Day 10 no nitrite / nitrate

[brandon429]

that was skip cycle rock


Do a full water change and begin. Linked to our cycling thread as a great example of group B rock

Your single picture shows all the details we used to discern skip cycle rock, no testing required. Your cycle is complete, off pics, and the submersion history. Classic example of skip cycle rock no testing required.

 

[5star]

What do you mean skip cycle rock? Do you really think starting from scratch is the best thing to do

 

[brandon429]

Gotta read that thread I posted on p1

never mentioned starting over, it’s ready to use just do a large water change.

We worked hard on that thread it’s specifically written for people to not dose ammonia to live rock setups and full of pics of your type of live rock

Just the pic of that little bristleworm beat any testing params you could have posted. Neat

Your cycle was called complete over a little pic of a bristleworm, the biology in your tank, not a test kit reading.

Was that pic from right now, or before the dosing of ammonia

 

[Brew12]

that was skip cycle rock


Do a full water change and begin. Linked to our cycling thread as a great example of group B rock

Your single picture shows all the details we used to discern skip cycle rock, no testing required. Your cycle is complete, off pics, and the submersion history. Classic example of skip cycle rock no testing required.

I would normally agree with you but I can't recommend adding a fish to a tank with 3ppm ammonia.

A false ammonia reading on an API test normally reads 0.25ppm.

 

[Brew12]

What do you mean skip cycle rock? Do you really think starting from scratch is the best thing to do

With high quality live rock you can basically "skip the cycle" meaning it should have been ready for fish immediately.

Your system isn't ready for some reason. I would not add any more ammonia at all for now though.

 

[5star]

Brandon you're telling me I'm ready to add fish? I don't feel safe doing that.. I've cycled freshwater numerous times and I just don't think this tank is ready

 

[Xclusive Reef]

Its just a waiting game now. give it and other 7-10 days. don't do anything just chill and wait

 

[5star]

Here's a larger image of the rock

 

[Brew12]

Here's a larger image of the rock

Was this taken in your tank or at the LFS?

 

[brandon429]

I have not said:

Add fish
or
Start over

*Fish must be quarantined before you add.


I posted a thread that covers all your concerns. You can approach your cycle nine random ways besides that too. I know this is all so confusing that’s why we took seven pages and not one to discuss


All you had to do here based on that thread and it’s pics and examples was add the live rock to your tank, set in some corals, wait for the fish fallow phase as you quarantine, then reef. All the stuff going on to the side of that is not needed, the testing, the dosing, we show in the thread. Because you have worms on the rock.

 

[Xclusive Reef]

being that you have the live rock etc, i agree with a large water change and test again.

 

[5star]

With a large water change, wouldn't that not change any tests besides lowering the ammonia ?

 

[5star]

Brew that rock is in my tank in that picture

 

[Brew12]

Brew that rock is in my tank in that picture

Your tank should be cycled. Bristleworms can tolerate some pretty awful tank conditions but it is a great sign that the rock should have been capable of supporting life.

At this point I would recommend taking a water sample to your LFS and having your numbers verified. Are you using the standard API saltwater test kits?

 

[5star]

Yes API salt water test kit, I'm just really
Confused as to how you think my tank should be cycled, I've never had a small spike of even nitrate

 

[Brew12]

Yes API salt water test kit, I'm just really
Confused as to how you think my tank should be cycled, I've never had a small spike of even nitrate

I'm saying it should have been, not that it is. The entire point of using live rock is that is comes pre-cycled. The fauna on your LR, along with the bristleworms, indicates that the rock is in good healthy condition. I would expect you would see little white copepods on your glass and maybe a slight algae film that needs cleaning every few days to a week.

If you had a very large system and a small piece of LR I might think it was a dilution issue. Even a few pounds of LR in a 20g system should work very well.

API ammonia tests are notorious for reading 0.25ppm even when it is 0ppm but the fact you are seeing 3ppm "should" rule out a false reading.
This is backed up by the fact that you are reading 0ppm nitrates. API tests tend to read high on both nitrites and nitrates, not low. These both indicate that you don't have the nitrogen cycle happening properly.

Basically, your chemistry testing doesn't match what my eyes are telling me you should have based on the picture of your LR.

 

[Xclusive Reef]

Yes API salt water test kit, I'm just really
Confused as to how you think my tank should be cycled, I've never had a small spike of even nitrate

did your read the post on how to cycle your tank from Brew? when u have cycled rock there is no need to "cycle" your tank. you only add dr. tims and ammonia to tanks with dry rock etc

 

[5star]

If I touch the inside of my glass there is a slippery feel to it, I'm going to take more readings later on and let you guys know the details

 

[brandon429]

it would be neat to know how long the glass or the tank has been filled with water, vs how long the rocks have been underwater.

comparing the two is ideal

if that's slippery compared to say a glass dish submerged underwater, then its got biofilm, and wheregoes biofilm goes nitrification. my own tank is slippery only where I forgot to scrape light cyano usually, but I think even the clean spots feel different than the outside parts. I was just cleaning it yesterday but never looked at coverage that way, neat. not that it matters much on the glass, but its a neat place to be able to at least feel it to some degree if the tank has been underwater a while.

 

[5star]

Live rock was added few days after tank was set up