Water parameters

[BigEfromthe813]

I've been cycling for 2 weeks and ammonia, nitrite and nitrate are all 0.. Where do I go from here??

 

[hackteck]

well if you saw the typical spike of ammonia and nitrite then i would say your cycled and i would do a large water change and slowly add livestock

 

[Flake]

If there were nitrates, I would say yes, but due to the lack of them i'm thinking the tank isn't cycled at all.

How did you cycle?

 

[BigEfromthe813]

Thanks hack-- yea I've been really high in ammonia a week or so ago then this past weekend my nitrite was REAL high.. Now all is 0.. I should do a water change? 25%? and when you say slowly add live stock, is that like one piece a week?

 

[BigEfromthe813]

There were nitrates showing yesterday now my API drops say there are 0

 

[Flake]

Nitrates don't just disappear.

 

[iDream]

Unless you're growing some macroalgae like chaeto you're not cycled.


Like Flake said you would have some nitrates, they don't just disappear like that

 

[hackteck]

what were you using as your ammonia source for the cycle?

 

[BigEfromthe813]

I have 3 green chromis in there.. One of my rocks has some green algae on it now

 

[hackteck]

so you used fish to cycle? you probably had no idea (neither did i when if i first started) but you could have done a fishless cycle by dropping a raw shrimp in there so none of your live stock would die during the cycle so they all made it?

 

[hackteck]

since you already have livestock do a large water change and monitor the parameters for a couple weeks to see if you get anymore spikes

 

[Flake]

Cycle your salt tank

I just learned about cycling but I already have fish. What now?!

Have a read

 

[BigEfromthe813]

Actually one didn't make it so I replaced it because someone said the amount of ammonia should stay the same or something.. The guy at my first LFS suggested I buy the $6.99 chromis to cycle.. Go figure

So yea other than the little one everything has been good and my water hasn't looked better than it does now.. But I'll be keeping an eye on it

 

[hackteck]

yea some local fish stores suggest you use fish to do a cycle so they have a sale its a common practice

 

[iDream]

IMO return the fish if you can and do a fishless cycle, it'll save you plenty of money like that chromis loss and more in the long run.

 

[hackteck]

are you sure your nitrates are 0? 2 weeks with fish in your tank pooping and eating ( i assume you fed them) you would have saw some type of spike in parameters did you ever have nitrate at all?

 

[BigEfromthe813]

YES there were definitely nitrates before today

 

[hackteck]

wait so you had nitrates before today and today they read 0? did you do any water changes or anything? i'm gonna go with flake they wouldnt just disappear to zero on their own

 

[BigEfromthe813]

dream what would taking the fish out do for the cycle/parameters?

 

[Flake]

Taking the fish out would do nothing for your cycle but it would keep the fish from being stressed and dying.

It's kind of cruel to the fish.