New tank not cycling

[snyper2384]

I have a 40 gallon tank I am trying to cycle. It has no live rock atm because I didn't wanna pay 12 a lb for it. My last tank I cycled with live rock. My issue is that I am reading 0 ammonia but my nitrates are consistently reading 250 and nitrites at about 40. I have done 2 50% water changes in the last week and no change on my readings. It's been about 2 months now. I tested my water with 0 across the board. I tested my mix with a reading of 10 nitrate and zero nitrite. I am using reef crystals BTW.... Any ideas?

 

[RedFrog211]

I’m a bit confused about the readings- if you have no ammonia but do have nitrite and nitrate, your tank is almost “cycled” though I certainly would add rock sooner rather than later, as it would give the bacteria more surface area to grow on. How thick is the sand bed? Any sump or bio reactor?

 

[Ben.QLD2]

If you add a tank full of live rock now you can expect a new ammonia spike and a longer wait, but this is not a hobby suited to being inpatient. You need to properly set up your tank, including NG whatever rock you intend to have, start a water change regime, feed the bacteria and wait.

 

[ReefGeezer]

Something is amiss. Have you tried any other test kits... particularly for nitrite? What substrate do you have in the tank now?

A 50% water change would drop the nitrite level by 1/2, two in a row by 2/3rds. Nitrites would have had to be roughly 120 ppm to yield 40 ppm after two water changes. I would have taken a lot of ammonia to yield that much nitrite. Don't worry about nitrates until you know your nitrite test is good and they are at 0. Nitrites mess of nitrate testing.

 

[brandon429]

post a tank pic, not a reading of your params pic

you said the tank doesn't have live rock, but didn't say it has dry rock/we can discern from a pic what's going on.


all reefs with rocks of any type are cycled by month 2

 

[brandon429]

also missing from descrip: bottle bac used yes/no

feeding of ammonia or fish food/yes no

 

[snyper2384]

I aint home at the moment. I have about an inch inch and a half at most bed, one frag plug rock that I had from my old tank I never used. No sump but a hob filter rated for 75 gallon. And a small breeder box on back I have a pump on and chaeto in as well. The substrate is actually black diamond blasting sand which i used in my 125 when I still had it with no issues. I did the shrimp in it to start the ammonia at the beginning.... Let's back up though I am going through a horrible divorce wife sold all my old stuff rodi unit sump about 100lbs of Rock clowns Zoas and pallys hairy mushrooms ect.. So I am having to start over with what I did have. Currently testing with test strips but want another salifert kit. So this isn't my first or even 3rd tank just the first time having this kind of issue and it's puzzling me. And yes a 50%should have dropped it by half unless it was so high it was double that.. I also had to start the cycle over because my mom had to move in and I gave her my room and she let it drop way down on water level causing salt level to rise, effectively I am sure killing all bacteria and a pump to my skimmer simultaneously.

 

[snyper2384]

I did another 75%water change and the readings were the same.. I am thinking bad tests. I am going to go to my lfs and have them test it

 

[RedFrog211]

Good idea- just a word of caution. Removing too much from a cycling tank can reduce the population of nitrifying bacteria, and actually reset your cycle. I’d limit water changes to 25% unless necessary

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have a 40 gallon tank I am trying to cycle. It has no live rock atm because I didn't wanna pay 12 a lb for it. My last tank I cycled with live rock. My issue is that I am reading 0 ammonia but my nitrates are consistently reading 250 and nitrites at about 40. I have done 2 50% water changes in the last week and no change on my readings. It's been about 2 months now. I tested my water with 0 across the board. I tested my mix with a reading of 10 nitrate and zero nitrite. I am using reef crystals BTW.... Any ideas?

Typically you want to add your bacteria and then ammonia chloride or a piece of shrimp (shrimp for 48 hours). Then you want to monitor ammonia , When your ammonia is steady at zero for 5 days and Nitrate is steady at 20 or below- You are cycled. Ignore nitrIte Unless sky high
The tank will go through two phases in which ammonia will rise then fall and nitrate will rise and fall which is normal. When fish are added, the bacteria population will increase with the new bio load, converting waste to nitrate.
Are you testing immediately after water change?

 

[snyper2384]

I test a few hours after and again the next day. I do believe it's possibly a bad test kit. But I don't mind having to wait for a new cycle if it is done right. I have all the time in the world at the moment