Strange cycle

[Weyou]

Details: 24x24x24 cube
Sump: 20x2020
Filtration: real-life rock, filter sock, and deltec 1455 tc skimmer.
Return pump rossmont RX 1400 rated for 5000 liters per hour.
Lighting: maxspect recurve r60.
Aqua forest sea salt.
Week one: I put the salt, put the rocks and left it without a skimmer or source of ammonia or any bacteria added... Just let it all run and stable.
Week 2: put 2 frozen raw shrimp in the filter sock..., turn the protein skimmer on and added a bacteria. With no light at all.
All the parameters check with salifert test kits. The ammonia did appear 0.25.
Also in week 3
Nitrite: 0.5
And nitrate: 50.
Today I check again and the ammonia drop to 0.15 nitrite 0.25 nitrate 50
All water is rodi from the beginning... 1-0 ppm.
Temperature 25 Celsius.
Checked day by day and this is the result.
Look to me very strange after I read and look on the cycle process.

 

[Weyou]

Also with no sign of any algae...

 

[Weyou]

Also with no sign of any algae...

 

[Weyou]

It's a real reef rock man-made

 

[piranhaman00]

Nothing strange, testing error. I would personally go buy some ammonium chloride and put that it there, but If your reading NH4 you should be good, just be patient .

 

[Weyou]

Nothing strange, testing error. I would personally go buy some ammonium chloride and put that it there, but If your reading NH4 you should be good, just be patient.

It's a brand new test kit.. Also, I do exactly as the manual description says

 

[Weyou]

Nothing strange, testing error. I would personally go buy some ammonium chloride and put that it there, but If your reading NH4 you should be good, just be patient.

Also during the covid19 virus, here in Israel, it's impossible to go out

 

[piranhaman00]

It's a brand new test kit.. Also, I do exactly as the manual description says

sorry i didn’t mean anything against your testing ability! It’s just that these tests have margins of error, your ammoni and nitrite are so close that it’s not possible to say for certain. What bacteria did you add? You should have been cycled right away. It’s been three weeks? Are the shrimp still decaying in the sock? Take the Shrimp out, your ammonia and nitrite should then cycle through to nitrate in a day or two I would say. What do you have for biological filtration in tank? Rocks? Matrix?

Also during the covid19 virus, here in Israel, it's impossible to go out

Good thing! Stay safe friend.

 

[brandon429]

How many total days underwater has this tank been

what brand of bottled bacteria

 

[Weyou]

as I wrote I used reel reef rock in my tank...the cycle is 4 weeks. the shrimps already decaying. In the sump, I have a few rocks in the sump also real reef rock. the bacteria is a special bland that made in Israel, not a known brand. Hope it will help...

 

[laverda]

Looks pretty normal. Just give it more time. Most bacteria say to turn the skimmer off when adding it. Your skimmer will remove a lot of it if running when you add it. There is no real reason to be running your skimmer yet. Dry rock takes much longer to become live rock. Adding bacteria helps, but is far from true live rock in my experience. Wait at least until your ammonia hits zero and then your nitrite as well. I suggest you wait even longer when using dry rock especially for adding some things like anemones (6 months with live rock, 9 months with dry rock).
Good things happen slowly in reef aquariums! Take it slow and enjoy.

 

[Weyou]

What about adding fish???

 

[laverda]

Wait a bit longer. Once your ammonia and nitrite are zero I would wait another week at least. Only add hardy fish first and slowly.

 

[Weyou]

when do i need to do a water change?
keep feeding my tank with a source of food? or the shrimps from the beginning are enough?

 

[Weyou]

to be honest with you guys I'm a little bit confused and concern with how this cycle goes

 

[laverda]

Like I said I would just give it more time.

 

[Weyou]

but there is no sign of any algae and the ammonia never spike, nitrite spike to 1 but still very low I'm just confused that all no mean I don't believe your advice

 

[Dbichler]

Make sure that shrimp is all out. Then wait for ammonia and nitrite to read zero. At that point you should have an accurate nitrate measure. This would be the time for a large water change and then check all levels again. If zero on nitrite and ammonia and low nitrate you are good to add a small hardy fish.

 

[Weyou]

The shrimps from the beginning of the cycle completely decay in the water that gone period I check, don't keep adding a source of food? what you meant by Make sure that shrimp is all out

 

[BeMoto]

I think Dbichleris is saying make sure all the decayed shrimp leftovers is out of your tank.