Cycling and Phosphate Questions

[ReeferRoo]

Tomorrow night i will be 2 weeks from going wet and adding salt. I know i am not done with the cycle yet.

The testing i have done has been consistent with what i would expect with my first cycle.

Tank system is about 150g total volume.

Test kits...
Red Sea
(Gave up on salifert to inconsistent)
Hanna Phosphate PPM

On 3/29 a few days after going wet i was reading...
Ammonia .25
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 5
Phosphates .24 ppm

On 4/1 i added 2 containers of bio-spira and ammonia to a level of approx 3ppm. I tested on 4/3 and got what i expected in terms of an increase across the board in levels....with a red sea test kit...
.4 ammonia
1 nitrites
10 Nitrates
Phosphates .22 ppm

Tested again tonight (4/6) and got...
0 ammonia
.05 Nitrites
10 Nitrates
Phosphates .24

I plan to add ammonia again tomorrow night when i expect Ammonia and Nitrites to be 0.

Added Kent Marine Phosphate Sponge.

So here are my questions...

1. How many times should I add ammonia and let the tank cycle to 0, 0, with reasonable Nitrates?

2. When should i start turning on my lights? Running Radian xr 30 G4 pros? I should ramp them up over a week correct?

3. Can Bio-Spira really accelerate my cycle to be 2-4 weeks vs 4-6 weeks?

4. I know i have to address phosphates before adding fish (gotta love pukani even after an acid bath), but if my tank cycle back to 0,0 next week, would i be able to add some cleanup crew after a water change to help with impending algae? (I still haven seen any algae, probably because the lights have been off). Tank was all dry rock and sand, the pukani went through a muriatic acid bath and a bleach bath, pressure washed and several rinses.

Any advice is welcome, trying to do this right the first time and willing to wait.

Oh, last thing...i did add cheato to the fuge this past week with the fuge light on, cheato browned a bit but seems to be greening up again.

 

[brandon429]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-microbiology-of-reef-tank-cycling.214618/

that w be my reference for my opinions below. the main takeaway for your tank is that the ability to digest ammonia is heavy in the water column, and lijght on the substrates until enough time has passed. for sure these cycle speeders can reduce your cycle to 2-4 weeks. by waiting 2-4 weeks underwater, with those boosters you are using, the ability to cycle will become part of the surfaces and not just the water column, you are very close to being done/cycled.





1. How many times should I add ammonia and let the tank cycle to 0, 0, with reasonable Nitrates? its a matter of preference. to be able to digest the ammonia just once is the hallmark of a closed cycle. any movement that includes 1-2 ppm is the goal. whether you do it once or five times doesn't matter, you'll just have more nutrients to scrub out (nitrate) before you start production use of the tank.

2. When should i start turning on my lights? Running Radian xr 30 G4 pros? I should ramp them up over a week correct? only when corals require it. or if you just like them on, but early lighting starts early algae work on your part.

3. Can Bio-Spira really accelerate my cycle to be 2-4 weeks vs 4-6 weeks? yes 100% fact measurably, it can.

4. I know i have to address phosphates before adding fish (gotta love pukani even after an acid bath), but if my tank cycle back to 0,0 next week, would i be able to add some cleanup crew after a water change to help with impending algae? (I still haven seen any algae, probably because the lights have been off). Tank was all dry rock and sand, the pukani went through a muriatic acid bath and a bleach bath, pressure washed and several rinses.

many choose not to manage phosphates at all, Im one, it has no bearing on the cycle. you can add clean up crew anytime you have passed the required submersion timeframes so your critical surfaces have the nitrifying bacteria, and what we've added in suspension is no longer the workhorse for being able to digest ammonia. roughtly 2-3 weeks time, for the type of boosted cycle you are using.

 

[ReeferRoo]

thanks for the input and the article. looks like I need to get my qt's up and running quickly as I may be ready sooner than I thought.

 

[PatW]

I would suggest doing something to get the phosphate levels down. High phosphate levels are an invitation to a succession of waves of algae.

Water changes are the simplest ways to reduces phosphates. The nice thing about water changes, is they generally improve anything.

You could run a reactor of GFO, granular ferric oxide.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Bacteria will consume po4. Avoid introducing algae into the tank with proper dips and qt.

Decide on the par range you want to work in with this tank and set them and keep them there. Lux or par meters are fine.
Aim for 100 or 150 par on the sand unless you want a clam there then hit 200 or so.