Cycling tank

[Rayhaifa469]

I have a 38 gallon bowfront tank, with 20 lbs live rock 25 pounds of live sand. I cycled through tank for 3 weeks with 5 damsels and all the above. I have a canister filter and hob filter. I did tank my water every 3-4 days to my lfs they did see a little spike in ammonia after 2 weeks then the 3rd week every thing went down but the ph was a little low. Then after I was told I was safe to take out the damsels and add clown I been having the clown fish for 5 days they been eating well and fine I also added a little tang it seems well and healthy, but my main concern is did my tank cycle 100% ? Also I didn't get any alge bloom I was told a alge bloom is a must before getting a cycled tank is that correct? Alge bloom to complete the cycle or would I get it down the road or not get it at all? Please help.

 

[eranschau]

The answer is "probably." A few points though...

1. Given the amount of live sand and rock, and the roughly equal trade in bio load between the damsels and the new fish, your cycle is probably complete and should be mostly stable but you're going to want to continue testing on a regular basis for at least a month until you're seeing steady, consistent test results.
2. All new tanks will go through an algae bloom. You'll likely see a brownish, red growth on the glass and sand bed; those are diatoms. It's a good sign, and will usually clear up on its own if you don't over feed.
3. I imagine you were advised to do this by your LFS, but please don't cycle a tank with live fish. I know people will tell you that damsels are "hearty" and "they can handle it," but it's cruel to the animal, particularly if you're just going to dispose of them at the end.
4. I don't know what type of tang you have, but 38 gallons isn't going to make it a great home for very long. They're fast growers and are open water swimmers in the wild so mature tangs typically require larger tanks. If you found yourself a juvenile and can keep pristine water conditions, you should be okay for a year or so, though.
5. Be careful about adding new livestock for the next few months. The general rule of thumb is to never more than double your bio load within a one month period. Keeping to this guideline will allow your biological filtration to keep up with the increases in bio load.

 

[Rayhaifa469]

The answer is "probably." A few points though...

1. Given the amount of live sand and rock, and the roughly equal trade in bio load between the damsels and the new fish, your cycle is probably complete and should be mostly stable but you're going to want to continue testing on a regular basis for at least a month until you're seeing steady, consistent test results.
2. All new tanks will go through an algae bloom. You'll likely see a brownish, red growth on the glass and sand bed; those are diatoms. It's a good sign, and will usually clear up on its own if you don't over feed.
3. I imagine you were advised to do this by your LFS, but please don't cycle a tank with live fish. I know people will tell you that damsels are "hearty" and "they can handle it," but it's cruel to the animal, particularly if you're just going to dispose of them at the end.
4. I don't know what type of tang you have, but 38 gallons isn't going to make it a great home for very long. They're fast growers and are open water swimmers in the wild so mature tangs typically require larger tanks. If you found yourself a juvenile and can keep pristine water conditions, you should be okay for a year or so, though.
5. Be careful about adding new livestock for the next few months. The general rule of thumb is to never more than double your bio load within a one month period. Keeping to this guideline will allow your biological filtration to keep up with the increases in bio load.

The answer is "probably." A few points though...

1. Given the amount of live sand and rock, and the roughly equal trade in bio load between the damsels and the new fish, your cycle is probably complete and should be mostly stable but you're going to want to continue testing on a regular basis for at least a month until you're seeing steady, consistent test results.
2. All new tanks will go through an algae bloom. You'll likely see a brownish, red growth on the glass and sand bed; those are diatoms. It's a good sign, and will usually clear up on its own if you don't over feed.
3. I imagine you were advised to do this by your LFS, but please don't cycle a tank with live fish. I know people will tell you that damsels are "hearty" and "they can handle it," but it's cruel to the animal, particularly if you're just going to dispose of them at the end.
4. I don't know what type of tang you have, but 38 gallons isn't going to make it a great home for very long. They're fast growers and are open water swimmers in the wild so mature tangs typically require larger tanks. If you found yourself a juvenile and can keep pristine water conditions, you should be okay for a year or so, though.
5. Be careful about adding new livestock for the next few months. The general rule of thumb is to never more than double your bio load within a one month period. Keeping to this guideline will allow your biological filtration to keep up with the increases in bio load.

I forgot to add that I used heavy doeses of seachem stability for the first week and lighter the second week and 3rd now I'm entering my 4th week and still using a cap full every other day did that help it ?
2 it's a small sailfin tang I know it will out grow the tank but my lfs said I can trade it in within 6 moths to a year or once it gets to big for the tank
3 when will I see the alge bloom and what should I do if it hits my tank?
4 I haven't did a water change my lfs Store told me to wait 2 or 3 months I will be fine is that right ?

 

[eranschau]

1. Yeah, the Seachem probably helped. These products are often as much myth as they are science, but I've used something similar on both of my recent tank builds and would recommend them. At the least they help shorten the cycle.
2. As long as you're prepared to tank care of it, awesome fish! Just, ya know... fish are TOUGH to get out once they're in. Fair warning.
3. Diatoms will usually develop within the first 1-3 months. How long it lasts is up to your tank maintenance routine.
4. I would honestly not wait three months to do a water change. Ever. There are people out there who run tanks with zero water changes, but they're basically reef tank gods and know something I don't. At 38 gallons, you could easily do small, five gallon water changes once a week and spend no time doing it. It's always best to stay on top of an issue before it becomes one. High nitrates can creep up on you, and you have to change a LOT of water to get it to come back down. Like I said, test, test, test for the first month until you get a feel for how your tank behaves.