What to monitor during tank cycling?

[FreshSaltyGuy]

Hello,

What main parameters should I be checking during my tanks cycling? Nitrites, and what else is it important to track Nitrates at this point?
I'm cycling a 40 gal tall tank with 10 lbs of fresh Australian live rock and 30 lbs of Fiji live rock, and live sand, have chaeto, sea lettuce, and grape algae in sump along with bio balls, crushed coral, more rock.

 

[Uncle99]

Nothing.
Your tank would be cycled with that stuff.
Don’t waste your money on ammonia or nitrite test.
I might start testing nitrates and phosphate to move them over time into the normal bands depending on what your going to keep.

 

[FreshSaltyGuy]

Nothing.
Your tank would be cycled with that stuff.
Don’t waste your money on ammonia or nitrite test.
I might start testing nitrates and phosphate to move them over time into the normal bands depending on what your going to keep.

Ok I have the Silfert Nitrate & Phosphate test already. Will report my #'s later today when I get home. What should they be if I just started my tank yesterday? And when should I start bringing them down?

For now going to keep 2 damsels and a bunch of algae. Eventually I want to try some soft corals, and maybe LPS.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I’d want to monitor just ammonia.

 

[Uncle99]

Ok I have the Silfert Nitrate & Phosphate test already. Will report my #'s later today when I get home. What should they be if I just started my tank yesterday? And when should I start bringing them down?

For now going to keep 2 damsels and a bunch of algae

There going to be high at the start cause we don’t have the processors population high enough to reduce them.

After cycle, your task is to put all 8 parameters in the “normal” bands and then work towards keeping them pinned at all times.
Especially Alk and Salinity, these two you gotta get to no flux regardless of time tested. Salinity is easy with ATO.
Ensure MG is 1350-1400ppm before testing alk or readings with fluctuate. At this early stage, I doubt Alk is a problem, but watch it.

This water chemistry and it’s stability, speeds up the population of the good guy algaes and bacteria to levels which keep our rocks and sand clean.

Feel free to make water changes to lower nitrates into say 10–20ppm, but always use salt that mixes to whatever levels you want to keep.

Feel free to brush off rocks with a toothbrush while you wait for your good guy friends to arrive, say 4-6 months.

Feel free to keep phosphate say 0.05-.1ppm through use of GFO, but never ever let either nutrient zero out. That condition favors the bad buts like Dino’s and Cyano.

 

[FreshSaltyGuy]

There going to be high at the start cause we don’t have the processors population high enough to reduce them.

After cycle, your task is to put all 8 parameters in the “normal” bands and then work towards keeping them pinned at all times.
Especially Alk and Salinity, these two you gotta get to no flux regardless of time tested. Salinity is easy with ATO.
Ensure MG is 1350-1400ppm before testing alk or readings with fluctuate. At this early stage, I doubt Alk is a problem, but watch it.

This water chemistry and it’s stability, speeds up the population of the good guy algaes and bacteria to levels which keep our rocks and sand clean.

Feel free to make water changes to lower nitrates into say 10–20ppm, but always use salt that mixes to whatever levels you want to keep.

Feel free to brush off rocks with a toothbrush while you wait for your good guy friends to arrive, say 4-6 months.

Feel free to keep phosphate say 0.05-.1ppm through use of GFO, but never ever let either nutrient zero out. That condition favors the bad buts like Dino’s and Cyano.

Dumb question what is GFO? Lol also, already put 2 damsels in there with the algae I should have said . How about lighting? Can I turn sump light on for those algae.

 

[V A R I A N T]

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It's Week 24, and this week we are talking chemical filtration which is the practice of using various medias to remove unwanted elements from the tank like color pigments, odors, phosphate, carbon dioxide, ammonia, heavy metals, accidental toxins, and a variety of other contaminants. We'll...

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[Garf]

Dumb question what is GFO? Lol also, already put 2 damsels in there with the algae I should have said . How about lighting? Can I turn sump light on for those algae.

Bit of a gamble without knowing how fresh your Australian fresh live rock is, considering your in California.