Week 3 cycle?

[aythatguy26]

I started my Coralife Biocube 3 weeks ago

Added 25 lbs live rock
20 lbs live sand
21 gallons pacific ocean water

Week 2 added velvet damsel
5 blue legged hermets

Week 3 added a pulsing Xenia


3 weeks of cycle and still no nitrates. Ammonia goes up to .25ppm a few times but goes right back down to 0. Haven't had nitrites since day 1. And nitrates have shown 0 on my test and the lfs test. I'm guessing I didn't have a cycle?

 

[brandon429]

this thread was written for your issue
http://reef2reef.com/threads/new-ta...d-cocktail-shrimp-live-rock-no-shrimp.214618/

are you using api, that's likely the sole issue you have, and were pre cycled, per what we discussed about group B rocks above (and how to tell if yours are group B)

xenia alone will not open or pulse whatsoever in true .25 ammonia, which I suspect is zero, and meets the criteria of unverified low level sustained readings in the presence of normal behaving animals, from that thread :)

we literally wrote 5 pages of info solely about your stated challenge, you skip cycled most likely. there never was one, nor a need for one, but there's a need for salifert ammonia testing if any.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

I started my Coralife Biocube 3 weeks ago

Added 25 lbs live rock
20 lbs live sand
21 gallons pacific ocean water

Week 2 added velvet damsel
5 blue legged hermets

Week 3 added a pulsing Xenia


3 weeks of cycle and still no nitrates. Ammonia goes up to .25ppm a few times but goes right back down to 0. Haven't had nitrites since day 1. And nitrates have shown 0 on my test and the lfs test. I'm guessing I didn't have a cycle?

by cycle you mean ugly phase? Or by cycle you mean nitrogen cycle. Yes you "skip cycled" ie live sand live rock all have established bacteria. you may still see some ugly too.

 

[aythatguy26]

So long story short I skipped a cycle but a API test can fluctuate?

I've read all about the API before I purchased it. My lfs does not use API and there test showed the same. The ammonia when present is no more then .25ppm and within 24 hours it's back down to 0.

And yes my lr is from Group b. It was in a established tank. Has life on it. Smells like ocean.

My damsel loves picking pods off the rock work.

Don't have the time to read the whole thread but will when I can.

 

[aythatguy26]

And by ugly phase u mean?

 

[brandon429]

ive never been able to pinpoint whether it fluctuates or not but the hallmark warning not to care at all about it is the fact its colorimetric, simply reading it outside in the sun vs kitchen lighting gives a different hue to some, and its .25, the universal warning number that thousands upon thousands of stalled cycles report, and the fact all animals behave normally where sustained .25 really indicates constant 4~ ppm if true (would smell horrible)

I can't say why it does apparent shifting, but we can say ignore it :) have fun

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

And by ugly phase u mean?

folks mis use the term cycle. when you kick up poo and junk in the tank and get algae and cyano they call it a "mini cycle" after the "ugly phase" at the beginning of a new tank.
the ugly phse of a tank is due to the high nutrients and organics rotting off of the rock. it generally will cause alge cyano and such until the bio filter comes up to full strength and can process those nutrients.
With dry rock cycling this can be longer as it takes more time to get bacteria into the rock. in established live rock its already mostly up to speed. for briefly cured live rock from an lds its similar to dry but obviously, will take less time than a dry rock tank.
diatoms are another ugly phase organism but eats silicates and most Ive ever seen are on dry rock tanks.

and agreed w Brandon. If it smells like clean ocean there's few rotting organics. Id it smells like the beach and a bit like algae there's organics. It should smell like almost nothing.
either way, Its normal.

Pacific water? Where at? Im in San Diego.

 

[aythatguy26]

The diatoms I had were in a very small area. And the 5 hermets took care of that. However now I'm having purple/pink stuff on the sandbed and bottom of the tank. Any idea on what that might be?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

The diatoms I had were in a very small area. And the 5 hermets took care of that. However now I'm having purple/pink stuff on the sandbed and bottom of the tank. Any idea on what that might be?

like slimy stuff. probably cyano bacteria. can you get a picture?

 

[aythatguy26]

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

oh yes. Hello cyano. Completely normal.
dont over feed, but keep the fish healty, it should pass.
the only thing in an ugly phase would be green hair and bryopsis, you want to scrub that out. IF you get it.

that xenia will do a lot for reducing the exess nutrients in the phase.

 

[aythatguy26]

It's not much so I hope it doesn't continue to spread. Thankful for the Xenia then lol. People say don't have that in the tank but honestly I wouldn't mind it spreading. I think there very cool to have and look amazing when pulsing.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

It's not much so I hope it doesn't continue to spread. Thankful for the Xenia then lol. People say don't have that in the tank but honestly I wouldn't mind it spreading. I think there very cool to have and look amazing when pulsing.

I have some too. it very cool animal. just keep it contained or separate.

The cyano will likely spread as the phase continues , but its normal and it passes. it your sea water is free like mine just do water changes.

 

[aythatguy26]

That's another thing, is it time for a water change? I was waiting for readings to have nitrates but I don't guess that was the right thing to do. I also haven't added my seachem elite or purigen to the back chamber. Should I do that now as well?

 

[aythatguy26]

And no my seawater is not free lol wish it was. I order it offline.

 

[brandon429]

All of those actions are optional since it's considered done cycling, can start them yes. There is no timing for a water change, it's that we use them to alter certain params and you change whenever until that's altered.

I change more water than average, I'd be siphoning clean that top layer, guiding out the red awaiting maturation of surfaces which will help lessen my work

Those water changes are good for the system and good practice. Match temp and salt, precision beyond that not a huge deal. I've done two thousand + wc measuring only those

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

That's another thing, is it time for a water change? I was waiting for readings to have nitrates but I don't guess that was the right thing to do. I also haven't added my seachem elite or purigen to the back chamber. Should I do that now as well?

If you dont have nitrates, I wouldnt worry about it, unless you haven't done one. then its probably a good thing to do.
I dont use chem filtration.
I also wouldn't if you dont have anything they take out (No & Po). Here's why, No and Po the chem binders use are also food for the corals. if you have no exess your removing ALL the food for the corals.
running carbon only would be fine. IMO.

 

[aythatguy26]

So hold out on the seachem? What about the purigen? So do a water change even with no nitrates or anything to remove?

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

So hold out on the seachem? What about the purigen? So do a water change even with no nitrates or anything to remove?

Purigen I belive also has a binder and is not just carbon, good thing to check.
The only reason to do a wc with no nitrates is to remove any funk or dissolved organics from the rock. eventually those become your nitrates and Phosphates. and honestly you added a lot of livestock fairly quickly for a new tank, and food to feeds them, so you dont want that to catch up to you once it starts to rot. Thats when you'll see the No and Po climb. prob a week or two def three. You'll see an increase in green on the glass and the cyano will spread. A wc will likely slow down the ugly phase more.
Personally I like to keep using a turkey baster and make sure all the stuff comes off of the rock into the mech filters and gets pulled out in the water change.

Depending on your skimmer it may not be a great mechanical filter for larger particles, my tunze is not. so some floss or sponge in the chambers maybe a good thing.

In a cube ,IMO, keep cleaning the back chambers as stuff builds up in those. I did all my water changes out of the back when I had my jbj cube for that reason..

one reason I asked about your water is my water is only using a sand filter so I get all the good (or bad) junk like bugs and bacteria. Boxed water I believe has been run through more filters and a UV system to remove those. My water i think has more good stuff for nutrient breakdown.