New Here - Help with cycle

[phoenixdark9]

:Moving to saltwater thread:


Hello, I am new to this forum as a poster, but have read a ton as I embarked on my new saltwater tank. Here is where we are at:

4 weeks in to a New Tank Cycle
No fish, 5 snails, 3 crabs (cleanup crew)

PH 7.8
Ammonia 4.0 ppm
Nitrite 1.0 ppm
Nitrate 80 ppm

Is this where I am suppose to be? Things going okay? I know I am not a patient person, but I also want to make sure I am doing this right.

Just got done with a 30% water change this weekend.

 

[Grizz]

Are those test results before or after a PWC? Are you dosing to 4 ppm on the ammonia? Really high nitrAtes can stall a cycle you might want to change about half of your water Test water and watch for a spike in trites Ammo seems high after 4 weeks IMO

 

[phoenixdark9]

PWC was on Saturday, these are Monday night readings.

Should I test right after the water change? (would that not simply test the water I just put in)

 

[Grizz]

sounds like your trAtes were very high and may have stalled the cycle Do a PWC maybe 50% then test after 24 hrs dont dose ammo then test again in 3 days

 

[daney90]

Yep I agree with grizz, your ammo seems high that you are in you wk 4 now. It should have cme down in between wk 2-wk 3.

 

[phoenixdark9]

Thank you both.

I tested again tonight:

PH 7.8
Ammonia 4.0 ppm
Nitrite 2.0 ppm
Nitrate 50 ppm (a littler darker than the 40, but no near the 80 tonight)

I am going to do suggested water change, and test again thurs night.

Will let you know.

 

[danbstrong]

Thank you both.

I tested again tonight:

PH 7.8
Ammonia 4.0 ppm
Nitrite 2.0 ppm
Nitrate 50 ppm (a littler darker than the 40, but no near the 80 tonight)

I am going to do suggested water change, and test again thurs night.

Will let you know.

What is your source water ? Ro? Ammonia does seem high after 4 weeks

 

[phoenixdark9]

Source Water is LFS Catalina Saltwater.

 

[Sniperhank]

How are you cycling? Id stop water changes as well. No reason to burn money during your cycle.

 

[phoenixdark9]

Confused now...

So I should not be changing the water?

I am cycling with snails and crabs. No dosing, no nothing.

 

[Sniperhank]

Well, to keep the snails and crabs alive you will need to do water changes. Are you feeding them? Since they are a clean up crew and there isn't anything to clean up, you'll need to do so so they do not starve. That is, unless that is the point of how you are cycling, ie their death. The existence of crabs and snails isn't enough to cycle a tank, which is probably why you are having troubles. What I would do, is go get an uncooked shrimp from the grocery store. They either won't ask for much or even look at you weird and give it to you for free! Just toss it in the tank. It will decay and get your cycle off where it needs to be. It will also feed your clean up crew.

 

[Grizz]

Sniper his ammonia is at 4 ppm without adding any thing i dont think adding a shrimp will help, i told him to do a PWC because of the inverts. Something's not right here why is the ammo still at 4ppm after 4 weeks? Maybe remove the crabs and snails and start cycle over?

 

[phoenixdark9]

Oaky,

So I did a 33% water change Tuesday night.

Wednesday night readings:
PH 7.8
Ammonia 4.0 ppm
Nitrite 2.0 ppm
Nitrate 50 ppm (a littler darker than the 40, but no near the 80 tonight)

I am going to do 50% water change tonight and see what it looks like on Fri.

Also curious if I am testing wrong at this point. Here is my testing procedure:
1) Three viles upsidedown in the water until I get to mid tank, then I turn them over to fill them up.

2) Empty viles to the indicator line.

3) Two Bottles of Amonia test, one bottle for Nitrite, two bottles of Nitrate with the instructed amount of drops

4) Cap and shake each vial briefly

5) Wait 5min and read

Anything I am missing? Should I be shaking the testing bottles before the drops?

 

[Ingy]

Nitrate test is a shaking evolution. Reread the instructions for that one. Shake the "$(!/" out of bottle #2 and then the vial at the end for 1 minute. If your getting even 20 ppm without shaking violently, your probably much much higher than that.

 

[melosu58]

Cycle your salt tank - Aquarium Advice

 

[phoenixdark9]

...and now there is brown/black stuff on my sand. :-(

it looks like rubber, but a little stringy... now I am freaking out.

 

[Sniperhank]

Sounds like cyanobacteria.

 

[phoenixdark9]

Is this good or bad?

 

[Nu-Nu the eel]

Bad. Its a bacteria that grows on your sand/rocks. You can get rid of it by feeding less and doing more water changes

 

[Sagacious]

How to cycle a saltwater tank