Cycling my 75 gallon tank

KennethJ24 · Feb 5, 2020

Hello everyone.
It’s been a few years since I’ve had a saltwater aquarium setup so I need a refresher course. Lol
I’ve got a 75 gallon and it’s been cycling now for 8 days now. I’ve got a Fluval 4x canister filter and two hang ons and a wave maker. For substrate I used Ocean direct live sand and some Fiji pink with a little crushed coral. I started with 60lbs dry rock and 4 days later I seeded it with another 5 lb live rock from the pet store which incidentally had 3 snails magically appear a couple days later. (Still alive) I’ve been dosing it daily with the Microbacter7. I’ve been keeping the temp around 80-82.
Here are my readings.....
Ammonia-0
Nitrite- 3 mg/l
Nitrate-20
Alkalinity-120
PH-7.4

I’ve yet to get an Ammonia reading and I’m wondering if I should drop a shrim in the tank and let it decay or just leave it be. Water change?
Any help here would be greatly appreciated and thanks in advance.

GreatSouth BayReefs · Feb 5, 2020

If your LFS has glass shrimp like mine for $0.10 a pop why not get 5 and see if they make it? They are pretty hardy and if they do die, together its probably the same as a big pinch of fish flakes.

KennethJ24 · Feb 5, 2020

Customreeftank said:
If your LFS has glass shrimp like mine for $0.10 a pop why not get 5 and see if they make it? They are pretty hardy and if they do die, together its probably the same as a big pinch of fish flakes.

Should I do weekly small water changes or no? So many mixed feelings in this it seems.

GreatSouth BayReefs · Feb 5, 2020

I would do the small water changes like less then 10% to help with PH, and to get the tank used to the weekly additions of minerals and such. Probably isnt scientific in any way, but I feel like the tanks definitely get a 'pulse' so to say.

brandon429 · Feb 5, 2020

this is where you are at:

the live rock animals shouldnt be tested or burnt with ammonia, its all ready. thats why you have no ammonia, you dosed bottle bac in addition to live rock. we got lucky your tester agrees; normally we're battling a .25 reading and its still no ammonia even if a tester doesnt agree. the biology is more trustworthy than cheap testers we use nowadays.

bottle bac is ready in a couple days, a couple days have already passed.
live rock is loaded with bac when its added. If you did add ammonia it would pass oxidation testing, you have wet sand bottle bac and live rock, three reasons the tank is ready for a light start. check this thread referral out/saves retyping.

Cycling a new Biocube 32

Hello all! My name is Daniel from Florida and I’m starting to get into the reef hobby. I have been cycling my tank for two weeks now and logging it into an app. I have recently been gifted a live rock with some good amount of coralline on it. I also got some water from and established tank. My...

www.reef2reef.com

the reason you wouldnt add a shrimp is because no further assistance is needed, its cycled. we know without testing, due to wet items used + boosters. this is how aquariums are set up at macna reef conventions each year and they all make the same start date, without variance. you paid extra for bottle bac, it does work / combination effect is ready to go. that thread talks about adding fish in the right order to prevent mass disease wipeout.

B

KennethJ24 · Feb 5, 2020

brandon429 said:
this is where you are at:

the live rock animals shouldnt be tested or burnt with ammonia, its all ready. thats why you have no ammonia, you dosed bottle bac in addition to live rock. we got lucky your tester agrees; normally we're battling a .25 reading and its still no ammonia even if a tester doesnt agree. the biology is more trustworthy than cheap testers we use nowadays.

bottle bac is ready in a couple days, a couple days have already passed.
live rock is loaded with bac when its added. If you did add ammonia it would pass oxidation testing, you have wet sand bottle bac and live rock, three reasons the tank is ready for a light start. check this thread referral out/saves retyping.

Cycling a new Biocube 32

Hello all! My name is Daniel from Florida and I’m starting to get into the reef hobby. I have been cycling my tank for two weeks now and logging it into an app. I have recently been gifted a live rock with some good amount of coralline on it. I also got some water from and established tank. My...

www.reef2reef.com

the reason you wouldnt add a shrimp is because no further assistance is needed, its cycled. we know without testing, due to wet items used + boosters. this is how aquariums are set up at macna reef conventions each year and they all make the same start date, without variance. you paid extra for bottle bac, it does work / combination effect is ready to go. that thread talks about adding fish in the right order to prevent mass disease wipeout.

B

Thank you for all the information. Greatly appreciated