Finally!!!!

[cnaugh]

I have been attempting a cycle on a 75 Gallon saltwater aquarium for the last five weeks! All my test had a hint of ammonia and no nitrites or nitrates. I have 10 pounds of cured live rock, 40 pounds of Caribsea Primo base rock, and about thirty pounds of diy rock.

Now, initially I used table shrimp in hopes of beginning the cycle, but after a while, and the continuous begging of my kids, I put four green chromis in the tank (please cuss me out later) Still had no measurable nitrites or nitrates.

Well, two days ago I added a couple small table shrimp and began dosing Stress Zyme from API. This is the resulting test two days later. I hope this is a step towards a finished cycle.

 

[sansouci01]

Sorry to hear it's taking so long. Guess I'm lucky. I started my 20 gallon last Sunday using the shrimp method also. Right now my ammonia is 4ppm, nitrites are .50ppm, and nitrates are 5ppm...

 

[cnaugh]

It's been unreal! Glad your cycle is going so well. The only thing I can think of is the bacteria on the live rock took care of the initial shrimp! I've cycled tanks before in the freshwater realm, but this saltwater cycle is kicking my tail!

I was hoping someone could look at the test and confirm this is going in the right direction!

 

[Jolee0722]

You might want to add more rock. You need that rock for your bacteria to develop on and that might be why your cycle took awhile. Very porous rock is the best type.

 

[sansouci01]

I bought my rock from marco rocks. Very porous. It was cured base rock. By the looks of your test, I'd say it's doing just fine

 

[erichm20]

Bacteria grows on everything in your tank- the sand, walls, equipment... And if your tests before had a "hint" of ammonia and nothing else and now you see ammonia and nitrite then yes it is heading in the right direction. The cycle will show ammonia peaking then it is converted to nitrites so those will increase and peak then come nitrates. And you mentioned the bacteria "took care" of the shrimp did it slowly decompose or was it just gone one day? 5 weeks is not that long and there is no exact cycle time every situation is different. How are the chromis doing?

 

[woody390]

Dine concerned for the chromis if you have added them then the table shrimp as the table shrimp is to raise ammonia which is toxic to the fish. I would take the shrimp out as the fish will bert ducking waste which is ammonia and that will be building bacteria without needing shrimp in there too unless I misunderstand

 

[cnaugh]

The chromis are going into a quarantine tank now. I'm concerned about them also. I was actually thinking I may not have had much of a cycle due to the cured live rock when I put them in about week four.

 

[cnaugh]

Bacteria grows on everything in your tank- the sand, walls, equipment... And if your tests before had a "hint" of ammonia and nothing else and now you see ammonia and nitrite then yes it is heading in the right direction. The cycle will show ammonia peaking then it is converted to nitrites so those will increase and peak then come nitrates. And you mentioned the bacteria "took care" of the shrimp did it slowly decompose or was it just gone one day? 5 weeks is not that long and there is no exact cycle time every situation is different. How are the chromis doing?

The shrimp actually got shredded by the pumps inside the tank. It was snowing shrimp for a few minutes! The last shrimp took about two days.

 

[Ingy]

Everything looks good. You have a good amount of ammonia and nitrite is on the rise. Nitrate is still 0, so you will see a steady rise in trites until those bacteria start growing then nitrate will show. Eventually amm and nitrite will drop to 0. With only 10lbs of live rock, expect the whole cycle to take upwards of 8 weeks maybe.

 

[cnaugh]

Tested tonight! .5 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 20 nitrate...???? How is this possible?

 

[Jolee0722]

That is normal. At the end of your cycle, you should do a big water change and that shows why.