Dumb question about Cycling and specific gravity.

[UncleSalty]

I have recently begun the cycling stage.....(I think). I added live sand and rock to my tank. I have not added a shrimp......I did add a few ounces of "StartSmart Complete". I took a Specific Gravity and the reading was around 1.028....so it's high. I can correct this by adding RO water. However, I also tested my ammonia levels today, and its reading around .50ppm. Should I correct the Specific Gravity and then add a shrimp (possibly?). Or should I let the cycle complete, and then fix the specific gravity?! Any help is appreciated.

 

[peterthegamer]

How long has the tank been running for? Also any signs of algae diatom? Also btw don't add shrimp as your first member try hermit crabs and snails.

 

[Pete polyp]

What kind of rock did you use? Correcting the salinity can be done after the cycle. If you do it now you will surely remove some of the ammonia and could make for a weaker cycle.

 

[tyler1503]

I have recently begun the cycling stage.....(I think). I added live sand and rock to my tank. I have not added a shrimp......I did add a few ounces of "StartSmart Complete". I took a Specific Gravity and the reading was around 1.028....so it's high. I can correct this by adding RO water. However, I also tested my ammonia levels today, and its reading around .50ppm. Should I correct the Specific Gravity and then add a shrimp (possibly?). Or should I let the cycle complete, and then fix the specific gravity?! Any help is appreciated.

I'd fix the SG. It will skew test results IME if its too high or low. Plus any cool hitchhikers you might want to keep may not last at a high salt level.
If your using mostly or all live rock as opposed to just a few pieces to seed dry rock, that along with the live sand will kick your cycle along nicely and you won't need to add the shrimp (I'm assuming you mean table shrimp as an ammonia source, not shrimp for part of a CUC). You can add one, but it's not necessary.

 

[Pete polyp]

I doubt 1.028 would be enough to kill off any hitchhikers...

 

[fishroomlady]

I would fix the salinity after you cycle. If you already have some ammonia and you have live rock, I'd just let it run its course

 

[UncleSalty]

Nothing live yet!! Still going to hold off a month or so. I was talking about adding a shrimp for starting the cycle. I have one 2lb live rock - the rest is dry. I have live sand. If you all don't think I need a shrimp, even better!!

 

[Pete polyp]

You already have some ammonia so adding is unnecessary. I prefer to ghost feed during cycles to ensure a good hard cycle so I may stock a little quicker.

 

[gemini9]

The shrimp is kinda gross. If your ammonia is climbing, you may not need a shrimp. Keep an eye on your ammonia and nitrites and see if they continue to climb. If your nitrites spike, then there's really no need for a smelly rottiong shrimp. My thoughts.

 

[jimbau]

Personally I would add a dead cocktail shrimp. I also wouldn't add anymore "startsmart" type stuff, it can make it hard to determine where your tank is in the cycle. Bacteria additives are great for moving livestock between tanks or upgrading to a bigger tank but aren't needed when starting a new tank with no current livestock. I wouldn't mess with the SG until the tank is cycled and you do your first water change.

 

[Pete polyp]

You can actually just add straight ammonia from the hardware store and not worry about shrimp. Shake it and if it doesn't foam up you're good.

 

[Pete polyp]

Personally I would add a dead cocktail shrimp. I also wouldn't add anymore "startsmart" type stuff, it can make it hard to determine where your tank is in the cycle. Bacteria additives are great for moving livestock between tanks or upgrading to a bigger tank but aren't needed when starting a new tank with no current livestock. I wouldn't mess with the SG until the tank is cycled and you do your first water change.

+1 on not adding any products like smart cycle or whatever they are

 

[UncleSalty]

You already have some ammonia so adding is unnecessary. I prefer to ghost feed during cycles to ensure a good hard cycle so I may stock a little quicker.

Can I ghost feed with anything? I have some "tropical fish flakes".....

 

[Pete polyp]

Yes, but that will also add tons of phosphate. I prefer to use rinsed mysis or rods food in mine. Adding a drop of pure ammonia is probably the best thing to do. I hadn't thought about doing that until after my last setup.

 

[tyler1503]

I doubt 1.028 would be enough to kill off any hitchhikers...

True but it's not an established tank. My established reef has been that high with no issues.
But this one is not established. It's rock that's been introduced into a new body of water. It's high in ammonia. It's on it's way to high in nitrites. The last thing any hitchhiker needs is high salt levels. It doesn't really matter anyway, it's mostly dry rock lol.
I'd personally add the shrimp. No bad can come of it, plus the more ammonia you add now, the higher level of aerobic bacteria you have, meaning the faster you can stock.

 

[UncleSalty]

Yes, but that will also add tons of phosphate. I prefer to use rinsed mysis or rods food in mine. Adding a drop of pure ammonia is probably the best thing to do. I hadn't thought about doing that until after my last setup.

When you say drop....are you being literal? Or just a small amount?

 

[Pete polyp]

1.028 isn't going to hurt anything established or not. If you were talking button polyps then maybe. But bacteria, worms, starfish, pods etc won't be hurt by it

 

[tyler1503]

1.028 isn't going to hurt anything established or not. If you were talking button polyps then maybe. But bacteria, worms, starfish, pods etc won't be hurt by it

I do mean small corals and stuff. Pods, bacteria worms etc get shipped in wet newspaper and survive

 

[Pete polyp]

I do mean small corals and stuff. Pods, bacteria worms etc get shipped in wet newspaper and survive

Oh, in that case you're absolutely correct. I believe the tank is still fallow.

 

[Tahoe61]

Maybe I am missing something but it seems straight forward.

Add some top off daily and bring down the SG or just bring down outright, since you have no live stock.
The nitrogen cycle is underway, no need for shrimp. Add a couple pellets a each day to assist in enlarging the biological filter.

It's not an either or, just top off.


PS: It's not a stupid question. You can not mess anything up by topping off or adding a couple of pellets of food.