New FOWLR, skipped cycle?

[tkeeo761]

Good Afternoon,

This is my first time posting here, or on any forum for that matter, but I have been doing so much research the last 3 weeks that I thought It'd be smart to ask for some help. I have a great LFS that I have been using for years, but I moved and am now 45 minutes away so I'm a little more on my own.

I just converted an old 29 gallon hex into a FOWLR system. I live in an apartment and it is just easier for me to buy premade salt water from my LFS where I get my fish. I have been cycling this new tank for 2 weeks fish-less. I bought 20lbs of live sand and 20lbs of cured purple coraline covered liverock and then another 10lbs of live rock seeded out of a 5 year old aquarium and transferred in a bucket of tank water to my new tank. I am also running a reef octopus HOB-1000 skimmer rated for a 100 gallon aquarium, a fluval heater and a 425 gallon per hour powerhead. The only thing the skimmer has pulled out was a very minuscule amount of light yellow water.

I started testing my water about 1 week after I installed the tank because I'm colorblind and seeing those colors is near impossible so I'd only be able to bring the water to the LFS to get tested. When I did (a week ago) the LFS said that my readings were .5 for ammonia, .0 for nitrates and .0 for nitrites and that it looked like I had just started cycling. So I bought an API master kit and have my girlfriend help me with the colors so I'm not driving so much. Today my parameters have been:

Ammonia .25ppm, Nitrite .00ppm, Nitrate .00ppm.

I called my LFS and told them the news, they said I should have probably had something by now and that with all the LR it might have cycled that quick, they don't want me to add any fish yet, and I don't either for a few more weeks, but they think a CUC might be ok. But my thoughts are:

If it HAS cycled would there even be ammonia? And if it has and there is nothing for the bacteria to eat, will it start dying off?

My PH is also worries me, it keeps measuring at 7.4 which seems low. I haven't been doing anything to the tank except taking measurements with the test kit. Is that PH normal?


Thoughts?

I appreciate all the help. Eventually I'm sure I'll ask about stocking advice.

Best,

Jack- Colorblind Photographer and Aquarist

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Welcome! A couple things here, you won't be getting a skimmate really until you add fish, as the bioload is basically what will produce the skimmate and that is what is being removed. Your tank is cycled when ammonia and nitrite are at 0, and you are getting a nitrate reading...

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

You need to add an ammonia source to keep the BB eating... Also, the PH should be higher, which will be achieved with better surface agitation and gas exchange, most commonly with a power head towards the top.

 

[baron1282]

Get your cleaning crew in that will add some bio-load to your tank for the bacteria. If you feel that your tank is not cycled you can always throw uncooked shrimp in the tank (Just one) and let the ammonia build up and cycle your tank that way. I did the shrimp method and it took me 3 weeks to cycle. I have fish in my tank now and not a problem for three months.

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

I wouldn't throw the shrimp in with a clean up crew. Either, or, but not both. The ammonia will
kill anything living in the tank. I did NOT use the shrimp method but did put a CUC in shortly after adding live sand and rock.

 

[baron1282]

Yeah, I didn't mean do both at the same time.

 

[Dmann]

You want your ph around 8.2 usually. If you added live rock already then that's your source of ammonia. The die off on the rock is
Creating ammonia. If it was added before the cycle was finished. Keep testing for another week or so and as the Nitrifying bacteria builds the ammonia will drop and the nitrites will spike. Then the nitrates will spike . The nitrites and ammonia will be 0 and your nitrates will gradually drop. When it's close to 0 nitrates your cycle has finished

 

[tkeeo761]

Thanks for the replies

Thanks for the replies.

I have moved my powerhead up and it is blasting the surface now, I thought the skimmer would add enough o2 to the water, but I guess I was wrong and that surface agitation is where it is at. I have heard one of the problems with Hex tanks for saltwater is trying to get the ph at a decent level. I'll be purchasing another powerhead tomorrow, one dedicated for the surface and one dedicated for getting better flow at the bottom.

I have an mbu puffer in my 125 freshwater so I have uncooked deli shrimp on hand, but if I could kill 2 birds with one stone and get a CUC AND help cycle the tank that'd be great, but I don't want them to suffer like I wouldn't want a fish to suffer during a cycle. Would they make it in the tank with my water parameters? Would they have food to eat?

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

You can add a CUC just not with a shrimp. Just feed the tank some food every other night or so... This will provide the BB some ammonia and the CUC some om nom noms...

 

[Dmann]

If you use a shrimp try putting it in a panty hose or stocking. That way you can get it out

 

[tkeeo761]

I went ahead and threw in some of my puffer's deli shrimp on Wednesday and it's been rotting for 2 days now. My ammonia went from .25 to 1ppm in a day. Not showing any nitrites or nitrates yet. My skimmer is pulling a bunch of yellow liquid, about an inch a day. My question is, since I got my rock seeded from another aquarium and transported in tank water, how long should I leave the rotting shrimp in and how high should I let my ammonia get? Do i take the shrimp out once the ammonia gets high enough? Will the rising ammonia kill my corraline and feather dusters that came on the LR?

Thanks for your help!



How long should I leave the

 

[Dmann]

High ammonia levels will kill your tank.

I wouldn't have added established rock I. Until after your cycle. Especially with corals or anemome

 

[tkeeo761]

Is it done?

Good morning,

Here are the trackings of my tank for the last bit of weeks.

For the first week my readings were
SG 1.026
Ph 7.8
Ammonia .25
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 0

They didn't move so I threw in two pieces of shrimp as suggested and left them there for three days.

So the second week my readings were
Ammonia 2
Nitrite .5
Nitrate 5
Ph7.8
Sag 1.026

4 days later they were
Ammonia .5
Nitrite 1
Nitrate 5

The third week they were
Ammonia .25
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5

Today, 2 days later, they are
Ammonia .25...barely (I actually thought these were 2 while I was writing this, but I'm colorblind and just redid the test and had my neighbor check and she said it was actually just a little over 0)
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5
Ph 8.0
SG 1.026

With that said, what are your thoughts on the cycle? I have had amphipods and copepods all over my glass for the last three days, and my pink coraline is spreading as is my red coraline. No crazy diatom bloom ever or algae bloom, I think my skimmer (almost the size of my tank) has been taking care of my nitrates because I never had a a giant nitrate spike.

Any input is awesome. Thank you

Jack