On the Right Track Now?

[rtoycrow]

A little over 2 weeks ago I added 4 small shrimp to my 125 to start the cycle. I never saw an ammonia spike( highest it got was .25) so I took some advice from some people on this board and added more shrimp. It has been 2 days since I added about 10 small shrimp. I tested my ammonia level last night and it is at 2.5. The water has gotten a little cloudy and my tank is started to smell a little. My skimmer is also getting rid of a lot of waste. Am I headed in the right direction now?

 

[tecwzrd]

Sound's good, I assume they were raw.

 

[roka64]

Sounds good to me too. I used 3 jumbo shrimp in my 125 and it took 9 weeks to cycle. As Micah recommends, 1 jumbo shrimp per 30 Gallons, IME, is the way to go.

 

[rtoycrow]

Oh yeah they were raw.

 

[melosu58]

You are well on your way.

 

[rtoycrow]

Ok yesterday I tested my water for the ammonia level and it is back down to .25. What do I need to do at this point. The shrimp are still in the tank. Do I need to leave them or remove them?

 

[tecwzrd]

What are your no2 or no3 readings at this point? If your no3 is over 40 ppm I'd go ahead and remove the shrimp and let your cycle finish out till your nh3/no2 is at 0 ppm.

 

[rtoycrow]

Alright measured my NO2 and NO3 readings last night. The NO2 was .2 and the NO3 was 50 in the high range and 10 in the low range. What do I need to do at this point?

 

[tecwzrd]

I think your cycle is slowly wrapping up and you have enough bacteria (evident by how quickly it dealt with the nh3 spike) and can remove the shrimp and wait till nh3/no2 is at 0 ppm. Then do a large pwc to at least get your no3 to 20 ppm or lower.

 

[rtoycrow]

A few days ago I tried removing the shrimp and they all pretty much desinigrated. So I got out what I could. I tested my water last night and here are my readings.
ph-8.2
no2- .1
no3- 50/10
alkilinity- 1.7-2.8
ammonia- .25
salinity- 1.024
I have been noticing a few featherdusters on my live rock which got me really excited. But what do I need to do now to get my water parameters exactly perfect. Thanks

 

[tecwzrd]

Just wait it out till your nh3/no2 is at 0 ppm. Should only take another week or two at the most.

What test are you using for no3? Is 50/10 high/low or is your no3 at 5 ppm? (50 divided by 10)

 

[Ziggy953]

Have you done your large PWC yet? The ammonia needs to be at 0 for your cycle to be completely finished.

When you get there I would do a good sized PWC as suggested above. That will help bring down the No3. It looks like you are just about there.

 

[rtoycrow]

Yeah the no3 chart i am using says high range 50 low range 10. I haven't done a large PWC yet. Also I am starting to see a good bit of alge growth on my rocks and glass should I turn the lights back off until the cycle completely finishes? And after I get my parameters right should I add a clean up crew first b4 fish?

 

[tecwzrd]

The excess nutrients during a cycle will feed algae regardless but keeping the lights off will help reduce it some. A clean up crew can be added by themselves or with fish.

 

[Smidge]

What do you guys mean by "clean up crew"? Sorry i'm new to this and i figure it's best to ask when i don't know something.

 

[roka64]

Clean up crew are the critters that clean up the tank, like snails, stars, shrimp, crabs.

 

[Smidge]

Ah! Gotcha! Thanks..