New to Saltwater, Tank Pics

[ashtonp]

Hi everyone,

I am new to the saltwater game but I was into the freshwater hobby (cichlids, turtles, etc.) a long time back. I'm looking for some advice and member perspective on where I am in my cycle.

I have a Fluval Evo 13.5 gal, and I am running Seachem Matrix and Chemipure blue nano. I have been dosing Seachem stability for 2 weeks (first week had the protein skimmer on, then turned it off for week 2).

I have what appear to be diatoms, and I have been ghost feeding the tank. I get no ammonia readings when I test (done about 5 so far) and I don't get nitrate readings either.

Can anyone tell me where in my cycle I am? And whether these look like diatoms or something else I need to take care of. The tank started its cycle with dry rock, and live sand from Carib Sea.

Thanks

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

Welcome to the lagoon!

Everything is looking like it's supposed to as far as I can tell.

What are your nitrite levels? You can have no detectable ammonia but have nitrites without nitrates. Once you have no ammonia or nitrites, you'll be ready to go!

 

[ashtonp]

Thanks for the reply! As of yesterday, I had no nitrite levels either. Would you recommend I test today? I last ghost fed the tank yesterday afternoon

 

[Ruben's Reef]

!!! Welcome to R2R !!! Nice setup. That's the beginner stage of the cycling.

 

[Peace River]

Welcome to R2R!!! We’re glad you’re here!

You may find this R2R article helpful:

Cycling an Aquarium

Cycling a new aquarium. One of the earliest topics a new aquarium hobbyist needs to learn is how to properly cycle their aquarium. There is a ton of information on this process and many different methods on how to accomplish it. There are many different chemical and biological cycles our tank...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[AllSignsPointToFish]

Thanks for the reply! As of yesterday, I had no nitrite levels either. Would you recommend I test today? I last ghost fed the tank yesterday afternoon

You've got nothing to lose by testing! Until you see some detectable nitrates, you cannot be sure the nitrifying bacteria have sufficiently multiplied. I would continue on the path until you can detect nitrates with no ammonia or nitrites.

 

[ashtonp]

Ok, I will do another test today. I will continue to ghost feed as well. Glad to be here, thank you all for warm welcome

 

[BeejReef]

Don't think those little specks of green are anything to be too concerned about. You would like to see an ammonia reading at some point to kind of see where you're at. I'd be tempted to ghost feed a little heavier and try to get the party started.

 

[ashtonp]

Would adding ammonia (Dr.Tim's) provide any benefits over increasing feeding amount? I have seen people use Dr. Tim's ammonium chloride with his Nitrifying bacteria, but not able to find anything on using ammonia with Seachem Stability

 

[reef lover]

Welcome to r2r! Id just use more food.

 

[ashtonp]

Perfect, thanks very much!

 

[REEFLIFE.27]

Would you say my cycle is done.

 

[CasaReefer]

Hi Ash... Nice Tank... I really like the rock work.. Welcome to R2R..

 

[The Aquatic Arsenal]

Looks like you are still dealing with some ammonia

 

[sfin52]

 

[waywardreefer]

Welcome to R2R!

 

[Twìsted~Coral]

The tank looks good !!

 

[MrWheelock]

Would you say my cycle is done.

Im not really a salifert/ api fan, (i use redsea) but by the looks you have almost. .5 ammonia. I would test again tomorrow and see where you're at.

 

[Idoc]

Would you say my cycle is done.

When you can process 1-2ppm ammonia to zero in 24hrs, then you're cycled. I think you're probably darn close! If your have the ability to dose up the ammonia to a set amount, give that a try and then test again in 24hrs. The API ammonia test rarely shows zero!

 

[REEFLIFE.27]

When you can process 1-2ppm ammonia to zero in 24hrs, then you're cycled. I think you're probably darn close! If your have the ability to dose up the ammonia to a set amount, give that a try and then test again in 24hrs. The API ammonia test rarely shows zero!

Been out the hobby for 3 yrs the tank been sitting there empty for like 2 yrs till now . I used turbo start 900 to cycle tank which is suppose to cycle in like a week i think never done it this way. Been stuck on these test results probably for like a week but compared to what is was 3weeks ago It’s gotten way better not sure if I added to much ammonia. I’ve always cycled my tank By waiting it out for a month