New to salt life!

[Hop2jr]

Hello all. Just starting a Fowler/reef have been cycling for 15 days, it is a 75 gallon. I started with 25 lb purple live rock, 25lb cured live rock, 25lb dry live rock and 60lb live sand. Used fresh shrimp to start the ammonia. Everything was cycling normally until last night.reading were ammonia .25 nitrites .25 and nitrates 10 on the 4/3 but last night 4/4 they were ammonia.25 nitrites 0 nitrates 10. Did my cycle stall? Using api saltwater test kit and I do have greenish algae starting to grow on some of the live rock. Just wanted to know if this is normal or what I should do if it is not. Here are some pictures of my tank.

 

[Ruben's Reef]

!!! Welcome to R2R !!! Nice setup. If you start with live rock (wet), you should be going to a mini cycle. I would get a Seachem Ammonia Batch, that will help to see any increase in ammonia right away. API saltwater ammonia test kit is good but for Nitrate and Nitrites I would get Salifert test kit because they give you a more accurate reading. You can do a 10% water change and see how the parameters falls. The greenish algae is normal and one of the first ugly stages before the tank mature. Make sure your water are at 0Tds.

 

[Mrs. Herbert]

Welcome to Reef 2 Reef! Beautiful setup and a 75 gallon tank is a good size I think for a first saltwater setup I agree with @spyder813 about the test kits.

 

[ScottieB]

Welcome! Tank will turn out great. Stay the course, don't sweat the variations in test results. Very unlikely the cycle stalled. Resist the temptation to react and just let it do its thing.

This may help give you an idea of whats to come. Keep us posted on the progress!

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/is-my-cycling-done.409370/reply?quote=4846160

 

[ccombs]

Welcome to R2R!!!!!

 

[Hemmdog]

Welcome to reef2reef!

 

[Jeight]

Welcome to R2R!!!

 

[Bpb]

Best of luck. The main piece of advice I can give....since this is your first attempt. Expect lots and LOTS of algae. It takes experience to anticipate and thwart algae blooms without messing with cycle.

 

[reef lover]

Welcome to r2r!

 

[UCF Alum]

Nice tank!
I would turn the lights out when cycling to avoid those algae blooms.

 

[Leadfooted]

Welcome aboard and nice start!

 

[Hop2jr]

Thanks For the warm welcome and all the advice. Setting up a qt tank 10 gallon the question I have with that is some people on fishlore dose copper in there attack 24/7 and treat all there fish even if they don’t show any symptoms is that a good practice and what is a good brand test kit for cu if it is?