Is my tank cycled?

[Dghtx832]

Hello everyone,

I set up a 60 gallon AIO tank about 4 weeks ago. I'm doing a fish in tank cycle as my LFS said i could introduce fish as soon as I added a bottle of nitrifying bacteria. I have 2 clowns, 1 valentini puffer, and 1 elegance purple firefish. I been testing ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates every other day for the past 3 weeks and they are all reading 0 across the board. 0 for ammonia, 0 for nitrites, and 0 for nitrates. I'm confused as to whether my tank is truly cycled. Aren't I supposed to have some level of nitrates in the water before it actually is cycled? I am using API saltwater testing kit and I'm cycling my tank with dry rock, live sand, protein skimmer, and filtration system. Lights have remained off for majority of the cycle as I want to avoid algae blooms. What are your thoughts on this?

 

[coastalcoraline5181]

Hello everyone,

I set up a 60 gallon AIO tank about 4 weeks ago. I'm doing a fish in tank cycle as my LFS said i could introduce fish as soon as I added a bottle of nitrifying bacteria. I have 2 clowns, 1 valentini puffer, and 1 elegance purple firefish. I been testing ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates every other day for the past 3 weeks and they are all reading 0 across the board. 0 for ammonia, 0 for nitrites, and 0 for nitrates. I'm confused as to whether my tank is truly cycled. Aren't I supposed to have some level of nitrates in the water before it actually is cycled? I am using API saltwater testing kit and I'm cycling my tank with dry rock, live sand, protein skimmer, and filtration system. Lights have remained off for majority of the cycle as I want to avoid algae blooms. What are your thoughts on this?

hi! i would say it's done cycling, my tank bottomed out for a bit once it was done and then i just naturally increased the nitrates by feeding more, especially because i have corals that need some nitrates in the water column. before mine bottomed out, my nitrates were reading like 50 most days. the nitrates should go up again over time but if they're absolutely zero right now, i'd say it's done, especially with that extra boost from the added bacteria and having the fish in there during it

 

[Dghtx832]

Thank you for your response and sharing some of your information.
I never read any ammonia or nitrites though, which is what is scaring me. I’m wondering if the bioload is enough to have even kick started the nitrogen cycle.
At this point would you consider it safe to add a hardy coral like gsp?

 

[coastalcoraline5181]

Thank you for your response and sharing some of your information.
I never read any ammonia or nitrites though, which is what is scaring me. I’m wondering if the bioload is enough to have even kick started the nitrogen cycle.
At this point would you consider it safe to add a hardy coral like gsp?

i've definitely heard about other people having the same experience and it seems safe in my opinion, it could very well be the fact that it took a very short time to cycle due to the bioload, therefore not giving you really any major readings, especially at this point weeks later. i've seen users on here report using an additive and only needing about a week to fully cycle. not that anyone should do what i did, but i'll be honest, before i knew better, i added my clowns into a brand new tank literally within 24 hours, while using a bio additive with live sand and dry rock, and im lucky to say the clowns are thriving 4 months later. however, that was just my experience so i definitely do recommend going slow and adding something hardy and see how it goes. probably a good idea to leave it in there for a few days (with the light, and if you see an algae bloom then you have a better idea of the bioload within the water column, sometimes the blooms are inevitable with new tanks) and take it from there. i do wanna note that the api kits aren't the best with their readings, and it seems like it's also possible that may be giving an inaccurate reading but if you want to double check before adding anything, i really recommend the hanna checkers or even a salifert kit which is what i use :)

 

[jlong11]

Couple questions

Did you start the tank with live rock?
Did you use live sand?
What kind of bacteria did you use to Kickstart the cycle and how much?
You started tested after the cycle was going for 1 week?

All thses factors could impact the reason you haven't seen and ammonia or nitrites if you didn't test the first week it is possible the cycle happend quickly within the first week depending on how you started it and what type of rock, sand and bacteria was used.

The fact that you have 4 fish in the tank and they are still alive leads me to believe that it has at least got past the first stages of the cycle. The reason you aren't seeing any nitrates could be due to several reasons like how much you feed and how often. Have you done any water changes in the first 4 weeks or not.

Lastly adding coral this early on will likely be recommended against by most that have any level of experience with coral due to the tank being so new and not having a chance to settle in and establish any major bacteria colonies as well as other healthy algeas and such. It is possible a hardy coral like gsp could survive but usually patience in this hobby pays dividends in the end because as you grow in the hobby it will be needed in many cases.

Best of luck with the new tank it is very exciting and I can completely understand the desire to fill the tank with life and want to watch it grow it is the reason I have my own!

 

[MnFish1]

Hello everyone,

I set up a 60 gallon AIO tank about 4 weeks ago. I'm doing a fish in tank cycle as my LFS said i could introduce fish as soon as I added a bottle of nitrifying bacteria. I have 2 clowns, 1 valentini puffer, and 1 elegance purple firefish. I been testing ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates every other day for the past 3 weeks and they are all reading 0 across the board. 0 for ammonia, 0 for nitrites, and 0 for nitrates. I'm confused as to whether my tank is truly cycled. Aren't I supposed to have some level of nitrates in the water before it actually is cycled? I am using API saltwater testing kit and I'm cycling my tank with dry rock, live sand, protein skimmer, and filtration system. Lights have remained off for majority of the cycle as I want to avoid algae blooms. What are your thoughts on this?

If your nitrates are 0. Its impossible to 'know' - however - given that its 4 weeks, there are fish there, there is no detectable ammonia (and the fish are fine) - means that things are going in the right direction at a minimum. I would caution you to stop adding fish - You already have added quite a bit - and I'm assuming you didn't quarantine them? Watch for gradual increase in nitrates.

Additionally, when you have a test that doesn't entirely make sense, the first step should be to double check all of the results with another set of test kits. It could be you're doing something wrong (no offense) or there are problems with some of the tests. Some are easier to read than others - which brand are you using? In your case I would especially recheck your ammonia - as well as nitrate.

I do not have a problem adding coral - coral is put into fresh frag tanks all the time. The question would be whether you have the knowledge as to which coral to get and how to care for it, whether you're planning to dose calcium and alkalinity, etc. Soft corals are easier than hard corals. If I were you - I would slow down, wait just a bit and see what happens with your testing before going with coral. As others have asked - what bacterial product did you use