ryshark
Aquarium Advice Addict
My new 75gallon tank is really confusing me. It is now a little over 3-weeks old. After 3-days I put 2-damsels, 25lbs of live rock and 13lbs of live sand because my LFS suggested I do this to cycle the tank. After two and a half weeks I never saw an increase in ammonia, nitrite or nitrate. So 4-days ago I threw a medium sized frozen raw cocktail shrimp in there and started feedling the damsels larger portions, to help get things going.
Tonight is 4-days after I put the cocktail shrimp in and I am still reading very low ammonia. In fact, I have a five gallon jug full of premixed water I bought at a LFS and the ammonia indicator from that jug is reading the exact same color as indicator from my tank. Which is somewhere between 0 and .25. The cocktail shrimp is already about half way decayed. I'm sure the one and only hermit crab that hitchiked on my live rock has a little to do with that. I still have never ever seen a nitrite reading and the nitrate reading is the about the same as the very begining which is slightly less than 20.
I have not put any additives in the tank but I do have a bottle of that nitifying bacteria. It is a small bottle only for 20-gallons, but Im thinking about dumping that in there and then just hoping that my tank has actually cycled so I can slowly start getting other fish. Has anybody heard of a tank cycling without ever seeing an ammonia spike or nitrite spike? I would think after 4-days of a dead cocktail shrimp, 2-damsels and fish food that I would be getting more of an ammonia reading. What do you think? I hate to say it but I am getting anxious heading towards 4-weeks and still have not seen an ammonia spike or any nitrites.
Thanks in advance for any help. I appreciate it.
Tonight is 4-days after I put the cocktail shrimp in and I am still reading very low ammonia. In fact, I have a five gallon jug full of premixed water I bought at a LFS and the ammonia indicator from that jug is reading the exact same color as indicator from my tank. Which is somewhere between 0 and .25. The cocktail shrimp is already about half way decayed. I'm sure the one and only hermit crab that hitchiked on my live rock has a little to do with that. I still have never ever seen a nitrite reading and the nitrate reading is the about the same as the very begining which is slightly less than 20.
I have not put any additives in the tank but I do have a bottle of that nitifying bacteria. It is a small bottle only for 20-gallons, but Im thinking about dumping that in there and then just hoping that my tank has actually cycled so I can slowly start getting other fish. Has anybody heard of a tank cycling without ever seeing an ammonia spike or nitrite spike? I would think after 4-days of a dead cocktail shrimp, 2-damsels and fish food that I would be getting more of an ammonia reading. What do you think? I hate to say it but I am getting anxious heading towards 4-weeks and still have not seen an ammonia spike or any nitrites.
Thanks in advance for any help. I appreciate it.