Cycle Question

[Bubba12]

Hi all, I am on day ten of cycling a 90 gallon reef with 90 lbs of cured live rock and 75 lbs of live sand. I have been ghost feeding with pellets everyday since I started. Current readings are Ammonia-0, Nitrite-0, and Nitrate-0. I am testing with API reef kit. I'm confused, shouldn't I have seen at least an ammonia spike by now? I've been expecting to see it since day 3-4.

 

[HiddenUser]

Try a different test kit?

But since you used cured live rock and live sand you probably have enough beneficial bacteria to handle the current bioload...If you're feeding everyday though I'd think you'd have some traceable nitrates.

 

[brandon429]

Imagshack has jacked all my pictures I'll switch em out in time but this was my cycling thread saying pretty much just that.


The title is when using live rock use no shrimp cycling only for fun discussion about biology.
http://reef2reef.com/threads/new-ta...d-cocktail-shrimp-live-rock-no-shrimp.214618/

 

[TheEngineer]

I'm with @ChukeeR. You might have just had a really quick cycle.

 

[Bubba12]

Imagshack has jacked all my pictures I'll switch em out in time but this was my cycling thread saying pretty much just that.


The title is when using live rock use no shrimp cycling only for fun discussion about biology.
http://reef2reef.com/threads/new-ta...d-cocktail-shrimp-live-rock-no-shrimp.214618/

Great read. I think I may have bypassed the cycling process. The rock I bought was straight out of display tanks from my lfs. It is covered in coralline...looks like a couple piles of purple rock. I have found two hermit crabs, a bristle worm, several snails, asternia stars, and what I think is a baby brittle star(hard to tell I have only seen it at night). What is my next step? Should I begin stocking or wait a while? It would be a nice win to be able to start stocking considering what I paid for the rock.

 

[brandon429]

The worst insta bioload im guilty of promoting was merely some zoanthids and a clean up crew nothing too out of bounds... no reason to rush fish even if the tests show digestion ability for the rocks...

new tanks are often learning weak links in the system if any regarding consistent power, temp and procedures so some easy corals is a fair offer.

 

[Bubba12]

I think I'll wait another week, no reason to rush things. Then maybe a small CUC.

 

[skyedale]

Hi all, I am on day ten of cycling a 90 gallon reef with 90 lbs of cured live rock and 75 lbs of live sand. I have been ghost feeding with pellets everyday since I started. Current readings are Ammonia-0, Nitrite-0, and Nitrate-0. I am testing with API reef kit. I'm confused, shouldn't I have seen at least an ammonia spike by now? I've been expecting to see it since day 3-4.

I used an API saltwater test kit. I didn’t really believe the results so I took a water sample to my LFS. Results were very different. Also my Ph was very low. I would go the LFS where you are going to get livestock and them do a sample first. I was going to buy, but based on their results I am holding off for another week at least. I will take a sample back to them, have it tested and depending on the results I will get a blue chormis.

 

[Bubba12]

I took water into the LFS two days ago on Sat. and they got the same results. My pH was 8.2. I will be taking water samples in anytime I go, it is nice to have someone doublecheck my work.