Cycling 45g Day 9 0 Nitrite

[madisonmajhen]

Hello all,
This is my very first time cycling a saltwater aquarium.
1 Ammonia
0 Nitrite
40 Nitrate
I’m a bit confused and have a question: My ammonia never spiked past 1 yet my nitrates have gradually risen. Either the cycle has hardly started or my ammonia just needs to reach 0 and I’m good? I never once tested any nitrite with API.
It’s been like 9 days and the LFS said with the bacteria in a bottle it shouldn’t take very long. Yet other people say it should take a month plus? I’d love to hear some opinions on what is happening with my cycle. Thanks!!

 

[dbowman5]

there is a great article on cycling on the site here.
think of this:
ammonia in the water being converted to nitrite by one gang of bacteria
nitrites in the water being converted to nitrates by a different gang of bacteria
nitrates in the water being converted to nitrogen by a third different gang of bacteria
you add ammonia to attract and feed the first gang. their poop attracts and feeds the second gang. their poop attracts and feeds the third gang.
there is a digestion period between food and poop. in addition ammonia tests seem to show ammonia when there is little to be found by the ammonia gang.
meanwhile the nitrite gang seeing all the nitrite go to town eating it as fast as it pops up so the testable nitrite is soon scarce. meanwhile the nitrate gang is harder to build up and eat slower so the nitrate level keeps rising.
the great pooper scooper in the sky sucks out the nitrate laden water so that the other organisms are not covered in nitrate and everybody is happy.
the reason it takes a long time is the amount of bacteria needed to handle the animal poop takes awhile to grow. If you dump in colonies of the gangs to jump-start their rise to tank domination the early slow growth from 1 to 2 to 4 to 8 starts at 10000 20000 40000 160000 see?

 

[92Miata]

Are you currently dosing ammonia?

If you are, stop, and see if the ammonia goes to 0ish. If it does, you're done.

If it doesn't, buy something other than Dr. Tims. I suggest BioSpira.

 

[madisonmajhen]

Are you currently dosing ammonia?

If you are, stop, and see if the ammonia goes to 0ish. If it does, you're done.

If it doesn't, buy something other than Dr. Tims. I suggest BioSpira.

I didn’t dose I used a dead shrimp, maybe I should have cycled differently? Idk. Always worked for my freshwater tanks.

 

[92Miata]

I didn’t dose I used a dead shrimp, maybe I should have cycled differently? Idk. Always worked for my freshwater tanks.

Is the dead shrimp still in there (IE, do you still have something supplying ammonia in there?)

If you're not still supplying ammonia to the tank (IE, you took the shrimp out) , and its not going down, you're not cycling. If its still in there, take it out and see if the ammonia goes down.

At day 9, with bottled bacteria, your ammonia phase should already be done. (With some of the bottle-bacs, its done as soon as you pour the stuff in the tank)

 

[fisherc92]

Dr tims one and only. depends how much rock and sand is in there as well

 

[madisonmajhen]

Is the dead shrimp still in there (IE, do you still have something supplying ammonia in there?)

If you're not still supplying ammonia to the tank (IE, you took the shrimp out) , and its not going down, you're not cycling. If its still in there, take it out and see if the ammonia goes down.

At day 9, with bottled bacteria, your ammonia phase should already be done. (With some of the bottle-bacs, its done as soon as you pour the stuff in the tank)

Ok I will try taking it out when I get home and see what happens. I just wonder why the heck not even a little nitrite ever showed? Nitrate is high which I guess I can take as a good sign?

 

[madisonmajhen]

Dr tims one and only. depends how much rock and sand is in there as well

I used nitrobacter start I heard it was also good.

 

[Jmasonreef]

It’s cycled already.