new to the 40B club -- nitrites after 2 days?

[Rewd]

I just started my new 40 breeder and I definitely love this size tank. It's nice and wide--perfect for aquascaping and it's not too long. On saturday I filled it, added the salt and then put in 72 pounds of uncured live rock. At least, I was told at the LFS that it was uncured since "it just came in". When I was digging around the vats for pieces I liked it certainly smelled like uncured live rock. I stunk for hours after picking my rock out.

 

Within hours of adding my rock I had an amonia reading and my tank was stinking like the vats at the LFS. I wasn't sure if my amonia test kit was old and giving false readings (it's the liquid drop kind) but I double checked with the test strip kind and my ammonia was definitely up there.

 

Today, now two days later I tested again. This time I tested for ammonia AND nitrites. My ammonia is down, the tank no longer smells at all but my nitrites are already up (.50 ppm). I even have a nitrate reading but it's fairly low (can't remember the exact number).

 

How is this possible? I'm very familiar with the nitrogen cycle as I've watched all my tanks I've ever cycled very closely and all have gone like clockwork (except for this one). How do I have nitrite, that usually takes a few weeks to develope, in two days? Not to mention nitrate which usually takes 4-6 weeks to show up.

[Rewd]

bump could use some opinions

[Reco]

I dont think that having rock with a lot of bacteria in it already is out of the realm of possibility? Especially if it were "fresh" so to speak. You may be one of the lucky ones with a very short cycle. Mine only took about 2 weeks (cured rock). I have never tried using un-cured before, maybe this is typical?

[jimbro]

it prob was just sitting in the lfs tanks for a few weeks, long enough for ammonia reducing bacteria to develop.