First test results, help me decipher them.

[mikee002]

Started my tank on 2/13 and today was the first day that I was able to test parameters. Here are my results...
65 Gallon
02/19 Sunday 09:38 AM
Temperature: 77.9 °F
pH: 8.0
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 10 ppm
Salinity: 1.026 SG
Alkalinity: 9 dKH

I started the cycle with a raw shrimp and a bottle of biospira. I used the red Sea marine care test kit this morning. I don't really like how subjective reading the colors/results are. Either way. I had the shrimp in the tank until this morning... With the shrimp still there, shouldn't I have seen some ammonia readings? Is it possible that I'm this far along in the cycle already?

Thanks in advance

 

[Pongo]

I've never used biospira, but my understanding is biospira = nearly instant cycle, just add fish.

I've got a bottle of Dr. Tim's ammonium chloride solution that I used to cycle 3 tanks. I used the Red Sea reef mature kit that contains bacteria to get things started with dead rock and live sand.
Just follow the directions to dose the tank to 2ppm, check in 24 hours to check the cycle progress.
That method lets you measure the capacity of the cycle - if the ammonia clears in 24 hours you should be good.

I'd say from your readings the tank is cycling, just add fish gradually so you don't overwhelm it.

 

[PatW]

The Red Sea tests are pretty good for the nitrogen cycle. Your results show that your tank can convert ammonia to nitrate. Now whether it can handle a heavy stocking of fish is another matter. But, I think that it can support a light stocking just fine.

You can by ammonia solutions at some fish stores to cycle your tank. The notion is that your tank is cycled if it can convert 2 ppm ammonia completely to nitrates in 24 hours. That is a pretty objective measure. I think 2 ppm ammonia will convert into something like 10 ppm nitrate. So after doing that twice, you need to do something to reduce your nitrates like a several big honking water changes.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Did you start with live rock?

 

[mikee002]

Did you start with live rock?

I started with dry rock and live sand.

 

[mikee002]

The Red Sea tests are pretty good for the nitrogen cycle. Your results show that your tank can convert ammonia to nitrate. Now whether it can handle a heavy stocking of fish is another matter. But, I think that it can support a light stocking just fine.

You can by ammonia solutions at some fish stores to cycle your tank. The notion is that your tank is cycled if it can convert 2 ppm ammonia completely to nitrates in 24 hours. That is a pretty objective measure. I think 2 ppm ammonia will convert into something like 10 ppm nitrate. So after doing that twice, you need to do something to reduce your nitrates like a several big honking water changes.

Thanks. I'm not looking to start stocking... I was planning on that being a month or more out. Lol. I'll get some pure ammonia in the next couple days and dose it to see what happens. Like I said though... I'm in no hurry to stock. I was planning on QT anyway...

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Thanks. I'm not looking to start stocking... I was planning on that being a month or more out. Lol. I'll get some pure ammonia in the next couple days and dose it to see what happens. Like I said though... I'm in no hurry to stock. I was planning on QT anyway...

I dont think the shrimp has has quite long enough to develop the ammonia. And what has been produced has been eaten up by the existing bacterias. So yea some ammonia will spur further bacteria...