Noob Cycle question

[Butterworthpaul]

Hi guys I have my 12gal fluval edge reef underway using a dsb and live rock. I kept the live rock in a bucket of lfs water until I put in my new tank and this may be why my cycle has not been straight forward so far....

My main readings have been stable at:

pH 8.0
Salinity 1.026
Temp 78f

After a few days I still did not show any ammonia nitrites or nitrates and there was no sign of much die off so I decided to put a raw prawn/shrimp in to see how it goes.

For the last two days straight It is showing the following readings:

Ammonia 1.0
Nitrite 0.25
Nitrate 10

These readings have stayed stable for 48 hours.

My questions are as follows:

Do I now remove the prawn?
As there is no spike and all 3 readings are showing is it cycling?
Has it cycled?
Do I continue to add prawns to build bacteria over a few weeks?
Am I just a noob and just need to wait and see? Lol

Any advice would be great.

Paul

 

[Nitr8]

I would leave the prawn. The cycle is complete once Ammonia and Nitrites are 0. From there I would add one small fish and a small cuc. Wait a month, increase the CUC and add another fish. I always wait at least 2 weeks in between fish additions.

 

[Butterworthpaul]

Thanks Nitr8

 

[Butterworthpaul]

Ok so I am showing zero ammonia and nitrite today (50 nitrate) On only day 8 since installation. I will obviously wait a few days before doing some water changes. Just one question... Although I used good live rock I am slightly concerned how

Quick it is cycling do I just go with it and keep new arrivals slow and minimal and steady? Or should I feed more ammonia to build up more?

 

[Nitr8]

Ok so I am showing zero ammonia and nitrite today (50 nitrate) On only day 8 since installation. I will obviously wait a few days before doing some water changes. Just one question... Although I used good live rock I am slightly concerned how

Quick it is cycling do I just go with it and keep new arrivals slow and minimal and steady? Or should I feed more ammonia to build up more?

I would start doing 40-50% water changes daily in an attempt to get the nitrates down to <10ppm. Throw in another prawn and monitor all stages of the nitrogen cycle. In order for the tank to sustain life it will need to process nutrients at a rate that does not allow traceable levels of ammonia or nitrites. Build a bacteria foundation capable of efficiently handling a given bio load. Partial water changes and skimming will usually suffice to contain nitrates.