Cycling a 10 gallon aquarium

jgoad92 · Aug 13, 2017

I just realized I had a bottle of jungle start zyme laying around. It says it can be used for both fresh and saltwater so I went ahead and threw it in to try it before I go out and buy something else.
Is that stuff any good or is it just a waste of time?

jgoad92 · Aug 17, 2017

Well I just checked and the ammonia is at about zero now and the nitrates are between 40 and 80 ppm so I guess it's slowly getting cycled.
How much longer do you think I have until it's cycled with where the levels are at?

Invader_Moose · Aug 17, 2017

Just want to say nothing good happens fast and that patience is a large portion of this hobby. Have you started to see any brown dusting on the rocks/sands? I'm concerned about the amount of nutrients you'll have after a high ammonia dose and fueling initial algae and diatom blooms. Many would not consider a tank initially cycled for a month if not 2 or 3. Nitrates in that young of a tank and really most tanks will be removed with a water change. Small tanks are prone to spikes. What inhabitants are you planning?

Big G · Aug 17, 2017

jgoad92 said:
Well I just checked and the ammonia is at about zero now and the nitrates are between 40 and 80 ppm so I guess it's slowly getting cycled.
How much longer do you think I have until it's cycled with where the levels are at?

On my tanks from starting with Bio-Spira and Ammonia dosing at 1 ppm. It takes just a few days for ammonia to go to zero; takes about 19-20 days for the nitrites to go to zero with daily dosing of ammonia at 1 ppm. So after about 20 days I start doing big water changes because the nitrate is real high. After a few days of big water changes and the tank is down to about 5-10 ppm nitrates it's time to slowly start adding livestock, corals, etc. Slowly. Think about how much bio-load each animal contributes. Big fish = big bio-load; small fish = small bio-load. Your mileage will vary. Keep testing nitrates as you add animals.

jgoad92 · Aug 17, 2017

Invader_Moose said:
Just want to say nothing good happens fast and that patience is a large portion of this hobby. Have you started to see any brown dusting on the rocks/sands? I'm concerned about the amount of nutrients you'll have after a high ammonia dose and fueling initial algae and diatom blooms. Many would not consider a tank initially cycled for a month if not 2 or 3. Nitrates in that young of a tank and really most tanks will be removed with a water change. Small tanks are prone to spikes. What inhabitants are you planning?

I was thinking one or two clown fish and then a clean up crew. I haven't decided what to get for the clean up crew yet. And later on I might get corals but I don't have a light for those right now.

Invader_Moose · Aug 17, 2017

Nice, a pair of clowns should do well. A cleaner shrimp or peppermint, cerith snails for the sand and some red banded trocus or astrea snails would be good candidates for clean up crew.
Just give the tank time when you start to see diatoms and 0 ammonia and nitrite you'll know you're ready to add clean up crew like snails.

jgoad92 · Aug 17, 2017

Invader_Moose said:
Nice, a pair of clowns should do well. A cleaner shrimp or peppermint, cerith snails for the sand and some red banded trocus or astrea snails would be good candidates for clean up crew.
Just give the tank time when you start to see diatoms and 0 ammonia and nitrite you'll know you're ready to add clean up crew like snails.

What do diatoms look like? What should I be looking for?

Big G · Aug 18, 2017

Light to dark Brown powdery splotches on the sand and rock. Just let it be. It's part of the aquarium cycling.

jgoad92 · Aug 18, 2017

Big G said:
Light to dark Brown powdery splotches on the sand and rock. Just let it be. It's part of the aquarium cycling.

Will it still appear even though I don't currently have a light on the aquarium?

Big G · Aug 18, 2017

jgoad92 · Aug 18, 2017

Ok well I guess I will just try to be patient until I start seeing it

Big G · Aug 18, 2017

Yep and then the "green" cycle will start

jgoad92 · Aug 18, 2017

Big G said:
Yep and then the "green" cycle will start

What is the "green" cycle? What should I know about that?

Big G · Aug 18, 2017

Just one more of the cycles all tanks go through. Here's some great info. About half way through is the info on the various cycles. Cheers & enjoy!
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/t...-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/#post-1603526

jgoad92 · Aug 18, 2017

Ok thanks. According to that article I should have a light set up for that stage of the cycle. I guess I need to go ahead and try to find a decent cheap marine light without spending too much? Any recommendations?

jgoad92 · Aug 18, 2017

I found this bulb that I could just put in a regular desktop lamp would this be sufficient for the cycle and possibly using it to grow coral?

Invader_Moose · Aug 18, 2017

Actually before doing any lighting. I would suggest letting the tank finish the initial cycle and do a large water change, try and get Nitrates and Phosphate to an undectable level. This will limit the length and severity of the "green" phase quickly and set your tank up for a good start. Highly recommend the BRS160 tank guide on YouTube, more info then you'll ever need to know.

Big G · Aug 18, 2017

jgoad92 said:
Ok thanks. According to that article I should have a light set up for that stage of the cycle. I guess I need to go ahead and try to find a decent cheap marine light without spending too much? Any recommendations?

Yep. Turn on the lights! Lots of people use those lights on small tanks, sumps, refugiums. Many use those "clamp light" fixtures you can buy at Home Depot, Lowes. Careful it doesn't fall into the tank! Yikes!