Thoughts on cycling

[Tipton34]

I have a 60 gallon tank with 50 pounds of dry rock and a piece around 5lbs of live rock from an established tank. I have a 20 gallon sump with a Skimmer, media reactor, and Chaetomorpha. It has been up and running for about a week and a half. I added a raw shrimp the first day and contually feed flakes every day. I have yet to see any ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. I use an Api test kit. The Chaetomorpha has quadrupled in size. So could the tank be cycled and the Chaetomorpha be sucking up all of the nitrates? Thoughts?

 

[Sniperhank]

It will be absorbing the nitrates, but with a raw shrimp I'm not sure why you are putting fish food in the system to jack up your phosphates. It's not needed.

 

[Tipton34]

I was trying to produce more ammonia thus growing a larger bacteria population. I added two more shrimp yesterday since the first one has been totally dissolved. Still have yet to see anything and if there is anything it's so close to 0 I can't tell a difference

 

[Sniperhank]

Have you detected ammonia or nitrites? You'll see those levels rise before you ever see nitrates.
Edit: also, put the shrimp in some panty hose and tie them off. Then you won't have such a mess to clean up.

 

[Tipton34]

None absolutely zero ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate

 

[Sniperhank]

What's in the media reactor?

 

[Tipton34]

Seachem seagel. But that was only added a couple days ago

 

[Sniperhank]

Well, seagel wouldn't be removing ammonia or nitrites.
How long has the shrimp been in the system? Are you sure you are using the tests correctly?

 

[Tipton34]

Well the first one was in over a week and completely dissolved. I've added two more since then and they have just now dissolved. I did see a trace of ammonia. I think I didn't have enough bioload to produce enough ammonia to tell on the test kit

 

[Sniperhank]

One shrimp should be more than enough for a 60 gallon.