Nearly finished with cycle... What now?

[sporeefer]

Hello!

I started my 60g cube with dry rock, sand and a little bit of live aragonite.. That sat around for about 2 weeks, then I added a bottle of bacteria, and a day or so after that I dosed to ~1.5 ppm ammonia (i finally received my test kit). Then I watched and tested. On day 15 after dosing, my ammonia was finally down to 0, nitrites ~1, and nitrates had been fluctuating around 10-20. I dosed ammonia to 1.5 again, and after at most 18 hours it was back to zero, with nitrites 1ish, nitrates ~20. That's where I'm at.

I went ahead and checked other params as well just now, dkh ~6.5... pH was hard to read (red sea test kit) because it was a watery purple color that doesn't closely match anything on the card (closest to 8.2 purple?). I should just get a meter. It was 9 when I first dosed... then I didn't check again until now. Hm.

Anyhow - I have definitely seen an increase in nitrates but I don't think I've ever measured an appreciable decrease in nitirites since they started showing up.

I'm assuming I should wait for nitrites to come down.. Do I have to keep bumping up ammonia in the interim to keep all the bacteria happy? Once nitrites and ammonia are zero, I'm thinking i'd maybe dose one more time and see if nitrites get eliminated quickly... Then a big water change and take the next step...

So what would be next? I don't have any algae, except brown diatom spots on the sand and rock but it's not really getting any worse... So would snails have anything to eat? Would I get a fish or two and some snails? What about a cleaner shrimp or something..

As for first fish - I have my dreams of the fish I want to have, but they're expensive... I'll be a liiittle nervous to drop coin on what I really want and add them as my first inhabitants... but at the same time, I really don't want to buy and incorporate fish that I don't like or intend to keep. Should I just go for it? I want a pair of black ice snowflake clowns, and then a white tail bristletooth tang - in whatever order seems appropriate. Plus a cleaner shrimp and maybe a goby or blenny of some kind?

Please advise

PHEW I just dumped on you all but I have nobody else to talk to about this stuff.

Thanks for any input!

 

[Dierks]

Well to me it sounds like you are doing all the right moves!! Also sounds like the tank is ready for the first occupant. As far as clean up crew goes, I would say you can wait just a little bit until you need them if you have someplace local you can go grab them. Otherwise you might want to think about ordering a CUC in the next few weeks once you have something in the tank creating ammonia and can get a the cycle consistently in motion.

Until then yes, you have to make sure you are giving your nitrates and nitrites something to snack on until you have something that can do the feeding for you. (fish poop or other waste) so continue to do what you are doing.

In regards you how you want to start and with what fish that will be completely your call!! I think you should get something you will want to keep as it is always fun to have your first fish for a long time!!

Do you large water change after your last dosing of ammonia when it hits zero again and you are all set!! Good luck and you are taking all the right steps!!

Oh, as long as that PH is above 8.1 you should be all good! If not, get some air going into the tank by either getting the powerheads to break the water more, open windows or you can run a fresh air line into the skimmer. Or of cours eyou can use SodaAsh!!

 

[Jamo7]

Get yourself a fish man! Your ready to roll.

 

[sporeefer]

Get yourself a fish man! Your ready to roll.

Oh now you're getting me all excited! Should I wait for nitrites to come to zero or is that just not something to worry too much about since i'm obviously making nitrates? Still need to do a big water change to get nitrates down?

PS Washington State! Woo!

 

[Dierks]

Nitrites should be very close to Zero... Nitrates can be up in the 10-20 range as the water change will get that back down to a good place. (3-10 is where a lot of folks try to keep it if you have corals.)

 

[sporeefer]

Nitrites should be very close to Zero... Nitrates can be up in the 10-20 range as the water change will get that back down to a good place. (3-10 is where a lot of folks try to keep it if you have corals.)

Much appreciated!

 

[Jamo7]

Nitrites should be very close to Zero... Nitrates can be up in the 10-20 range as the water change will get that back down to a good place. (3-10 is where a lot of folks try to keep it if you have corals.)

+1 if your in WA go to barrier reef in Renton. Top notch place to buy from.

 

[Lasse]

If you have NO2 (nitrites in the water) your reading of NO3 (nitrates) is false - you read nitrites even in the nitrate test. Nitrate test works in the way that you first transform nitrates into nitrites (the two first components) after that you read the nitrites (third component). The reaction time and the colour scale is adapted to the transforming of NO3 into NO2 in the water the readings of NO3 become false (normally between 50 to 100 times higher than the original NO2 in the water.

The fact that you read NO2 says that your cycle is not complete - the cycle have stalled after the first step NH3/NH4 -> NO2 - the second step NO2 -> NO3 has not started. In this situation - do not add anymore NH3/NH4 - it can get the situation worse. However NO2 is not toxic in saltwater - it means that you can ad a fish but you need to feed it very sparsely (very, very) until you read zero in nitrite. In order to speed up the process - you can add NOB (nitrite oxidizing bacteria) like nitrospira every day - it can be bacteria in a bottle (if it is NOB in the bottle), sludge from a working aquarium or a filtrate of soil.

I prefer to add my CUC as soon as possible - IMO - if you wait until you will see algae - you have lose the battle. Micro algae can double itself in less than 24 hour - if you get a too large biomass of algae - you need a very large CUC - it is better to defeat it when the biomass is low.

You maybe can find more information in this article It describe a safe cycling with fish but maybe can give you some ideas about your present situation

Sincerely Lasse

 

[sporeefer]

Alright after the last post I added some biospira and now it’s been like 48 hours and the nitrites aren’t budging, sitting at 1.0 or more. Any suggestions? Why did the ammonia eating bacteria develop over the last month or two and not the nitrite eating bacteria? Am I supposed to be dosing ammonia during this awkward holding pattern here or would that just make it worse?

 

[New&no clue]

IMO, and as my name suggests I’m new, I would add a CUC first before fish. You will find you have plenty of algae to eat in a new tank. If they are keeping your tank immaculately clean you can also drop one pellet of food in for them 1-2x a week. I added my CUC right after I had an ammonia reading of 0. I let them do their thing for a week, continued to test, and add two clowns next.

 

[DanH86]

Alright after the last post I added some biospira and now it’s been like 48 hours and the nitrites aren’t budging, sitting at 1.0 or more. Any suggestions? Why did the ammonia eating bacteria develop over the last month or two and not the nitrite eating bacteria? Am I supposed to be dosing ammonia during this awkward holding pattern here or would that just make it worse?

Following along as I'm in the same boat. Day 37 of cycling today, have had nitrites off the chart for a long time now. Just did a 50% water change and they’re still off the chart, they just won’t drop!

 

[Lasse]

Do not dose anymore Ammonia - it will make it worse. Just keep adding nitrification bacteria - like nitrospira. IMO - WC do not make the situation better. This is a typical development in cases there too much ammonia has been added in the start IMO. When the cycle stall like this - it could be a good thing to be sure that there is some PO4 in the water - you can add or wait. I prefer to add nitrification bacteria every day - either from a bottle or the way I describe in my article. When the second stage kick in - it will go very fast. It is like a power switch - either on or off.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[sporeefer]

Do not dose anymore Ammonia - it will make it worse. Just keep adding nitrification bacteria - like nitrospira. IMO - WC do not make the situation better. This is a typical development in cases there too much ammonia has been added in the start IMO. When the cycle stall like this - it could be a good thing to be sure that there is some PO4 in the water - you can add or wait. I prefer to add nitrification bacteria every day - either from a bottle or the way I describe in my article. When the second stage kick in - it will go very fast. It is like a power switch - either on or off.

Sincerely Lasse

Thanks a ton!

 

[sporeefer]

I HAVE CYCLED!! Thanks all

 

[freeblackfish]

I HAVE CYCLED!! Thanks all

What did the trick?

 

[sporeefer]

What did the trick?

Sort of half-dosed bacteria a couple more times and kept checking.. gave it a little squirt of ammonia a couple times... was very frustrating to be told different things from every angle. Do keep dosing ammonia/don’t... Do keep dosing bacteria/don’t bother. Skimmer on/skimmer off. Etc etc etc. I went with skimmer off, btw.

Eventually my nitrites dropped to zero over about 36hrs. I did a big water change.

Now I have a helfrichi firefish! Happy as a clam.