Cycling and Sump Questions

[Flyboone]

Hey Guys,
Hope you can help. I'm new to aquariums and have read and leaned a ton. I set up a JBJ 29g rimless tank that was modified to have a 10g sump. I put in dry sand that was very thoroughly rinsed and about 25-30lbs of dry rock and 4 pounds of live rock. It's been running for 7 days now. My test kits are not picking up any ammonia or nitrites. I'm wondering if this will happen and just takes longer or if I need to add or do something to kick off the cycle?

Ok next question about the sump. It has 3 chambers. The drain line comes in one chamber that has sand and rock, goes into another chamber with the heater and then goes into the last chamber with the pump. The drain line water flow seems really high and the water is bubbling and getting the sides of the stand wet above the sump. I also noticed that the pump chamber water level is descending faster than I would expect from evaporation. My guess is I'm losing water from the bubbling. Is there anything I can do to stop that?

Thank for any help or advice.
Jason


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[Trex]

welcome


I would add a table shrimp (( from the grocery store )) to your tank to help kick off the cycle.

For your sump, you will always notice evaporation in the return chamber, the other chambers will stay at the same level because of the baffle(s).
You can put acrylic around the top rim of your sump to keep the stand dry, or (( and better yet )) give the air a place to escape. For my set up, I have the drain split into a "Y" right at the water surface, part will continue under the water, and the other is extended up with a cap (( hole drilled in it )) to allow the air to escape ---- cuts down on the bubbles and noise. Not sure if I describe it correctly, but can take a picture over the weekend if that would help.

 

[Flyboone]

Thanks I would love to see a photo of that split. I'll get a shrimp on the way home too.


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[Flyboone]

Does it make any difference if I put the shrimp in the main tank or the sump?


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[Reefing Madness]

Nope, doesn't matter where you put it.

 

[Trex]

Forgot to hit send when I was replying earlier.

Agreed, anywhere will be fine. If you have a filter bag, I would put it in there, will make it easier to remove, if you have to.

 

[Flyboone]

Thanks. How long until I need to remove the shrimp usually? So much to learn... Getting there though.

Jason


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