Cycling Please Help!

[FishMaster1000]

Well guys i purchased fully cured live rock, some sand, and ro water on sunday and set the tank up..I was under the impression that if I just let the tank sit with the cured rock until parameters hit 0 i would be fine..Now i was told that I should add a raw shrimp to allow the levels to spike, and to feed the bacteria. this would obviously take longer than just waiting for my levels to hit 0:( ...Does anyone else have other suggestions as a way to cycle the tank?? Thanks!

 

Ps I think I am going to do the shrimp thing..Just wanted to hear some other opinions

[reefin300]

Sometimes if the rock you purchase comes out of an established system like my LFS you will have little or no noticeable cycle at all. What are your prams testing at today? Also what are you using as far as water movement. Sounds like you said you just had it sitting in water? Maybe I was confused.

 

Some have tried the shrimp method only to produce ammonia into the tank to fuel the nitrifying bacteria to colonize, if your rock that your purchased is fully cured though you may see no cycle.. questions.

 

How long has the tank been setup?

Prams: Ammo

Trates

Trites

Ph

[FishMaster1000]

The Tank has been set up since Saturday..On Monday teh Params were Trates Less than 5, Trites 0, Ammonia .5....Then on tuesday i tested just for ammonia and it was down to .25..DO i need to "fuel" the nitrifying bacteria? If need be ill test the tank now...

[reefin300]

Well you should test daily while your on your cycle to make sure you are on course. I think you are headed in the right direction. If your rock was in fact fully cured looks like it has some slight die off but will cycle quite rapidly. Just keep some good flow going in there and you will be set. Chances you did not see a big ammo jump because the rock was cured...

 

Maybe someone else can chime in just to make sure we're talking apples to apples.

 

BTW go test it!

[FishMaster1000]

So..Your saying that I shouldnt even bother with the shrimp?? I'll go test it right after this!

[FishMaster1000]

Readings......Nitrate=5-10, Nitrite=0, Ammonia=0??(is this possible, I couldve read the colors wrong, I find that hard to believe its 0 already)

[asiankidd2]

sounds like your tank is cycled, now start off with just 1 fish, and see how it thrives, wait a week or 2 and then start adding more, slowly that is....welcome to the hobby

[NanoBob]

fishmaster1000:

IMO your tank has not cycled yet. 5 days is not enough time. Patience at this stage of the process is critical, hard but critical!

I would give it a few more days test the levels again and if they are still at zero then I would add a small clean up crew. If they do alright after a week or two then I would think about adding a fish.

I was as guilty as anybody when I started my cube and it cost me $$$ in lost fish and inverts.

Good luck and welcome to the hobby,

Bob

[Savager]

I would wait atleast 2 weeks before I add anything in the tank. This is very expensive hobby and I hate to waste my money by rushing. Check your water every other day and start with some cleaning crews. Goodluck.

[reefin300]

It may sound like it’s cycled but the best bet is to really wait it out bro. I’d say wait 3 week. Let the levels taper off bacteria colonize really nice and get a little algae going add your cleanup crew, wouldn’t add it even for a week since you didn’t mention having any type of diatom bloom or anything. I think we’ve drawn a consensus here, you need to wait at a min 2 more weeks LOL

[FishMaster1000]

I didnt say I was going to add fish yet IM going to be waiting at LEAST another week, them maybe add my cleanup crew and a zoanthid colony...Then wait another week or two for 1 fish, as its only a 6 gallon tank and maybe a shrimp also