cycling tank first sw tank

[BOOSTEDJAYY]

Hey guys this is my first saltwater tank, i have live rock, and live sand, didn’t dose with anything, it has been running for about 2 weeks & my water test kit(api saltwater master test kit) came in, these are the results. can someone tell me if it’s going good or do i need to add any bottled bacteria.

 

[andiesreef]

API tends to give false ammonia readings. Have you seen your nitrites go up and then fall back down? Seeing nitrates is a good sign as well. You might not need any bottled bac.

 

[bpbonds]

Ammonia is still showing up .50 ppm if the test is accurate you will need to wait for 0 Ammonia, as said above keep an eye on Nitrates it is a good indicator when it go's up and drops down.

 

[BOOSTEDJAYY]

API tends to give false ammonia readings. Have you seen your nitrites go up and then fall back down? Seeing nitrates is a good sign as well. You might not

Ammonia is still showing up .50 ppm if the test is accurate you will need to wait for 0 Ammonia, as said above keep an eye on Nitrates it is a good indicator when it go's up and drops down.

no i haven’t seen nitrites go up and then fall back this is my first time resting it, i couldn’t find the test anywhere till last night, how long should i wait to test again?

 

[Quietman]

You never 'need' bottled bacteria...it's just to help go a bit faster. Your tank will cycle fine without it.

You do need to feed bacteria - adding a piece of dead shrimp, some ammonia (you can purchase easy enough) will be fine.

Without feeding you will still have some bacteria supporting the nitrogen cycle but it's likely not to be enough to support your desired bio-load. And it will take a long time. Adding one fish might be ok once it's cycled.

If you have added the food (ammonia) source then you just need to monitor for nitrate increase and you're going to be cycled. Ammonia is tough to read with API. Nitrites aren't toxic in saltwater but can indicate your cycle is moving forward.

 

[bpbonds]

I am Cycling my tank right now with lights off, I plan to wait a full Month, I know its tempting to get some live stock in but the longer you wait to make sure everything is stable the better for long term success. You can always take you water to a LFS and ask them to test if your not sure, best of luck to you!

 

[BOOSTEDJAYY]

I am Cycling my tank right now with lights off, I plan to wait a full Month, I know its tempting to get some live stock in but the longer you wait to make sure everything is stable the better for long term success. You can always take you water to a LFS and ask them to test if your not sure, best of luck to you!

how often should i test my water?

 

[Little c big D]

how often should i test my water?

testing ammonia daily will tell you how the cycle is progressing. I reccomend getting an LFS to test. 2 weeks with LR and LS could very well be cycled.

 

[melonheadorion]

how often should i test my water?

during the process while you are cycling your tank without any livestock, i probably wouldnt do it more than once a week, if that. at least until you are about ready to start adding fish. but if youre wanting to see how you are progressing and how the bacteria is going, you could do daily tests to see if your ammonia is being used up and converted to nitrate, but it just depends on how much info you really want. during the early stages, i dont even bother checking because i wont be putting fish in for a bit, but really up to you

 

[BOOSTEDJAYY]

just went to my lfs got my water tested & test came out good little low on ph & salinity is a bit high. thank you to everyone that replied

 

[brandon429]

We need pics of this tank it will change the course of cycle umpiring 180 degrees to see detailed pics of rocks claimed live vs dry

live rocks have telltale attachments and bring in all bac needed

dry rocks dont


even a brief history of the rock origin will take the place of pics: did the rocks show up wet or dry to your tank

 

[jtf74]

Generally 4-6 weeks to cycle if you just add ammonia source and let it do its thing.