Cycle Questions Nitrites and Nitrates Seem Stalled

[LarryS]

Here's a quick summary of the cycle:

Cycling a 65g since Oct 4 using 57 lbs Pukani rock with lots of detritus. ammonia spike reached about 1.5 fairly quickly.... then dropped fairly quickly as it was 0 by day 12.

Nitrites spiked to 5 and have not come down.

Nitrates to 40 and have fluctuated between 20 and 40 ppm.

So, 5 days ago (day 27), I added a raw shrimp ... to satisfy my curiosity and to prove to myself that there is an active cycle.

Ammonia spiked from 0 to .25 on day shrimp day 3 and back to 0 by next day 4.

Day 28 did a minor pwc 8 gal when I installed a skimmer and needed to move the sump tank.

Yesterday, took a donation of very active live rock from an 8-yr old 90 gal reef tank... lots of coraline pods and such and see now spaghetti worms...and a mini-bud of hammerhead coral seems very happy wide-eyed and open! Included about 3 or so gallons of water too.

Yesterday also added one bag of Purigen....water looking much clearer (was slight whitish cloud...now back to a very mild yellow-green and getting clearer).

Today is day 32 BUT, the nitrites still 5 and nitrates 40.

What am I missing?

Time to pwc 20% ?? Then, what?

 

[LarryS]

Diatom Bloom?

Today is day 37: 0, .5-1.0, 20-40ppm

Refugium algae and some substrate (10 oz) from a healthy tank were added 3-days ago. And, 3-days ago started MicroBacter 7 - dosing 3 caps daily.

Today also believe that a diatom bloom is in full-swing.

First two photos show base rock growth discovered this afternoon:



This photo shows coraline and what I believe to be cinnamon zoanthids... it appears as though the diatoms are overrunning the coraline.



This photo shows the coraline immediately after being donated (and placed in my cycling tank) late Friday (5-days ago)..before diatom growth...if that is what it is.



If anyone is reading this.... ... do you think the rust colored growth is diatoms or something worse? Thanks!