Brizzle412 Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 I set up a 20 gallon Nuvo with about 20lbs of dry rock and 20lbs of live sand added some bacteria and through some mysis shrimp in the tank... Nearly 6 weeks later my ammonia is consistently at 50 ppm I never got a nitrate spike either. I just added a piece of live rock to seed my dry rock. Is my tank ever going to cycle or did it cycle and I just need to do a water change... Iam failing right now at this hobby. Please guide me oh wise ones. Link to comment
NYfishies Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 I set up a 20 gallon Nuvo with about 20lbs of dry rock and 20lbs of live sand added some bacteria and through some mysis shrimp in the tank... Nearly 6 weeks later my ammonia is consistently at 50 ppm I never got a nitrate spike either. I just added a piece of live rock to seed my dry rock. Is my tank ever going to cycle or did it cycle and I just need to do a water change... Iam failing right now at this hobby. Please guide me oh wise ones. Patience my friend. Takes a long time with dry rock. Give it 1-2 weeks more. Mine took 6-8 weeks to cycle. Perhaps somebody can chime in with a way to chemically speed it up. I do not like doing that. Link to comment
Mariaface Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 I don't think anything's going to budge if ammonia's at 50ppm; that'd kill even the bacteria. Do as large a water change as possible to get it down to 1-6ppm, then dose bacteria to get things started again. Use Seachem Prime to detoxify ammonia if you find anything alive on the live rock you want to keep, but otherwise... good luck. Set the temperature to 85F to speed up bacterial population growth? How much mysis did you add?! Link to comment
cruiZe Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 ammonia is 50? Are you still feeding it? I would not. Link to comment
NYfishies Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Good call on the large water change. Link to comment
Brizzle412 Posted July 22, 2016 Author Share Posted July 22, 2016 Thanks for all the replies I should have specified my ammonia is at .50 not 50, I added a few cubes mysis over a weeks time that was a few weeks ago Link to comment
Mariaface Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Thanks for all the replies I should have specified my ammonia is at .50 not 50, I added a few cubes mysis over a weeks time that was a few weeks ago Oh, geez. Okay. xD In that case, continue adding bacteria. Had ammonia been higher? You may want to dose it, and see how quickly it can come down to 0ppm. Link to comment
Brizzle412 Posted July 22, 2016 Author Share Posted July 22, 2016 Should I just go get a shrimp from the store? Maybe I should have done that from the beginning Link to comment
Mariaface Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Should I just go get a shrimp from the store? Maybe I should have done that from the beginning Nope, adding shrimp is the same as adding mysis. Plus, you're adding other nutrients when you let food decompose like that. Phosphates are going to go up, so I'd keep the lights off for now to avoid unnecessary algae growth. Algae will use up nutrients and make you believe your bacterial filter is more robust than it actually is. See if you can pick up Dr Tims' ammonium chloride (or ammonium chloride itself, with no additives or surfactants or scents or anything; it's a cleaning product). This will feed bacteria, and you only need to dose a couple of drops per gallon of tank water. Bring ammonia up to 1-2ppm, test again the next day. If it's 0ppm, you're cycled. If it's not, dose whatever's needed to bring ammonia back to 1-2ppm and add bacteria. I like to use Microbacter 7, Stability, etc as a bacterial additive when starting a tank. But I also started with Gulf Live Rock the past two tanks, which definitely helps. Link to comment
seabass Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 I agree. Feeding a tank increases organics and phosphate (neither of which are necessary or desirable). Here is a guide to cycling dry rock: http://www.drtimsaquatics.com/resources/fishless-cycling Link to comment
Brizzle412 Posted July 22, 2016 Author Share Posted July 22, 2016 Thanks for all the help, really appreciate it Link to comment
Brizzle412 Posted July 23, 2016 Author Share Posted July 23, 2016 Seems to me when I first set the system up I didn't add enough ammonia to kick start the cycle... Sob it's been 6 weeks and I'm just now starting Link to comment
MinnFish Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 See if you can pick up Dr Tims' ammonium chloride (or ammonium chloride itself, with no additives or surfactants or scents or anything; it's a cleaning product). I would try pure ammonia. Some ammonium chloride are produce differently. Some are actually made combining hydrochloric acid and ammonia. Always double check any chemicals, before use. And, use proper PPE. Be safe and happy reefing. Link to comment
cruiZe Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Piggybacking on this thread... I started a tank 3 weeks ago with CaribSea Hawaiian black sand and dry rocks from different sources. Been using Microbacter for over a week. And I've been ghost feeding dry coral food and frozen food. Phosphate and Ammonia are zero but Nitrite and Nitrate are too high to test. Should I stop or continue Microbacter? Should I stop or continue ghost feeding? Probably stop ghost feeding, that's just going to cause tons of nasty algae. What do you mean "too high to test" ? what test kit are you using? Link to comment
seabass Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 I'm not sure who came up with ghost feeding, but it was a bad idea. It introduces a bunch of organics which also leads to nutrients in your tank that can cause issues down the road. Here is a guide to cycling dry rock: http://www.drtimsaquatics.com/resources/fishless-cycling You do this separate and before adding any live rock or livestock. Yes, discontinue ghost feeding. Link to comment
-E- Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Probably stop ghost feeding, that's just going to cause tons of nasty algae. What do you mean "too high to test" ? what test kit are you using? Tests show the max level using Red Sea Marine Care kit. I'm not sure who came up with ghost feeding, but it was a bad idea. It introduces a bunch of organics which also leads to nutrients in your tank that can cause issues down the road. You do this separate before adding any live rock or livestock. Yes, discontinue ghost feeding. Yeah, not in a rush to add livestock until tank is ready. I don't remember where I read it but ghost feeding was suggested for tanks without LR to keep the bacteria going. Link to comment
seabass Posted August 29, 2016 Share Posted August 29, 2016 Yeah, not in a rush to add livestock until tank is ready. I don't remember where I read it but ghost feeding was suggested for tanks without LR to keep the bacteria going. Yeah I get the reasoning, I suppose you could pee in it too. However, a clean source of ammonium chloride is much better, and you can determine just how much ammonia you are adding. Link to comment
Clown79 Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 Agree. Don't add a shrimp and stop feeding the tank. The food uneaten will rot in the tank and lead to high nutrient levels. Link to comment
cruiZe Posted August 30, 2016 Share Posted August 30, 2016 I agree. Feeding a tank increases organics and phosphate (neither of which are necessary or desirable). Here is a guide to cycling dry rock: http://www.drtimsaquatics.com/resources/fishless-cycling great link. Super interesting and informative. Even to someone who's been in this hobby for years- everyone should watch this Link to comment
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