BigReefer Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 How many days into a cycle should i start to see the amonia spike??? My setup is a 12 Gallon Eclipse 12 pounds of LR and 20 pounds of LS... The lFS told me the life rock has been well cured... I setup everything yesterday morning and my amonia reading is 0.25mg/l Link to comment
HuBu Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 that probably is your amonia spike. Link to comment
SeaMountain Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 My ammonia never exceeded .25 either. And it lasted for about 4-5 days at that level before hitting 0 again. Keep an eye on your nitrites to see where they are going. Nitrites in my 10g hit .30 on one day and then stayed at traces for a few more before hitting 0. Once your ammonia and nitrites are at 0, test for nitrates. My tank was cycled after a week and a half for sure. Friday will be three weeks old and I should have my cleanup package from JP that AM! Of course my results may differ from yours... I placed 20lbs of Arag-Alive on the bottom and then added 22lbs of LR. Lot's of good plant growth on my LR. Do your tests and see where everything is falling! Good luck to you! Link to comment
BigReefer Posted April 8, 2003 Author Share Posted April 8, 2003 Wow!! Thanks for the quick replys guys!!! Very much appreciated! Link to comment
BigReefer Posted April 8, 2003 Author Share Posted April 8, 2003 My Nitrites are less then 0.3 mg/l.... hmmmm Link to comment
SeaMountain Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 Remember... Once your ammonia and nitrites hit 0, test for nitrates. Mine were at 20. Weekly water changes will keep the nitrates under control. Not sure what the top end is for nitrate readings but I'll be keepng mine as low as possible! Your initial cycle will be complete once your nitrite readings are 0. If you add a large bio-load to the tank, you'll most likely experience another "mini-cycle". Happy Reefing! Link to comment
BigReefer Posted April 8, 2003 Author Share Posted April 8, 2003 Thanks! There wasnt a huge ammount of purple coloration on these rocks to begin with, like some of the fresh live rock that i see for sale at some online sotres and ebay... Could this also be a reason for the not so huge amonia and nitrite levels??? Maybe there is just less stuff to die off???? Sorry for the 20 questions! Link to comment
SeaMountain Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 Yo BigReefer... Take a look at C-Mark's essay on 'The Cycle'. Now if I could only get him to post one on my gf's cycle I'd be "in the know"! http://www.nano-reef.com/articles/cycle.php Link to comment
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