Cycling Question

[jknorr23]

Hi everyone. I’m in the process of cycling my first saltwater tank. I used Dr. Tims to get started with dry rock and starboard bare bottom. I’m about 3 weeks in and my test kits are still reading 0.05 ammonia, .5 nitrites, and somewhere in the 50-60 range for nitrates.

I dosed ammonia back up to 2ppm two days ago when ammonia and nitrites were both <.1 and nitrates were around 30.

Is my assumption correct that my tank is close to being cycled but should be given just a little more time to be fully complete? Also, should I be considering a water change to drop nitrates and at what point can I comfortably turn on my UV sterilizer without worrying about stalling my cycle?

Thanks in advance for any tips or help you can provide!

 

[P-Dub]

Hi everyone. I’m in the process of cycling my first saltwater tank. I used Dr. Tims to get started with dry rock and starboard bare bottom. I’m about 3 weeks in and my test kits are still reading 0.05 ammonia, .5 nitrites, and somewhere in the 50-60 range for nitrates.

I dosed ammonia back up to 2ppm two days ago when ammonia and nitrites were both <.1 and nitrates were around 30.

Is my assumption correct that my tank is close to being cycled but should be given just a little more time to be fully complete? Also, should I be considering a water change to drop nitrates and at what point can I comfortably turn on my UV sterilizer without worrying about stalling my cycle?

Thanks in advance for any tips or help you can provide!

What kind of dry rock did you start with? Dead dry live from ocean or another tank, mined, man made? This makes a difference.

 

[FishyDP]

"I dosed ammonia back up to 2ppm two days ago when ammonia and nitrites were both <.1 and nitrates were around 30."

It appears that you were almost cycled when you reached this point. The goal is to get 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite with detectable nitrate readings. No need to dose ammonia back up. Since you did, you may want to do a 25% water change to remove some excess ammonia, as it may stall your cycle. I would suggest adding a small amount of frozen fish food or pellets/flakes daily until you have undetectable ammonia/nitrite. Let it run.. if you already have ammonia readings, dont add more ammonia.

 

[lapin]

Howdy
Let the ammonia and nitrite go to "0" or the lowest your test kit will show. I would skip dosing any more ammonia. You have a good amount of bacteria already.
Then change out the water so you start with nitrate around 5. Then add livestock slowly, so your tank can process the additional waste form poo and left over food.

 

[jknorr23]

What kind of dry rock did you start with? Dead dry live from ocean or another tank, mined, man made? This makes a difference.

I started with dry Marco rock from BRS

 

[jknorr23]

"I dosed ammonia back up to 2ppm two days ago when ammonia and nitrites were both <.1 and nitrates were around 30."

It appears that you were almost cycled when you reached this point. The goal is to get 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite with detectable nitrate readings. No need to dose ammonia back up. Since you did, you may want to do a 25% water change to remove some excess ammonia, as it may stall your cycle. I would suggest adding a small amount of frozen fish food or pellets/flakes daily until you have undetectable ammonia/nitrite. Let it run.. if you already have ammonia readings, dont add more ammonia.

I was following the instructions on Dr. Tim’s website. He recommends dosing ammonia back up to 2 ppm each day the readings of both ammonia and nitrites are <1 ppm. According to his website, when you can dose to 2ppm and the next day both ammonia and nitrites are <.2ppm your tank is cycled. I always assumed you needed both tests to be 0, which is why I was concerned about the .05 ammonia and .5 nitrites. It seems like I’m close but not exactly where I’m comfortable

 

[jknorr23]

Howdy
Let the ammonia and nitrite go to "0" or the lowest your test kit will show. I would skip dosing any more ammonia. You have a good amount of bacteria already.
Then change out the water so you start with nitrate around 5. Then add livestock slowly, so your tank can process the additional waste form poo and left over food.

Thanks for the input. This was my initial thought as well. I was looking to add one fish in the next week or two so I’ll definitely be moving slowly with stocking once I begin. Any thoughts on the UV? Should I just wait until I do the water change?

 

[lapin]

Depending on your test kit you can get reading that are not "0" API is famous for this.
No need to run a UV. You dont have anything growing you want to kill. Right now you want stuff to grow.