2 cycles?

[pete159]

i have a 24 gallon aquapod, 35 lbs tonga rock.

the rock arrived uncured 8 days ago, i did not brush it off or wash it like i now wish i did. anyways, i got a large ammonia spike, nitrites went up, then everything went down and nitrate went up, all is well. after ammonia and nitrie were 0 i took the rock out and brushed off alot of dead gunk, did a 50% water change and put the rock back in. that was yesterday, today i'm getting a small ammonia reading which i assume is from brushing some of the gunk off the rocks. Will this be a whole second cycle or will it hopefully go down soon and i won't even get a nitrite or nitrate reading again.

[travisurfer]

just give it awhile. sounds like you disturbed it after it was all settled in

[TGBrown]

It may be a mini-cycle; it shouldn't be as extreme as the first.

[The Propagator]

Your tank is not cycled after only 8 days.

give it atleast 3 weeks before you add any fish or clean up crews.

Your sand bed isnt even cycled and seeded yet homey

 

35lbs of decaying rock will take at least 3 weeks to fully cycle.

You did good changing your water after you got zero readings.

BUT this is a false reading. A calm before the storm so to speak.

You will spike again only not as high on all levels.

 

This next round dont change your water after you get zero readings.

You will send it into another mini cylce. let it simmer. If you still get zero readings after a week with the same water in there start adding snails, crabs, and a SMALL fish to help cycle. ( a blue chromis or a black molly work great).

Let the fish settle in for a couple weeks and the tank will be ready for a SMALL bioload.

 

I get realy realy worried when I here all these people talking about

" my tank is cycled and its only been up less than a month."

Unless your using rock and sand from an existing set up it isnt cycled by a long shot.

Take your time. Protect your investment.