Cycling complete after 3 weeks?

[nuwave59]

Hi! Day 21! Week 3, and I've been testing my water for two days with the following readings :
Ammonia : 0
Nitrite : 0
Nitrates 10ppm
PH 8.2
Temp : 79F.

My ammonia never went over 0.50ppm, my nitrites never over 0.25ppm over the 3 weeks period.

It have 40g total volume of water, chaeto in the refugium with a deep sand bed, 25 lbs of live rock and 20 lbs of base rock. My skimmer has been running all the time. I put carbon in there too.

I used the shrimp method for the cycling.

I have beige algae growing on my glass. I saw a little white worm eating it (large like a hair, an inch long)

So I added a last shrimp yesterday, and keep I'll keep testing my water this week just to be sure but I think everything is ready. I'm a little worried. I was expecting this to take at least the double of time to cycle (6-8 weeks).

So what I plan to do is wait a week, keep testing my water, If the ammonia and Nitrites are still 0, and the Nitrates keep rising, I make a big water change (like 10-15g) then I add my first fishes?

[carey]

That would be correct.

[Greenturtle]

Mine took about 3-4 weeks. I started 6 weeks before it ended cycling, but that is because I didnt know you needed an ammonia source Anyways, what will your first fish be?

[nuwave59]

I'll make my wife and children happy with a pair of false percula 1st.
I plan to add a purple firefish, a randall goby and a coral beauty later, along with shrimps, hermits and snails of course.

[Patrice]

Happen to me to

[Greenturtle]

Originally Posted by nuwave59

I'll make my wife and children happy with a pair of false percula 1st.
I plan to add a purple firefish, a randall goby and a coral beauty later, along with shrimps, hermits and snails of course.

I would not go with the coral beauty if you plan on going reef. All dwarf angelfish can eat corals. People have had them for years, and then one random night it wrecks havoc on your tank. Otherwise it looks good.

[nuwave59]

Thanks for the advice. I plan to go reef, but not this year, or the next. If I do so, I'll just sale the coral beauty.

[nuwave59]

Here's what I plan to do :
1 - Keep testing water everyday to make sure everything stays like this
2 - Thursday : Make a 10g water change.
3 - Friday or Saturday : Buy two false perculas, ask for lots of water
4 - Put the in my bucket with an airstone, use the drop per drop method for
2 hours,
5 - Add them to my tank!

[joy13]

I get to attached to my fish to get rid of one. Catching the fish might mean having to take rock and it will stress the other fish. Think about finding a different besides the coral beauty if you are going to have a reef tank.

[carey]

Originally Posted by nuwave59

Here's what I plan to do :
1 - Keep testing water everyday to make sure everything stays like this
2 - Thursday : Make a 10g water change.
3 - Friday or Saturday : Buy two false perculas, ask for lots of water
4 - Put the in my bucket with an airstone, use the drop per drop method for
2 hours,
5 - Add them to my tank!

Why would you ask for lots of water? That water from the LFS should never ever go into your tank no matter what.

[nuwave59]

No, not tu put in the tank, I want enough of water to put in my bucket for the drop per drop.

[Kio707]

Just need enough to cover the fish.... not a lot.

[nuwave59]

Ok....so someting like 4 inches of water in my bucket would be enough? Then I add drop per drop for like 2 hours then add them in the tank? (without the LFS water :P )

[Kio707]

I would do a quarantine tank before you put them in the display tank. And temp acclimate them in tank for 15-20 min before you drip them.

[nuwave59]

Well since I don't have fish yet in the tank, I will not quarantine them, put I have a spare 10g I will use for quarantine when I add more fish. So, i'll use the drop per drop in my bucket for 2 hours, then put them back in the back, temp acclimate them in the tank and them drip them.

[carey]

Yep, float the bag for about twenty minutes. the put the fish in your bucket and slowly add the tank water over a period of at least an hour. If your bucket gets too full just dump some out and continue.

I use a small painters bucket from hoem depot, its about 4 qts and is a GREAT acclimation vessel. I have several just for this purpose. that way the fish has some water in the bucket so its not laying on its side. lol

A 5g bucket is quite big btw, if thats what you intend on using.

[nuwave59]

No it's a small 2 1/2g bucket

[Kio707]

That will work fine...

[nuwave59]

I cross my fingers I put so much time and money in there, I want it to work perfectly! My readings were the same this morning, smells like Nemos this weekend!

[nuwave59]

Do I need to acclimate snails and hermits like this when I add them?