mini cycle question

[nater]

so , i think i jumped the gun on adding about 20 pounds of new Marco rock into my tank too early i think and i am getting a mini cycle. i cycled or thought i did for about 3 weeks. maybe less though. i through in some live rock i had and put water from my tank into the bucket and let it simmer. checked all params needed for a cycle and everything was good so i put two pieces in the sump and one into the main display. starting to see some algae bloom happening on my glass and on some frags / frag disks. my question would be

- Should i wait it out and leave the rock in the tank to go through the cycle or should i pull the rock out and let it cycle outside the tank?
- Am i going to run into problems with the algae taking over or is my routine of water changes and running carbon and gfo going to be sufficient?

Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated

 

[VegasRick]

What kind of cycle are you talking about? Algae? Ammonia? What color algae?
Usually after a tank cycles you get a diatom bloom (brown algae), and thats pretty normal and burns itself out quick. Google it for some pictures.
If you are testing positive for ammonia, are there any fish or corals in the tank?

 

[nater]

tank is fully established sps dominated 225 with a 75 gallon sump. i have about 200 pounds of live rock in the tank before adding the 20 pounds. yes its basically brown algae. basically what you would see if you added something that wasn't fully cured/live into the display. i have not check the main diplay for any ammonia , nitrite , ect. i have about 15 fish in the tank now.

 

[Aquaph8]

I would imagine the new rock is just leaching some phosphate and you'll just have to go throught the algae cycle until its done. I wouldn't think you would get an ammonia spike from 20# of rock but it wouldn't hurt to test. Wouldn't hurt to pull it and cycle it in a trashcan either, just test the trashcan for PO4 and do water changes until it comes down.

 

[nater]

Gotcha , I was leaning towards pulling the rock and letting finish outside the tank. I have 15 gallons being made up and I'll do a small water change and put the rock back in the bucket and let it cure / cycle for another 3 weeks. Do u think this will stop the algae bloom?

 

[Aquaph8]

I think you may still get some algae from what already leached but it'll be less that way.

 

[VegasRick]

Do you think that the rock is leaching phosphates?

 

[_sludgefactory]

I would let the rock in. Any time you add something you're going to have a mini cycle. You're basically changing the environment and the tank has to adjust. I feel like if you pull the rock and put it back in you may just have another cycle. No matter what you do your not going to be able to create an identical environment as to what is already in your tank. So there will be an adjustment period either way. Even if you don't notice it.



Tank thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81000

LG P999 EaglesBlood 2.8, Trinity ELPmax

 

[Aquaph8]

I agree, but I also think it can be better after being cycled for a while. Dry rock always has some level of dead stuff in it that shows its ugly face once added to water. Letting it stew while doing waterchanges should help a lot especially when an established tank full of SPS is envolved.

 

[nater]

Don't think the rock is leaching phosphates. I've had great results with Marco rock and never had a problem with algae on the rock itself. I get the fact that any time I add something in established I would get a mini cycle. I may just leave it in then. I think I am just over thinking things. As long as no one here thinks I I will crash the tank! Lol

 

[nater]

I agree, but I also think it can be better after being cycled for a while. Dry rock always has some level of dead stuff in it that shows its ugly face once added to water. Letting it stew while doing waterchanges should help a lot especially when an established tank full of SPS is envolved.

I hear this. That was why I was a little concerned. I did two water changes with tank water and then fresh salt on the rock while it was in the bucket. The Marco seams to be fairly free of dead matter. I'm on the fence now! Lol.

 

[_sludgefactory]

I get blooms every now and again just from messing around in my tank. Stir up a little detritus from taking out a rock out a colony on the sand. Next day out 2 have some diatoms, then they clear up. I'm willing to bet my 5 year old sand has more detritus than that Marco rock. I have a lot of sps and never had any issues. It's your tank though so do what you feel is best.



Tank thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81000

LG P999 EaglesBlood 2.8, Trinity ELPmax

 

[Aquaph8]

When it comes down to it, its a pretty small amount of rock, Im sure its fine. I just like to operate on the side of paranoia.

 

[_sludgefactory]

I guess I'm kinda thinking in the opposite manner. You know, some times you mess with something too much and either it gets worse or you drive yourself nuts. Lol



Tank thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81000

LG P999 EaglesBlood 2.8, Trinity ELPmax

 

[nater]

This is why I love this forum. U get both sides of the spectrum which in my eyes the best of both worlds. I'm going to observe what happens here in next two days as far as the bloom on the glass. So far it's just in the glass and not in much else except a couple frag plugs. Which I am not excited about. I definitely here the reasoning on having more detritus in my sand then the rock for sure. And I also take huge consideration of being on the safe side. Appreciate the insight and help.

 

[_sludgefactory]

I think that's why people like all of us joined. That's why i like it here too, you can have varied opinions and no mostly no one is going to fight with you. Life with what Aquaph8 was talking about, I'm sure his idea works and i can see his side of it really and I'm sure that's what he has done in the past. I can totally see how that would work though. As im sure he could see how my idea would work too. So maybe best thing to do us like you said. Watch it, see what happens and if necessary pull the rocks it. It's like the best of both world.

In face I'm even going to be coming up on a some what similar situation. I have to move soon and I'm debating on just replacing my sand it keeping it. I know if i keep it, I'm going to stir up all kinds of crap but i hate to lose the bio diversity.


Tank thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81000

LG P999 EaglesBlood 2.8, Trinity ELPmax

 

[nater]

Totally here u man. R2r is IMO filled with respectful hobbiest. If i remember correctly aqua has a solid system going so I deff respect his opinion as i do yours. Saw your tank, looks sick. I will keep the thread going on the basis of seeing what will happen or not. As for your move , maybe do some vacuuming in an area when doing a water change. so u can remove detritus. Then just take that sand out and add that to your new systems sand. Sucks, but sand is like a nitrate bomb if we don't vacuum as a regular routine. Good luck on that though.

 

[_sludgefactory]

Well my plan is to get a 54 gallon bin from home depot and have it set up and ready to go for all my stuff. I may put the sand in some tank water and rinse it out a few times before i set everything back up. I want to take my time so i can get some serium oxide and try to bid some of the scratches out of my front glass. So i plan on having the tub set up for several weeks at least. Then i figure frag tank when I'm done with the tub. Bonus!



Tank thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81000

LG P999 EaglesBlood 2.8, Trinity ELPmax

 

[nater]

Sounds good dk. So as of now I am still getting a small amount of brown diatom on the glass. Nothing crazy. All Params check out just fine. I'm going to leave the rock in. No diatom has hit the sand and the one piece of rock I put under lights in the display is fine. No diatom and no other algae on it as of now. See how it goes in the next week.

 

[_sludgefactory]

I still get mini blooms every once in a while if I stir up the sand bed or blast detritus from the rock. Usually gone in a day.



Tank thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81000

LG P999 EaglesBlood 2.8, Trinity ELPmax