Is This a Bad Cycle...?

EmilyXLC · Sep 11, 2012

Tomorrow, my tank will have been cycling for three weeks.

46 gallon bowfront. Approximately 27 pounds of live sand. Mostly dry rock seeded with approximately 15 - 20 pounds of live rock. One raw cocktail shrimp. Running an AquaClear 70 filter & CPR Bak Pak. Running my MHs during daytime hours. Having a diatom bloom out the wazzoo.

August 29 - Began cycle.

September 1 - Checked parameters for the first time. Spike seems to be coming... Here is a picture. (Please excuse the artsy colours... I instragrammed it.)

September 6 - Checked parameters again. The only difference is that Nitrite the moved up a hair. Everything else stayed the same. Sorry, no picture for that one!

September 10 - Checked parameters again. Ammonia has dropped a little, the Nitrite went back down & the Nitrate has gone up.

This doesn't seem like much of a spike... The shrimp is pretty icky looking & there isn't much left of it.

Am I doing something wrong...? : (

!@#$%^&*()_+ EDIT +_)(*&^%$#@!

Here are the parameters from Friday night, the 14th.

dc4 · Sep 11, 2012

Once you see the spike in ammonia, you can take out the shrimp. If you leave the shrimp in the tank, it will take forever to level out as the tank is new and the bacteria hasn't had enough time to build up yet. Try using something to stuck up what's left of the shrimp as if you try to green it with tongs, it will just disintegrate further.

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beaslbob · Sep 11, 2012

Looks like you did get a small ammonia bump then some nitrates.

With sufficient algae (hopefully corraline) that is expected. The algae cosmumes the ammonia directly preventing the large spikes. but in the process it does not use nitrates for nitrogen.

Hence the low ammonia and initial nitrate spikes.

then as aerobic bacteria builds up the algae goes back to consuming nitrates for nitrogen so nitrates drop down.

my .02

Tomoko Schum · Sep 11, 2012

Sounds like your tank cycling is progressing well to me. If you don't want to stare at the yucky shrimp, you can remove it like dc4 suggested. Just be patient. Your nitrate level will go up quickly once your ammonia level comes down to the level that nitrobactor can tolerate easily.

Kbra · Sep 11, 2012

Looks like your doing fine. Like someone said. Remove the shrimp. If ammonia and nitrate is back to zero I'd start adding a fish or two. Take it slow at first so you don't shock the tank.

EmilyXLC · Sep 11, 2012

Thanks, everyone! I was just scared that I had done something wrong. I'm definitely taking it slow. I may add a small Chromis or two when the time comes, but I'm definitely not going to rush it or overdo it.

When the hubby gets home today, he will be put on shrimp removal duty. We already named the shrimp 'Spunky'. We've suspected for days that he wouldn't pull through.
: (

beaslbob · Sep 11, 2012

FWIW I prefer to use a common male molly as my first fish. If you can acclimate a FW fish to marine then acclimating a much more expensive marine fish would be much easier.

my .02

Tomoko Schum · Sep 11, 2012

I like the pretty colors of your test specimens although the prettier they are, the deadlier they are

.

Using a SW acclimated molly is not a half bad idea actually. If you end up having a small hair algae issue, the molly will come in handy. However, acclimating a fresh water molly has not been as easy as acclimating saltwater fish to a new home regardless of their prices (at least to me.)

JSB · Sep 11, 2012

Tomoko Schum said:
I like the pretty colors of your test specimens although the prettier they are, the deadlier they are .

Using a SW acclimated molly is not a half bad idea actually. If you end up having a small hair algae issue, the molly will come in handy. However, acclimating a fresh water molly has not been as easy as acclimating saltwater fish to a new home regardless of their prices (at least to me.)

Yeah I started with 5 of those colorful specimens, then there were four, then three, and as of yesterday I am beginning to believe two. It has taken over a year, but they are just about to drive themselves to extinction with their inter-species fighting. Although, they don't seem to aggravate anything else.

EmilyXLC · Sep 11, 2012

I'm just going to wait until my parameters are favorable of adding my cleanup crew & going from there. I'm not really interested in adding any freshwater fish because I have no intention in keeping one in my tank longterm. I've never had an issue with acclimating fish in my last two tanks by performing an extensive drip & temp acclimation method. I'm just going to be patient & wait it out. : )