5G QT Cycle

[Netotek]

I've had my Fluval Evo 5G QT cycling for a month now and the Nitrites haven't zero'd out yet. The tank is stock everything, and just the loaf pan with Caribsea Live sand. I've been dosing MicroBacter Start XLM and ghostfeeding pellet food. I havent done any water changes yet, I was planning on doing a 50% change once the cycle completes.

I thought the smaller tank was going to cycle faster than the 13.5G. Am I just being impatient? I really want to add stuff to my tank.

I'm planning on QT'ing my CUC, as I have diatoms spreading in my DT, I want to get them in as fast as I can.
- 1 Tuxedo Urchin
- 1 Fighting Conch
- 2 Nassarius Snails

Is the cycle done? should I do a water change? or just wait it out?

 

[SnazzyUrchin792]

What test kit are you using? And have you ever tested right after feeding?

 

[brandon429]

this is exactly where you stand: testing does not factor here, any submerged surfaces are cycled and can carry bioload relative to the degree of current and surface area in the system. that means if you're copying a setup from someone else where their similar volume/placement of surface area carried 3 fish, then yours will do the same. if you arent copying a known qt setup from another thread, their placement and degree and type of surface area, then you're in the experimentation zone to see if three fish can be carried but any surfaces that have been underwater and ghost fed for a month are as cycled as they're going to be for common ammonia controlling bacteria. nitrite has no bearing in reef tank cycling or qt cycling unless it's a hyposalinity setup. if you're at normal reef salinity, the nitrite simply has no bearing and shouldn't even be ran.

the placement of your surface area is highly restricted, water does not flow down and into that pan when it's at the top of the tank, I don't know of any systems that use that approach so I would not stack it in fish. if you had a common filter plumbed or hanging on the tank where water is directed, channeled through common ceramic or plastic media then it would carry common fish loads because a million qt setups have used that before and it's copyable from online threads going back years.

that doesn't mean your surface area and the walls within the tank aren't coated in bacteria and are functionless, it means that system won't carry as many fish as a properly designed setup will.

you need to use a seachem ammonia badge to guide your water changes when that's in use. don't use prime, not at all, use water changes to guide ammonia if the need arises. an alert badge can still misread, but not as bad as api, so it's the lesser of evils when dealing with non digital ammonia kits. that setup is as cycled as it can possibly be.

 

[brandon429]

don't let uneaten food line the bottom of the tank or exist in the sand and it'll be fine. that system can carry clowns or gobies or a small wrasse etc i can tell by looking at it. I wouldn't put in five tangs/you probably weren't planning for that.

good job setting up an observational qt, that's good disease control efforts.

 

[Netotek]

What test kit are you using? And have you ever tested right after feeding?

I have been using Salifert tests until July 1st, then I got Hanna checkers for ammonia and Nitrates. And no I never tested right after feeding I don’t think.

 

[Netotek]

@brandon429 Thank you!

I didn't copy any setup online, I just setup the 5G so it would cycle. the stock sponge in the back chamber has the foam sponge and the bag of ceramic biomedia balls, and the activated carbon bag.

The QT plan I have is to QT the inverts next
(tuxedo urchin, fighting conch, 2 nassarius snails)

Then one fish at a time to be added into the QT
(yellow clown goby, a firefish)

Then some more inverts and corals into the QT
(2nd round of CUC if needed, maybe some sexy shrimp)

This is my first go at saltwater, and this is the first time I set up a QT, so I appreciate all the help!

 

[Netotek]

I tested again today before the 50% water change and Nitrites are down to 0.02 from yesterday.

With your help, I am confident that the cycle is done and that the inverts will be safe for a 2month QT.

Now I'm headed to the LFS to get the first round of CUC

 

[brandon429]

It's that nitrites don't matter at all even if they're ten

= due to salinity

If this was freshwater they'd be most important and ammonia wouldn't matter