Hello all! Question. I have an 8 gallon Aqueon, cycling for about a week. I took a water sample to my LFS. Everything tested perfect. The salinity was at 1.023, PH at 8, nitrates good, the nitrites were slightly low. All in all, everything was good and he said it was safe to put a fish in. I was thinking of a "Nemo" clownfish and a crab. He stated the tank has to build waste by adding fish so he said it's safe to add a fish or two but nothing more for a tank my size.
I wanted to take advice on here and throw a frozen shrimp in it to let it rot and build waste. Would that be good for a week, then put fish in? I have all the equipment needed except for a wave maker as the tank is small. I plan on purchasing a pound of live rock today.
Ok, here comes the girlie question....do you think a clownfish will be lonely in a tank with just a crab? I have -0- experience with anemones, they are quite expensive and I can't afford a fail on that. By the way, thank you for your advice on purchasing a refractometer. My hydrometer was always .3 points off when I matched the results up with a refractometer. Thank you in advance for all your help. Great Forum~!
1.023 is a tad low. If LFS was using API test- May be a false reading. You made mention of a shrimp placed in tank to rot. That is one method. Cycling is a 2-4 week process adding ZERO livestock as there will be daily chemical changes and swings occuring that will simply kill livestock.
API test kit is notorious for false readings and have let down many reefers hence the very low price for a master test kit. You will likely have inaccurate readings during the cycle process.
Ammonia badges have the same credibility as they are also intended for fresh water tanks ands also known for false readings.
What is cycling supposed to be ??
Decades ago, hobbyists would cycle their new tank with a sacrificial fish, like a blue damsel. While this method may still be used by some, it's not a good plan for two reasons: 1) as the ammonia rises in the water, the fish's gills are burned by the rising ammonia levels which is unkind, and 2) most people don't want the damsel in their aquarium later because it's deemed too aggressive to other livestock.
Once you fill up your aquarium with saltwater, powerheads, a heater and perhaps add sand for substrate, the next step is to "cycle" your tank. The purpose of a cycle is to create bacteria that will be consuming ammonia and nitrite from your livestock, but you have to get the bacteria from somewhere initially. Why is it called a cycle? Because the tank will go through three phases: ammonia will rise and fall, then nitrite will rise and fall even quicker, and lastly nitrate will rise and fall. Once Ammonia and Nitrite read 0 and Nitrate is less than 20ppm, the cycle is complete and livestock can gradually be introduced. The bacteria population will increase with the new bioload, processing waste and converting it to nitrate rapidly. However, it is important to note that overloading the aquarium with too many fish initially can exceed what the bacteria can handle. This is why it is best to add new fish slowly over the next few months. The bacterial levels will adapt if you don't overload the system with too many mouths to feed.
How long does the cycle generally last? Using the three test kits to measure results daily, you'll likely see the process takes 21 days. There are several ways to cycle a tank, but the easiest one is to run up to the supermarket, go to the seafood deli counter and ask for one large shrimp. If they sell it with the head, even better. One shrimp will cost about $1. Don't worry if they think you're crazy to buy only one; this is not the first time someone will wonder about your motivations with this hobby.
We're all crazy the day we considered getting into the saltwater hobby !!
Leave the shrimp in the tank for 72 hours. That's it. It may even visibly rot, or envelope in some type of mucous. That's what needs to happen. As the shrimp rots, ammonia is released into the water, and bacteria is growing exponentially, spreading into the substrate. The water may even look a little cloudy, which is totally normal and nothing to be concerned about. After three days, remove the shrimp and throw it away. It is no longer needed. Test for ammonia and see what it measures. It should read at the very least 1ppm, or higher.
Test the aquarium daily for Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate, logging the information on graph paper or perhaps in a spreadsheet or app. The more data points you collect over time will graph the rise and fall of each of these parameters. No livestock of any kind should be placed in the aquarium as long as you have any measurable traces of ammonia or nitrite because these are toxic to fish and invertebrates. Start planning what you'll want to put in your aquarium while you have a few weeks to wait. There's no reason to rush this process. A good solid foundation will benefit your future reef and handle the bio-load adequately.
Also - If you are running the system with a sump that has a refugium or Algae Turf Scrubber section, don't add any light or plants because the system is too clean.
