Cycling...maybe something else?

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b.askew

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Sep 20, 2005
Messages
27
Location
Huntsville, AL
Saturday I added dead rocks, and LR to my tank, then shortly added sand and LS. There is nothing else in the tank, only LR, dead rock, and LS. I have been testing for ammonia, everyday since Saturday and it has been 0 every day until today. Today I got the following readings.
NH4: .25
NO2: .25
NO3: 10
So I figured I was seeing the NH4, and NO2 because the tank was in cycling, I did not know that I would start to see NO3. Is this normal or do I need to do something else?
 
With the addition of ls and lr, your cycle may be minimal. I would just let it go and test daily to see how things are progressing. Did you add anything to cycle the tank other than lr? How much lr and what size tank? You will want to feed the tank even if it's a bit of flake food a few times a week to be sure the bacteria that is there has enough to survive.
 
I added about 10 lbs of reef rock, 15 lbs of base rock, and 10 lbs of lace rock. I added 20 lbs of aragalive sand, and 15 of regular aragonite fiji pink sand. Also to note...my salinity was on the rise I believe due to evaporation. I was keeping it at a steady 1.022, and I noticed Tuesday it had risen to about 1.025. I prepared some water then so on Wednesday I drained 1 gal of SW from the tank and replenished it with about 1.5 gal of dechlorinated FW that had the same PH, and temp and that brought my salniity back to 1.022. I hope that this change in salinity hasn't killed any of the LR or LS. The rock was cured it had been in the tanks of my LFS for a long time.
 
I wouldn't worry. Just watch your parameters. When ammonia and nitrite are both at 0, you can add some clean up critters and a fish. The fact that the liverock was fully cured will help jump start your tank but it looks like your still seeing a bit of die off since you have ammonia and nitrite present. I would still feed it a bit just to be sure. You don't want the good bacteria that is there to starve.
 
I've noticed my on my dead rocks there has been this web-like stuff that is appearing. I noticed a very small amount on a few rocks about 3-4 days ago, and today it is on more rock, and in larger amounts...anybody know what this may be?
 
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