Cycling tank 1 week on no change.

[Kmillar]

I've set my tank up one week ago now and there's still no change in ammonia, nitrite or nitrate.

 

Is this normal?

[herranton]

I've set my tank up one week ago now and there's still no change in ammonia, nitrite or nitrate.

 

Is this normal?

Was your rock cured / shipped?

What are your parameters?

Where did you get / what kind of sand?

[Kmillar]

What exactly is the definition of cured rock?

It was bought at my Lfs along with the sand.

 

All my readings are 0, I set the tank up last Tuesday.

[M&C]

What exactly is the definition of cured rock?

It was bought at my Lfs along with the sand.

 

All my readings are 0, I set the tank up last Tuesday.

 

 

Cured rock means it is no longer a source of ammonia for your tank; therefore, if you purchased fully cured rock with live sand, it is unlikely that you would see a significant spike in ammonia/nitrites. Uncured rock is rock that still has a whole bunch of living organisms on/in it: sponges, baby clams, worms, algae, etc. Many of these organisms end up dead upon introduction (or before during shipping) to your tank, thereby creating a source of ammonia.

 

Try dropping a cocktail shrimp in the tank. Let it sit there for a few days to see if the decay causes an ammonia spike.

[Kmillar]

What about bottled ammonia? Stupid question, what sort of shrimp? That you would eat?

[Salty_Snack]

With cured rock from the LSF you probably will not have much of a cycle if any. It seems like its the later in your case.

 

You can add a shrimp, but I personally wouldn't because its a little messy. Pure ammonia would work better. But you could probably start adding livestock very slowly and keep a close eye on water parameters.

[Kmillar]

Thanks for the help, I'll try to pick some ammonia tomorrow I would rather get it cycled before adding fish.

[lakshwadeep]

Cured rock is pre-cycled rock, usually done in large vats at a LFS; although, some Stores don't leave the rocks for a full cycle. Also, curing doesn't mean the rock is not producing ammonia; 0 ppm ammonia just means the ammonia that is always being produced (from organisms in the rock) is being removed faster than it can be detected.

 

You don't need to see an ammonia spike (what is often called the cycle, even though the nitrogen cycle never stops) because such a spike may or may not be equivalent to your tank's eventual ammonia production rate. Adding a dead shrimp would defeat the purpose of buying cured rock, which is more expensive than unfurled. Also, the decay can encourage the growth of pathogenic organisms (both to the livestock and humans). Pure ammonia is safer, but adding it is just going to lengthen the time you will be able to add livestock, not to mention possibly killing things that had managed to survive the initial cycle/curing.

 

IMO, you should do nothing and just continue testing. You should know by 2 weeks if there is any spike. If there is none, then you can start slowly adding the clean-up-crew (CUC). Every time you add livestock, the tank goes into a mini-cycle, and the additions should be small enough (applying mainly to fish) that there is no spike.

[Kmillar]

I went and got one bottled ammonia today, but my PH has spiked now hopefully it will settle.

[mike c]

IMO, you should do nothing and just continue testing. You should know by 2 weeks if there is any spike. If there is none, then you can start slowly adding the clean-up-crew (CUC). Every time you add livestock, the tank goes into a mini-cycle, and the additions should be small enough (applying mainly to fish) that there is no spike.

Second vote for do nothing. Be patient. I let my tank sit for 5 weeks before adding anything. I didnt see any ammonia, trites, or trates till almost 3 weeks in. I too used "cured" live rock from my LFS. Sure it's been in their tank, their water for weeks/months. But a when you make a drastic change like adding it to a new steril tank, theres bound to be die off. Again, I agree to let it sit. If by the end of week 3, you still have the same results, then yes, a CUC.

[Kmillar]

I'm in no rush to add any stock at the moment I'm getting my lights sorted for the fluval edge, just want it to be well cycled.

[joshik]

if you get clean rock (as in no living or dead matter) your tank will most likely not "cycle". I started a quarantine tank not long ago and grabbed a few pieces of live rock from my current system and added new dry clean rock, put my fish in and have been running it since. Never had any spikes. The only thing was that my pH was a tiny bit low but it was acceptable.

[lakshwadeep]

How much ammonia did you add, and what was the specific chemical name or brand/model (ammonium/ammonia)? Household ammonia is often found in the form of ammonium hydroxide, a strong base that can increase pH if you add a significant amount. You don't really need to be adding ammonia to check if the tank is "well cycled." The nitrogen cycle is going on whether you add anything or not.

[Kmillar]

My reading is at roughly 2-4 which is probably a bit excessive , I just wanted to get the ball rolling. It's ammonia 9.5% from homebase (uk)

 

Seem other people online used that brand and never had any problems with it, wouldn't have used it unless it had been tried and tested.