How can i tell if my tank is almost cycled or hasnt started?

[csoutherland]

Started my 75 gallon reef 1 week ago. Contains about 100 pounds of live/base rock. I did some tests tonight and here are the results.
Ph: 8.0
Ammonia: .25
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Now my question is, has my tank already basically cycled or is it stalling? I just don't want to put a fish in and then it all of a sudden start the cycle.
Let me know what you think.

 

[Kimlafeiet]

Do you have live and base rock, or just base rock? Have you put ammonia in the tank to start the cycle?
With 0 nitrates, it looks like your cycle is just barely beginning. I would toss a shrimp (raw from the seafood section of the grocery store) and let it do it's thing. That is how I cycled my tank, it took about 3 weeks, but I had quite a bit of cured live rock in eith my base rock.

 

[patrick seastar]

This is the nitrogen cycle *(ammonia->nitrite->nitrate) autotrophic bacteria are responsible for this. To much of any of these substances can be deadly or cause illness. That's why it's important to have enough of these bacteria present so that these levels remain near zero as much as possible. Until you get a reading of nitrate you have not finished cycling. If you have live rock-(from the ocean) that isn't cured-(has been out of water long enough for creatures in it to die & is realizing ammonia) then these levels will continue to rise & finish your cycle. The dead fish or shrimp is one way to add ammonia making the process speed up but, the easiest way is to buy bottled bacteria. Their is no way of over dosing. The more, the better. You could probobly use at two bottles for your tank's size. Their's no waiting you just add the bacteria, wait for it to mix well through out the water & bam! Your done... just add fish. Some good brands are instant ocean biro-spira which you can find almost anywhere including petco & another is dr. tim's aquatics one & only over the internet.

 

[TheTodd]

I disagree with the idea of dumping bacteria in and adding fish right away, if you can avoid it. These companies says you can, but your tank still cycles, so there are levels of ammonia and nitrite as ammonia from fish waste is added. If you can add ammonia after the BB, that is better. , IMO. Your tank will cycle in Days, not weeks. If you add fish right away, they need to be hearty (clowns, damsels) so that they can take a few days of having ammonia and nitrites.

I just used Dr Tim's in my 240g, but got their ammonia to add. Tank cycled in less than a week.

 

[csoutherland]

I'm using micro lift special blend and started putting it in my tank yesterday. What do you think about that?

 

[mr_X]

What ammonia source did you use? If in fact that bacteria in that bottle is not bogus, it will need ammonia to consume.

 

[csoutherland]

Doesn't the bottle create the ammonia source?

 

[TheTodd]

The bottled bacteria usually just has the bacteria. Those bacteria need ammonia. The Dr Tim's that I used came with a bottle of ammonia, which I put into the tank to get it up to 3-4ppm. A few days later, I could dose the tank and within hours, the ammonia was back down to zero. That's when you know you have all the bacteria in there doing their job.

It concerns me when I see "for fresh and saltwater". The bacteria is different for both, so I don't understand how they offer a product that covers both.

 

[csoutherland]

Could you post a link of the thins you would think I need that aren't too expensive?

 

[TheTodd]

For a simple ammonia source, go to the grocery store fish counter and buy an uncooked shrimp. Toss that in your tank, it will decompose, which creates ammonia. Another option is finding pure ammonia at a hardware store (I've heard Ace carries it). You can dose your tank with that, but you need to test to make sure you have enough, but not too much. I believe Dr Tim's sells bottles and that tells you how many drops (or capfulls) you need for your size tank.

 

[csoutherland]

How long after I put my shrimp in the tank should I then put in my bacteria source? And how much of each should I put in knowing that it is a 75 gallon reef?

 

[TheTodd]

I would think both going in a the same time is okay. I've never used the product you are using. Dr Tim's says you can't overdose (with the BB) so I buy the amount they recommend and just throw it all in there. I actually bought a little less this last time as I already had some live rock in there. Still took less than a week.

 

[patrick seastar]

How long after I put my shrimp in the tank should I then put in my bacteria source? And how much of each should I put in knowing that it is a 75 gallon reef?

The bacteria convert one into the other as the previous one lowers & the next one rises. The bacteria in the bottle are in a dormant state. Once they're exposed to ammonia they IMMEDIATELY start working. This has been scientifically proven. For this reason you can skip the dead shrimp or fish technique & go straight to adding fish since the fish will provide a source of ammonia for the bacteria. Besides, as it is you're already getting a reading from your live rock right? REMEMBER, like I said before, we need enough bacteria in your tank in order for the cycle to happen as quickly as possible so the fish aren't exposed to ammonia for a long time. I woould just add at least 12oz maybe three bottles. The more the better. You should also start of with a just 2 or 3 small fish so we can be on the safe side & not have too much ammonia & from their after a week or so you can add more. Some of the bacteria bottles out there are sold by companies that don't do their research & what you get in the bottle are heterotrophic bacteria which process organic rather then autotrophic bacteria that process nitrogen. That's why it's usually better to go by brands known for this like instant ocean biro spira or Dr. Tim's one & only.

 

[csoutherland]

I just put in 2 pieces of raw shrimp in my tank. How long should I wait to add bacteria? And how long and effective should this be?

 

[mr_X]

The bacteria convert one into the other as the previous one lowers & the next one rises. The bacteria in the bottle are in a dormant state. Once they're exposed to ammonia they IMMEDIATELY start working. This has been scientifically proven. For this reason you can skip the dead shrimp or fish technique & go straight to adding fish since the fish will provide a source of ammonia for the bacteria. Besides, as it is you're already getting a reading from your live rock right? REMEMBER, like I said before, we need enough bacteria in your tank in order for the cycle to happen as quickly as possible so the fish aren't exposed to ammonia for a long time. I woould just add at least 12oz maybe three bottles. The more the better. You should also start of with a just 2 or 3 small fish so we can be on the safe side & not have too much ammonia & from their after a week or so you can add more. Some of the bacteria bottles out there are sold by companies that don't do their research & what you get in the bottle are heterotrophic bacteria which process organic rather then autotrophic bacteria that process nitrogen. That's why it's usually better to go by brands known for this like instant ocean biro spira or Dr. Tim's one & only.

I'd like to see the scientific studies that prove this...and not Mr salt water tanks videos....lol.

 

[TheTodd]

I'd like to see the scientific studies that prove this...and not Mr salt water tanks videos....lol.

Are you questioning whether the bacteria works or the idea of adding fish and the bacteria waking up right away? I'm not sure about the later, but I have used Dr Tim's three times and my tanks have all cycled in about a week, so i am a firm beleiver in their product. If it did not work, I can't come up with a way to explain that quick of a cycle. I'm still not a fan of exposing fish to ammonia or nitrites at all, as that can't be very pleasant, even for a day, so I go with dosing ammonia.

 

[csoutherland]

I just put in 2 pieces of raw shrimp in my tank. How long should I wait to add bacteria? And how long and effective should this be?

 

[patrick seastar]

I'd like to see the scientific studies that prove this...and not Mr salt water tanks videos....lol.

Hahaha yeah I hear ya. The product is based on the results of research by Dr Hovanec and his coworkers while working as employees for Marineland. 3 papers were published which identified specific species of Nitrosomonas and Nitrospira as the main autotrophic nitrifiying bacteria in home aquariums.

Comparative analysis of nitrifying bacteria associated with freshwater and marine aquaria.
Nitrosomonas Nm143-like ammonia oxidizer... [FEMS Microbiol Ecol. 2008] - PubMed - NCBI
Identification and Activities In Situ of Nitrosospiraand Nitrospira spp. as Dominant Populations in a Nitrifying Fluidized Bed Reactor

 

[Kimlafeiet]

You can add the bacteria any time. The shrimp are probably already putting a good amount of ammonia in the tank.
Be warned.....maybe every cycle is different, but cycling with those shrimp smells pretty nasty. We have our tank in the bedroom, and those first couple days after I put the shrimp in were brutal, but luckily it only lasted a few days.

 

[patrick seastar]

Btw... one thing I have to go back on is the fact that the amount of bacteria from the bottle you put in will only survive with appropriate amount of fish. So, if you put two bottles in & you only have 1 fish... the amount of bacteria able to feed on that fish's ammonia are the only one's that will survive. So put in the amount appropriate for the amount of fish you'll put in. You never wanna put a full fish load without putting in the correct amount of bacteria. Unless you do that you'll just have to go adding fish by fish in a matter of weeks or months.