Help starting my first saltwater tank.

[Mdiesel]

I am trying to cycle my first saltwater tank in a 24 gallon jbj nano-cube. It had been one week since I set it up . I am using live sand, fish food and biozine to kick start the cycle, however there are no traces of ammonia or nitrite in the water today. In my filter compartment I have sponges, bio-balls , ceramic rings, chemipure and poly-filter. Could the poly-filter be absorbing all the ammonia thus delaying the cycling process? I would appreciate any advice. Thank you

 

[Rutrag]

I don't think so. If you are using the fish food as an ammonia source, it may not have broken down enough to produce ammonia yet. If you can get straight ammonia (no surfactants, scents or dyes), then you can does that to get a reading on your test kit and go from there.

You indicated that you used live sand. Did you buy this off the shelf or get it from an established tank? Many folks on this board believe the stuff off the shelf is snake oil and is fine as just ye olde sand, but doesn't provide much in the way of live bacteria.

 

[Mdiesel]

Thanks for the advice. I used the live sand that comes in a bag from the store. I claims instant cycling from the bacteria it has but I was told not to believe that, as there are no quick ways to cycle. I threw out the bag but I think it is the same company that makes nutri-seawater also. I added a little more fish food today , so I will just hang tight and keep testing.

 

[Mdiesel]

I also plan on adding live rock soon.

 

[joy13]

You may end up going through another cycle if you add live rock after your cycle. It is always best to have all or nearly all of your rock in your tank when you cycle it. I don't use ammonia when cycling because of allergies instead I used a piece of shrimp krill to cycle my tank.

If you are using rock from an established tank it will help speed up the cycle but you will probably have a cycle of some type.

 

[Mdiesel]

That's a good point. I probably will add the live rock within the next couple days as I have yet to see an ammonia spike.