Fishless Cycle help

[oKrazyii]

So I’m doing a fishless (minus 1 coral my friend gave me that we have no idea what it is and I’m almost 100% sure it died but I was expecting that) cycle on my 29gal tank, I added “microbe lift special blend” along with “topfin readistart” and also left a little food In the tank to help the ammonia. The first day my ammonia tested at .25ppm, second day it tested .50ppm and both times I’m testing 0 nitrite and nitrate, did I do something wrong? Should I add more food for more ammonia for the bacteria or just wait and eventually I’ll start seeing some nitrites and stuff? Picture for a better idea of what’s in the tank (also if this coral is 100% dead please let me know because I have no clue but I had no setup tank to put it in and have no idea what it even is lol) I also plan to add more rocks just trying to save the money up because they’re very expensive

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

The tank is cycling, it takes a couple of weeks. The ammonia will rise then drop as nitrite rises, then drops as nitrate rises. Testing every day will drive you nuts, just test every 2-3 days.

IMO the tank needs more rock, should have 25-35 lbs of rock in that tank. It also needs a powerhead for flow, hob filter doesn't provide adequate flow by itself. Focus on preparing the tank properly while it cycles.

Give this article a good read, its a good introductory article that goes over the basics.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/

 

[oKrazyii]

The tank is cycling, it takes a couple of weeks. The ammonia will rise then drop as nitrite rises, then drops as nitrate rises. Testing every day will drive you nuts, just test every 2-3 days.

IMO the tank needs more rock, should have 25-35 lbs of rock in that tank. It also needs a powerhead for flow, hob filter doesn't provide adequate flow by itself. Focus on preparing the tank properly while it cycles.

Give this article a good read, its a good introductory article that goes over the basics.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/

Yeah I plan to get a seachem tidal power filter with the surface skimmer, a sow-4 jebao wavemaker (which I think is the same as a power head? Idk I’m very new) and I’m trying to find where to get a good light that sticks to the hood but idk what kind to even get, and I only have 1 place around me that’s 45mins away that sells live rock and it’s pretty expensive, and I can’t seem to find any good sites to get it from, so I’m just saving a little bit before I get it lol but more rock will be added before any fish get put into the tank

 

[oKrazyii]

The tank is cycling, it takes a couple of weeks. The ammonia will rise then drop as nitrite rises, then drops as nitrate rises. Testing every day will drive you nuts, just test every 2-3 days.

IMO the tank needs more rock, should have 25-35 lbs of rock in that tank. It also needs a powerhead for flow, hob filter doesn't provide adequate flow by itself. Focus on preparing the tank properly while it cycles.

Give this article a good read, its a good introductory article that goes over the basics.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-supreme-guide-to-setting-up-a-saltwater-reef-aquarium.138750/

Oh scratch that, after a little more reading I’ll probably need a power head before a wave maker I thought they did the same thing but I guess not lol

 

[oKrazyii]

So I’m on day 6 of my fishless cycle, I’ve added the Topfin readistart for the first 5 days (it’s for nitrifying the water so I assume it’s ok to do while no fish are in the tank also) today I’m testing roughly between .50 and 1ppm, 0 nitrite and possibly between 5.0 and 10pm nitrate? Idk the yellows kinda hard to differentiate from but I’m wondering if the cycle seems to be doing what it should or if I have too much ammonia in the tank? I figured with adding the readistart I should’ve started to see less ammonia by now but it seems to still be sitting at the same level, I’ve read that I shouldn’t do a water change or add ammo lock or anything like that but just want to make sure my cycle is still on the right path. Tank temp is at 80 with lots of micro bubbles and no light to help bacterial growth

 

[mpatterson42]

You're doing fine, just be patient. You probably have nitrite in your system, just not enough for your kit to detect. Nitrite in your system will cause your nitrate kit to show nitrates, but it's not accurate. You need to wait until your nitrites spike (usually between 2ppm and 4ppm) and then go back to 0 before trusting the nitrate numbers. Just keep testing daily for ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.