non api kit and post 24 hr results. It takes a shady lfs to lie about rock origins, glad mine never does. Not any testing is required for my LR source, ever. Fully cured as stated

 

 

The very first confidence vs hesitation step learned in reefing is the act of dosing or not dosing ammonia based on specifics. the habits learned initially later effect algae dealings, coral dealings, that's the larger scope of cycling as I see threads unfold.

[Tamberav]

We are so over thinking this. lol I personally don't test the cycle but I exercise caution with other peoples tanks. I suppose its harder to explain the possible diatom/gha and critters that are markers for different stages vs numbers on a test kit.

[brandon429]

To me the difference in cycling is vital not just a small detail

 

 

All the pages of algae wrecked threads followed common advice for cycling in the beginning (load your already ready live rock with organic wastes by rotting shrimp in tank, for one) so we built threads that handle cycling but actually set the keeper up for algae control without that being the major focus.

 

 

I guarantee you that people who dose ammonia to live rock comprise 80% of algae problem threads because their care boundaries are not known, they're assumed or guessed based on what the masses do (masses have algae problems). We set new rules for them to allow for tank control without recycling...and collect the after pics of algae beaten en masse

 

I think cycling procedure is the most important first step one takes in reefing, a truly big deal. For the OP to start with full command is much different than ever thinking cycles do unpredictable things. Their lfs sounds exactly correct in this case, awaiting pics of that Tonga~

[Tamberav]

I would agree not to add a large amounts of rotting waste.

 

If the tank can handle a pinch of fish food, I would just a few snails or hermits, wait and just slowly move on with my stocking.

 

 

Oh... to add: I would also question bound phosphate if there is a garden of algae from an unknown rock source.

[Pjanssen]

You guys are making my head spin. . Hunt3r, are you taking this all in?

[Hammerstone]

You guys are making my head spin. . Hunt3r, are you taking this all in?

mine too lol ?

[Hunt3r]

thanks guys for the info. Ill carefully read everything and ill snap a picture of my rocks tonight. Probably we'll have shrimp for dinner ??. Hopefully i have something different result with my test tonight.

[brandon429]

It is fun to nerd around on the Internet

 

 

 

If Huntrs rock is truly cured and has coralline, and algae is simply never permitted to have a stage or timed place of allowance like would be the commoner practice this new tank will be bulletproof regarding invasions at least. To verify the cycle is also not tank wrecking, but also consider how trustworthy the visual cues can be

 

 

There are times where accurate test kits can't be had, that's a fine time to call on bio markers to run the tank.

 

By practicing skip cycle procedures and knowing when a cycle starts and stops, the cleaning and rock access that follows allows for algae prevention in a way the masses don't use. It's a secret to ultra long lifespan for sure

[Hunt3r]

While i was reading everything here im starting to question my lfs now. Two of my rock has some purple speckles not too prominent on it and the other have almost 40% covered with purple color. Im not sure if i got ripped off or not. He said that it is cured even with that kind of colors. Im at work right now so i cant really snap a picture of it but i will take a picture of it when i get home. But out of curiousity will i get the result i have if they are not cured?

[brandon429]

are there any other living forms in the tank? A single pod, or worm, or starfish? One spot of coralline indicates mos of submersion. If your lfs cannot be trusted then you can ammonia test to be sure, the going rate is to ammonia test first look for secondary verifiers second if ever. It doesn't wreck a tank to use the commoner mode.

 

We covered in the thread how rocks can be cured in the dark or in low nutrient conditions to have no coralline or animals in tow, but still active bacteria. The chances your lfs lied to you is 1% only the Internet makes it seem 99%

 

In my pics of group A rock, they were devoid of color. The whole vat I pictured was gray and not one spot.

 

You are describing color which means either he painted it and is publicly ripping people off or its cured

 

which is likely given how your rock will compare to our group A or B pics?

[Hunt3r]

 

 

 

Yes they are in the water. The one in the front is the branch like lr according to my lfs.

[Pjanssen]

That looks like nice rock. Can't tell by pic, Is it in water?

[Hunt3r]

When i got home that rock has a little bit yellowish than this morning.

[Hunt3r]

That looks like nice rock. Can't tell by pic, Is it in water?

Yes they are in the water