Cycling an Aquarium

LagunaGlide

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 9, 2017
Messages
564
Reaction score
292
Location
Harrisburg, PA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
For cycling, the API kit is just fine and what I normally recommend. No reason to spend more for a test kit that will get used for a few weeks unless you are going to set up a few tanks.

Just keep in mind that the ammonia test may read 0.25ppm even if actually ammonia is 0ppm and that the nitrate test will not be accurate if you have any nitrites.


Most likely they are either being processed at a rate faster than they are being generated or you have a nice population of Nitrospira bacteria that convert ammonia directly to nitrate. Using Dr Tims, either is possible.


Not a requirement. As long as you won't be adding sensitive inverts your nitrates are just fine. Nitrites are not important in a marine system.


I actually recommend adding chaeto (or other macro algae) prior to adding fish but after the tank is cycled. The biggest benefit is that it will process ammonia directly just like your now cycled rock. It may not do much to reduce nitrates initially since you may be PO4 limited. If you do have enough PO4 in your system this is very cost effective compared to doing a large water change for a system your size.

Just remember, no starfish, urchins, or anemone's until you get your nitrates stable. They don't necessarily need to be low, just stable.


Awesome thank you. I was thinking about it, and it really seemed like a good idea to get the Chaeto a jump start and reduce Nitrates, but wasn't sure it would actually work. Glad to hear. Sounds like I need to get some chaeto ordered.
 
OP
OP
Brew12

Brew12

Electrical Gru
View Badges
Joined
Aug 14, 2016
Messages
22,488
Reaction score
61,020
Location
Decatur, AL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Awesome thank you. I was thinking about it, and it really seemed like a good idea to get the Chaeto a jump start and reduce Nitrates, but wasn't sure it would actually work. Glad to hear. Sounds like I need to get some chaeto ordered.
If you have a local reef club you might be able to get some for free. It amazes me how much of this stuff gets thrown away every year and yet it seems to often be out of stock online.
 

LagunaGlide

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 9, 2017
Messages
564
Reaction score
292
Location
Harrisburg, PA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
If you have a local reef club you might be able to get some for free. It amazes me how much of this stuff gets thrown away every year and yet it seems to often be out of stock online.

Ya my only concern there is ich. Planning to remain super diligint to keep ich away until I lose that battle inevitably.
 
OP
OP
Brew12

Brew12

Electrical Gru
View Badges
Joined
Aug 14, 2016
Messages
22,488
Reaction score
61,020
Location
Decatur, AL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Ya my only concern there is ich. Planning to remain super diligint to keep ich away until I lose that battle inevitably.
I've been running my system for 18 months and haven't lost that battle yet, but it is a valid concern.

Fortunately, Ich cannot attach to the chaeto itself. The only risk would be free swimmers. Velvet is the real concern since it can survive for a few weeks without a fish host. It is also a concern, even if you buy "clean chaeto" online. The best thing to do is rinse it very well with tank water. If you don't feel good with that, you can put it in a bucket of water with a light for 15 days prior to putting it in your system. That way if you don't get any parasites rinsed off, they will have starved off by then.
 

LagunaGlide

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 9, 2017
Messages
564
Reaction score
292
Location
Harrisburg, PA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I've been running my system for 18 months and haven't lost that battle yet, but it is a valid concern.

Fortunately, Ich cannot attach to the chaeto itself. The only risk would be free swimmers. Velvet is the real concern since it can survive for a few weeks without a fish host. It is also a concern, even if you buy "clean chaeto" online. The best thing to do is rinse it very well with tank water. If you don't feel good with that, you can put it in a bucket of water with a light for 15 days prior to putting it in your system. That way if you don't get any parasites rinsed off, they will have starved off by then.

Awesome tip. Thanks Again! I tried to reach out to my local reef club and had someone tell me that my system definitely doesn't have the nutrients for Chaeto since I just set up. I am glad your first hand experience says otherwise.
 
OP
OP
Brew12

Brew12

Electrical Gru
View Badges
Joined
Aug 14, 2016
Messages
22,488
Reaction score
61,020
Location
Decatur, AL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Awesome tip. Thanks Again! I tried to reach out to my local reef club and had someone tell me that my system definitely doesn't have the nutrients for Chaeto since I just set up. I am glad your first hand experience says otherwise.
Just to be clear... I didn't say your system did have enough nutrients for Chaeto. I did say this....
It may not do much to reduce nitrates initially since you may be PO4 limited. If you do have enough PO4 in your system this is very cost effective compared to doing a large water change for a system your size.

However, it isn't a big deal if your system doesn't, the worst that happens is that the Chaeto dies off or just doesn't grow. Without knowing more about how you cycled your aquarium I can't say one way or another if you have enough PO4 to support the Chaeto.
 

LagunaGlide

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 9, 2017
Messages
564
Reaction score
292
Location
Harrisburg, PA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'm gonna give the full low-down on how this has gone. I had .5 ammonia and it has gone down to zero. I took a water sample to the LFS and they think I had a mini-cycle and that I should still expect a large cycle due to the sand.

I bought the system (240Gal DT) setup at the end of December. I brought the rock home and it went into a large tub with heat and circulation. The rock (about 300 lbs) has been in the tubs up until last week. I had been ghost feeding the rock atleast once a week due to the large amount of brittle stars I saw as well as some pods. I tested the water fairly often and ammonia never really spiked in the sump with rock. I did a water change of 50% on the sump about 2-3 weeks ago due to high nitrates (about 100ppm). I did my scape and in doing so transferred about 80% of the rock to the DT. A week later (4 days ago) I added the sand and added a small bottle of Dr. Tims one and Only as well as 5 capfuls of prime just in case. I tested for ammonia a few hours after adding sand etc and it was at .50. 2 Days later it was back down to 0 ammonia, 0 Nitrites, and around 40 Nitrates.

Had LFS confirm these numbers because I wasn't sure if my test was still good as I think it's kind of old. They said I had 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrites, around 40-50 Nitrates, and 0 Phosphates (that one surprised me). They said my bacteria has to grow all the way through my sand bed, and I should expect to see a large cycle and I should wait and test at least a week for any changes. I ghost fed the tank some pellets last night, and this morning I have 0 ammonia. I ghost fed again this morning and will test when I get home.

I would like to mention since the DT has been setup I have seen some little snails, some brittle stars on the glass, and even saw what I believe to be a micro shrimp yesterday. I don't know how well these things would/could survive with all that is going on.

So the short of it. Should I expect a cycle? Is it possible for it to have cycled that fast already with the way things have progressed?
 
OP
OP
Brew12

Brew12

Electrical Gru
View Badges
Joined
Aug 14, 2016
Messages
22,488
Reaction score
61,020
Location
Decatur, AL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'm gonna give the full low-down on how this has gone. I had .5 ammonia and it has gone down to zero. I took a water sample to the LFS and they think I had a mini-cycle and that I should still expect a large cycle due to the sand.

I bought the system (240Gal DT) setup at the end of December. I brought the rock home and it went into a large tub with heat and circulation. The rock (about 300 lbs) has been in the tubs up until last week. I had been ghost feeding the rock atleast once a week due to the large amount of brittle stars I saw as well as some pods. I tested the water fairly often and ammonia never really spiked in the sump with rock. I did a water change of 50% on the sump about 2-3 weeks ago due to high nitrates (about 100ppm). I did my scape and in doing so transferred about 80% of the rock to the DT. A week later (4 days ago) I added the sand and added a small bottle of Dr. Tims one and Only as well as 5 capfuls of prime just in case. I tested for ammonia a few hours after adding sand etc and it was at .50. 2 Days later it was back down to 0 ammonia, 0 Nitrites, and around 40 Nitrates.

Had LFS confirm these numbers because I wasn't sure if my test was still good as I think it's kind of old. They said I had 0 Ammonia, 0 Nitrites, around 40-50 Nitrates, and 0 Phosphates (that one surprised me). They said my bacteria has to grow all the way through my sand bed, and I should expect to see a large cycle and I should wait and test at least a week for any changes. I ghost fed the tank some pellets last night, and this morning I have 0 ammonia. I ghost fed again this morning and will test when I get home.

I would like to mention since the DT has been setup I have seen some little snails, some brittle stars on the glass, and even saw what I believe to be a micro shrimp yesterday. I don't know how well these things would/could survive with all that is going on.

So the short of it. Should I expect a cycle? Is it possible for it to have cycled that fast already with the way things have progressed?
No, you shouldn't expect a cycle. I'm actually surprised you saw the 0.5 reading. My opinion is that the sand bed plays a very minor role in the nitrate cycle. Most of the nitrifying bacteria will be on the rock and it sounds like you had that well cycled prior to adding it to the DT.
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
View Badges
Joined
Dec 9, 2014
Messages
29,486
Reaction score
23,571
Location
tejas
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Good call. One of the verifiers we use in assessing skip cycle rock (the kind not to add ammonia to) is the presence of live animals. Though it’s technically possible for pods to be crawling across uncycled rock, recently submerged, the verifiers tend to come in plural and if fed the live rock often shows presence of little fanworms or sponges or coralline, then it’s a very sealed deal the rock is cycled without having to test it. It was neat that benthic verifiers other than coralline were present above
 

LagunaGlide

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 9, 2017
Messages
564
Reaction score
292
Location
Harrisburg, PA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
No, you shouldn't expect a cycle. I'm actually surprised you saw the 0.5 reading. My opinion is that the sand bed plays a very minor role in the nitrate cycle. Most of the nitrifying bacteria will be on the rock and it sounds like you had that well cycled prior to adding it to the DT.

This was my thought, and the sole reasoning I kept it well circulated and heated plus the ghost feeding. I figured I could avoid much of a cycle if I managed the rock properly. I am going to go ahead and wait a week before moving my fish back into the tank for safety sake. I have a friend keeping a Purple tang, a sailfin tang, a yellow tang, and 3 clowns for me while I got it all set up. I would HATE to lose anyone due to me rushing things regardless of how "safe" I think my process was.
 

LagunaGlide

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 9, 2017
Messages
564
Reaction score
292
Location
Harrisburg, PA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Good call. One of the verifiers we use in assessing skip cycle rock (the kind not to add ammonia to) is the presence of live animals. Though it’s technically possible for pods to be crawling across uncycled rock, recently submerged, the verifiers tend to come in plural and if fed the live rock often shows presence of little fanworms or sponges or coralline, then it’s a very sealed deal the rock is cycled without having to test it. It was neat that benthic verifiers other than coralline were present above

I have to add to that there was a TON of cup coral before I disturbed the rock for building my scape. On the rock still in the sump there is a ton of sponges of different types as well. Certain pieces of rock I left in the sump solely due to the amount of sponge and life on them. I didn't want to kill it by leaving it out in the air while the cement set. Some of the sponge present now was not present when I initially brought it home. There is one in particular that is really neat. It's a dark purple ball shape. I wanted to move it to the DT, but decided not to to keep it alive. There was also another strange coral shaped thing that I thought was aptasia, but when I asked about it here was told it was a type of coral due to the visible skeleton. This rock has been teaming with life for some time now.
 
OP
OP
Brew12

Brew12

Electrical Gru
View Badges
Joined
Aug 14, 2016
Messages
22,488
Reaction score
61,020
Location
Decatur, AL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
This was my thought, and the sole reasoning I kept it well circulated and heated plus the ghost feeding. I figured I could avoid much of a cycle if I managed the rock properly. I am going to go ahead and wait a week before moving my fish back into the tank for safety sake. I have a friend keeping a Purple tang, a sailfin tang, a yellow tang, and 3 clowns for me while I got it all set up. I would HATE to lose anyone due to me rushing things regardless of how "safe" I think my process was.
That is a lot of bioload to add all at once. I would consider adding the clowns for a few week and then look at moving the Tangs if that works.

If you have a sump, adding macro algae would be a great idea prior to adding fish.
 

LagunaGlide

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 9, 2017
Messages
564
Reaction score
292
Location
Harrisburg, PA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
That is a lot of bioload to add all at once. I would consider adding the clowns for a few week and then look at moving the Tangs if that works.

If you have a sump, adding macro algae would be a great idea prior to adding fish.

Planning to get some chaeto tomorrow actually. I thought the same thing about clowns first. Hopefully it works out that way with catching them.

Thanks again for the assist
 

Joe Batt

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 15, 2017
Messages
495
Reaction score
286
Location
Dubai
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I tried to get some ammonium chloride to cycle my dead rocks, but I am in the Middle East and its not so easy to find. With using a shrimp, how long should you leave the shrimp in the water for? It will take a long time to decompose completely and at some stage, it will become counterproductive.
 
OP
OP
Brew12

Brew12

Electrical Gru
View Badges
Joined
Aug 14, 2016
Messages
22,488
Reaction score
61,020
Location
Decatur, AL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I tried to get some ammonium chloride to cycle my dead rocks, but I am in the Middle East and its not so easy to find. With using a shrimp, how long should you leave the shrimp in the water for? It will take a long time to decompose completely and at some stage, it will become counterproductive.
I never pulled mine out when I did it that way. I let the snails and crabs I added finish it off.
Can you get cleaning ammonia without soap or scents? That works very well, also.
 

Joe Batt

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 15, 2017
Messages
495
Reaction score
286
Location
Dubai
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I am cycling new acid/bleached cleaned dry rocks in a trash can they will be moved before any cuc. When they are cycled I am refreshing the old tank and moving to Triton. The whole reason behind this was that my current tank has been slowly, slowly crashing and it has a few pests ie aptasia and a red wire algae that is annoying.
 

tjscott46

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jan 15, 2016
Messages
119
Reaction score
76
Location
Altus, Ok
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I need a some help reading my Red Sea test kits while trying to cycle my first tank. Ph is at 8.2 using RODI at 1.025 and 78 degrees. Any help would be appreciated


cbf051ab490e0f661559c74d84d736b1.jpg
df84c5ad00daf8d5293a1342baccc537.jpg
05213bd185762ae6aa0b21ae3ed78179.jpg
 
OP
OP
Brew12

Brew12

Electrical Gru
View Badges
Joined
Aug 14, 2016
Messages
22,488
Reaction score
61,020
Location
Decatur, AL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I need a some help reading my Red Sea test kits while trying to cycle my first tank. Ph is at 8.2 using RODI at 1.025 and 78 degrees. Any help would be appreciated


cbf051ab490e0f661559c74d84d736b1.jpg
df84c5ad00daf8d5293a1342baccc537.jpg
05213bd185762ae6aa0b21ae3ed78179.jpg

Looks like you are doing just fine! Since you have nitrites it will throw off the nitrate test and make it read high. As for pH, don't worry about it. Looks like your cycle is well on its way.
 

Radco2003

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 1, 2018
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hi everyone i'm after some knowledge please my tank Spec Below:
Red Sea Reefer 525XL
4 X Coral Moon Box Led
Bubble Magus G7 Skimmer
Jebao DCQ-5000 Return Pump
50kg Live Rock (30kg from my old tank which was still running that has now been transfered)
New Dry Sand
Jebao CP-40 Wave Maker
Jebao SW-4 Wave Makers x2
TMC Vecton 600 UV
TMR75 Phosban Reactor
Carbon Reactor
5KG Siporax in sump
Seneye Reef

Readings from today tank is 18 Days old i used ATM Colony to give it a boost
Tempreture = 25.5
PH = 8.28
Ammonia = 0.005
Nitrite = 0.50
Nitrate = 10.0
Phosphate = 0.10
Salinity = 1.025
Alkalinity = 8.2DKH
Calcium = 480
Silicate = 0.40

I have brown diatoms on sand bed and some of the rocks when will i know when the cycle is complete?
I do have another large bottle of ATM Colony as well
 
Back
Top