Am I done cycling?

[Justin_92_92]

So my tank is just over 30 days old... I added LS and LR at the start from display tanks at Petco (just the rock not the sand). My tank cycled, I am assuming as it has been 3 weeks and I had brown cover my sand and now its gone. (test kit was old and i just got the new one today So i couldnt test with confidence till today.)

Yesterday I went to the LPS and bought some more live rock to make the tank the way I wanted it to look. The salesman told me i most likely wouldnt cycle my tank when i put this rock in. I traveled 2 hours from the store and had the rock in water in a buket the whole way home.

I just tested my water and everything is good, No nitrate, nitrite or amonia and PH was 8.2 ish

Is it too early to tell if i will cycle or would it have happened by now?

I have not done any partial water changes yet either. Im wondering if thats ok or should i do hat now?


Thanks for the help!!!

 

[always reefin]

Have you tested ammonia since day one? Has anything been added to your tank to create ammonia? You need to know if ammonia is being converted (broken down), which is the start of the cycle

 

[Justin_92_92]

I have nothing in the tank but LS, LR and a couple snails that were on the rock when I got it (3 weeks ago)

I tested the ammonia with my old test kit and it was fine when i first started the tank up. (4 weeks ago).

I was waiting for my new test kit to test again and it came in today.

 

[Zoa Junkie]

Not all tanks cycle the same, but its safe to say that if all hairy, diatom algae havent grown on the live rock, glass, and sand that your cycle could be done.

 

[always reefin]

You probably won't have any ammonia unless something in your tank is causing it. Which fish and feeding will do. In order to cycle you need to have some ammonia so the bacteria can multiply , change and complete the cycle. I don't know, hard to say whether you've cycled or not. Usually you test from beginning and will see an ammonia spike then be able to watch/test and see when the cycle is complete. What I find interesting is no nitrate on a 30 day old tank. Can the sand and rock be working that good? Possible I guess, however I'm not sure your cycle has started and/or is completed

 

[Zack]

Ya unless you got some ammonia in there someway a few weeks ago, your tank may have not even started the cycle. Unless you had some die off from the initial live rock you added

Sent from my VS950 4G using Forum Runner

 

[KoleTang]

A little advise. Don't listen to a thing they tell you at petsmart or petco.

 

[Justin_92_92]

does the brown algea that I had all over the sand have any relation to a cycle? It was here for nearly 2 weeks and is finally gone now.
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/1517_10152401649080475_301866291_n.jpg

 

[Justin_92_92]

let me know if the pic works, I dont think it will. I can get pics on in a little bit though.

 

[Justin_92_92]

 

[Justin_92_92]

well this is uploaded from my phone...its a close up of my sand with air bubbles...wrong picture lol

 

[Justin_92_92]

This is the tank tonight.

 

[Lindsey1984]

Does the brown algae mean that the tank has or hasn't cycled? I've had my 55 gal two months every time ive tested there was no ammonia, nitrites and the PH was good but I have had my nitrates going up. They got up to 40 ppm but they seem to be going down a bit since i took out my filter 350 penguin bio wheel, and put in a rapids pro sump system and I've also trimmed down on feeding. I was WAY over doing it! Anyways, do you think my tank should be all set at this point? I do have some of the brown algae on the glass but it's not taking over or anything.

 

[Justin_92_92]

I just noticed a bristle worm on my first live rock I put in the tank. Im not sure its a good thing but I jumped around the house like it was an accomplishment hahahah.

 

[Lindsey1984]

Bristle worms are def a good sign of progression but some people debate if they're good or bad! They have been said to be fish eaters, however most believe they eat fish when they're sick or dying. At least that's what I was told, I have some forming in my sand bed, you can see little dark colored stringy things on the side of the glass. If you have a TON of bristle worms, i heard it's a bad sign most likely due to water quality. These are what they look like forming on the side of my tank...

If you don't want them in your tank you can get coral banded shrimp and they eat them.

 

[Lindsey1984]

Psssst, I was wrong....these are spagetti Worms! oops, either way though bristle worms I think are a good thing.

 

[Justin_92_92]

I just was starring at my tank for about an hour and I noticed I have a (what i think is) Baby Snail! Looks pretty cool.

So I wonder....Do you think I am ok to start adding coral and a couple cleaners? ( crabs, star fish and shrimp) Or should I wait longer?

Im thinking I had a mini cycle but who really knows. I just added a Hydro koralia 550 to the tank...kinda big and bulky and as my wife says "ugly" but it creats nice flow.

 

[ReefPops]

Be careful with the tiny snails. You just want to make sure they are not harmful. There are definitely some hitchhiker snails that are bad for certain corals. As for bristleworms, they are good and bad. Personally I don't like them, but often they are difficult to get rid of. If they are really big, that's typically when they are problematic. Having a lot of them is usually not seen as a good thing. Good luck with the new tank. I typically start with some hermits and snails to before adding fish and corals. Them making it is always a good sign.

 

[Justin_92_92]

Great!!

I do not want the bristle worm and am hoping it is gone soon Sounds like what i will do, the same before I add coral. I would hate to lose any and there is no rush.

My LFS is over 2 hours away, With gas costs that means about $65 minimum for me...So I think Ill order this little bit nline. Any suggestions?

 

[Justin_92_92]

I have a 10g tank setup as well...bare bottom, just a powerhead and a filter.

If I bought some cleaners and my tank started to cycle, would i be safe to just pull the cleaners and put them in my 10g tank?