The case of the sneaky cycle.

[Jcon82]

Hi All,

This is my first post here but I've been on the reef tank subreddit for some time. I'm new to saltwater but not keeping aquariums in general. I have a great LFS that specializes in marine tanks so I followed their advice when setting up my tank.

Here's my specs:

40 Breeder
Tidal 55 HOB
2 hipargero LED lights 20% white 100% blue/UV
2 Jebao sw-4 wavemakers
Tunze ATO
Eheim Jager tru temp 150 watt heater
40 pounds 50/50 mix of marco and caribsea life rock
30 pounds fiji pink live sand
Instant ocean salt mixed to 35ppt

So I put the tank together (pics to come in build thread) and let it marinate for about 3 weeks. Then per my lfs I added two clowns and a big bottle of Dr. Tims. I added an Ammonia alert tag and tested every day for 4 weeks using api strips and liquid tests. Ammonia never went over .25 so I figured it was a false reading. Nitrite and Nitrate were nonexistent as well.

To be clear if my ammonia spiked I was going to remove the fish and place them in QT.

I brought some water to my LFS two weeks ago and he gave it a test with Hanna checkers to confirm my readings. Thinking maybe I wasn't producing enough waste I added a firefish goby. I also got an acan, hammer and zoa on impulse. None of the corals are glued in so if things spike I can take them out.

For two weeks now I have been testing daily and everything is still undetectable. I feed the fish and corals 1-2 times daily and have yet to do a water change. I have heard of the "skip cycle" but don't fully believe in it. However, I have several established FW tanks that go months without water changes and never read any nitrate so I do believe in nitrate gassing off. But not in a tank that's less than three months old.

I did have a 24 hour span where I think cyano started to bloom a week ago. I blew it off the rock and coral (not the sand) with a turkey baster and it never came back. It also disappeared from the sand bed in the same time frame.

I'm a rather impatient person and the excitement of finally getting a reef tank makes me want to keep adding livestock. I don't think I'm ready for a clean up crew yet but want to add more corals at the least. am I rushing it or did I have a low key cycle that I never noticed?

 

[glb]

Hi All,

This is my first post here but I've been on the reef tank subreddit for some time. I'm new to saltwater but not keeping aquariums in general. I have a great LFS that specializes in marine tanks so I followed their advice when setting up my tank.

Here's my specs:

40 Breeder
Tidal 55 HOB
2 hipargero LED lights 20% white 100% blue/UV
2 Jebao sw-4 wavemakers
Tunze ATO
Eheim Jager tru temp 150 watt heater
40 pounds 50/50 mix of marco and caribsea life rock
30 pounds fiji pink live sand
Instant ocean salt mixed to 35ppt

So I put the tank together (pics to come in build thread) and let it marinate for about 3 weeks. Then per my lfs I added two clowns and a big bottle of Dr. Tims. I added an Ammonia alert tag and tested every day for 4 weeks using api strips and liquid tests. Ammonia never went over .25 so I figured it was a false reading. Nitrite and Nitrate were nonexistent as well.

To be clear if my ammonia spiked I was going to remove the fish and place them in QT.

I brought some water to my LFS two weeks ago and he gave it a test with Hanna checkers to confirm my readings. Thinking maybe I wasn't producing enough waste I added a firefish goby. I also got an acan, hammer and zoa on impulse. None of the corals are glued in so if things spike I can take them out.

For two weeks now I have been testing daily and everything is still undetectable. I feed the fish and corals 1-2 times daily and have yet to do a water change. I have heard of the "skip cycle" but don't fully believe in it. However, I have several established FW tanks that go months without water changes and never read any nitrate so I do believe in nitrate gassing off. But not in a tank that's less than three months old.

I did have a 24 hour span where I think cyano started to bloom a week ago. I blew it off the rock and coral (not the sand) with a turkey baster and it never came back. It also disappeared from the sand bed in the same time frame.

I'm a rather impatient person and the excitement of finally getting a reef tank makes me want to keep adding livestock. I don't think I'm ready for a clean up crew yet but want to add more corals at the least. am I rushing it or did I have a low key cycle that I never noticed?

I have a 40g and it’s a great size to start with SW. Can you tell us what test kits you’re using? As far as the cycle, the only time it goes quickly IME is if you use live rock. Since it looks like all your rock was dry, I suspect that it didn’t “quick cycle”. I wouldn’t add any more fish or corals for now.

 

[Garf]

Hi All,

This is my first post here but I've been on the reef tank subreddit for some time. I'm new to saltwater but not keeping aquariums in general. I have a great LFS that specializes in marine tanks so I followed their advice when setting up my tank.

Here's my specs:

40 Breeder
Tidal 55 HOB
2 hipargero LED lights 20% white 100% blue/UV
2 Jebao sw-4 wavemakers
Tunze ATO
Eheim Jager tru temp 150 watt heater
40 pounds 50/50 mix of marco and caribsea life rock
30 pounds fiji pink live sand
Instant ocean salt mixed to 35ppt

So I put the tank together (pics to come in build thread) and let it marinate for about 3 weeks. Then per my lfs I added two clowns and a big bottle of Dr. Tims. I added an Ammonia alert tag and tested every day for 4 weeks using api strips and liquid tests. Ammonia never went over .25 so I figured it was a false reading. Nitrite and Nitrate were nonexistent as well.

To be clear if my ammonia spiked I was going to remove the fish and place them in QT.

I brought some water to my LFS two weeks ago and he gave it a test with Hanna checkers to confirm my readings. Thinking maybe I wasn't producing enough waste I added a firefish goby. I also got an acan, hammer and zoa on impulse. None of the corals are glued in so if things spike I can take them out.

For two weeks now I have been testing daily and everything is still undetectable. I feed the fish and corals 1-2 times daily and have yet to do a water change. I have heard of the "skip cycle" but don't fully believe in it. However, I have several established FW tanks that go months without water changes and never read any nitrate so I do believe in nitrate gassing off. But not in a tank that's less than three months old.

I did have a 24 hour span where I think cyano started to bloom a week ago. I blew it off the rock and coral (not the sand) with a turkey baster and it never came back. It also disappeared from the sand bed in the same time frame.

I'm a rather impatient person and the excitement of finally getting a reef tank makes me want to keep adding livestock. I don't think I'm ready for a clean up crew yet but want to add more corals at the least. am I rushing it or did I have a low key cycle that I never noticed?

Did you put any special flavourings in the marinade? bacteria, ammonia, fish food or anything?

 

[Jcon82]

Did you put any special flavourings in the marinade? bacteria, ammonia, fish food or anything?

I threw some fish food in it.

 

[Jcon82]

I have a 40g and it’s a great size to start with SW. Can you tell us what test kits you’re using? As far as the cycle, the only time it goes quickly IME is if you use live rock. Since it looks like all your rock was dry, I suspect that it didn’t “quick cycle”. I wouldn’t add any more fish or corals for now.

I used the 4oz bottle. I've been using API liquid tests.

 

[Cell]

With just a decaying shrimp and no pther additives, it takes about 4 weeks to cycle a tank. Yours has been running several months.

 

[Garf]

I threw some fish food in it.

I imagine it cycled before you started testing it. If your testing nitrate with API, it really could have some, it just reads zero, lol

 

[Jcon82]

With just a decaying shrimp and no pther additives, it takes about 4 weeks to cycle a tank. Yours has been running several months.

I never had good luck in freshwater with decaying shrimp. I ended up dosing ammonia until it cycled out. That was a long time ago and I'm still harvesting media from that tank.

I draw the line at dosing ammonia in a tank with fish in it. But heres the thing. about 6 weeks with fish in it and no ammonia at all? No nitrite or nitrate? strange.

 

[Jcon82]

I imagine it cycled before you started testing it. If your testing nitrate with API, it really could have some, it just reads zero, lol

I also think this. At this point one parameter should have gotten my attention.

I'm wondering if there's a particularly filthy fish I could put in there to up the bioload. I just want to see any of the three parameters move.

 

[Garf]

I also think this. At this point one parameter should have gotten my attention.

I'm wondering if there's a particularly filthy fish I could put in there to up the bioload. I just want to see any of the three parameters move.

The cycle only needs to be as strong as it needs to be, and will regulate itself as long as you stock slowly.

 

[HomebroodExotics]

So apparently rocks and substrate and stuff absorbs nutrients for a bit before leveling out. That would seem to make sense to me here. You probably cycled and the left over nutrients for used up by something

 

[92Miata]

So I put the tank together (pics to come in build thread) and let it marinate for about 3 weeks. Then per my lfs I added two clowns and a big bottle of Dr. Tims. I added an Ammonia alert tag and tested every day for 4 weeks using api strips and liquid tests. Ammonia never went over .25 so I figured it was a false reading. Nitrite and Nitrate were nonexistent as well.

The only reason you saw any ammonia is because Dr. Tim's is the slowest of the cycling bacteria. With BioSpira, or Fritz, you never would have seen anything. You were cycled in the first week.


The 2-4ppm ammonia that places like BRS recommend is completely arbitrary nonsense.


No readings at all at this point isn't strange - its a functioning reef tank. Some of us need to dose nitrogen to ever get a nitrate reading.

 

[Jcon82]

The only reason you saw any ammonia is because Dr. Tim's is the slowest of the cycling bacteria. With BioSpira, or Fritz, you never would have seen anything. You were cycled in the first week.


The 2-4ppm ammonia that places like BRS recommend is completely arbitrary nonsense.


No readings at all at this point isn't strange - its a functioning reef tank. Some of us need to dose nitrogen to ever get a nitrate reading.

Oh thats good to hear! Over at r/reeftank I'm being told to take the fish out, break down the tank and hang myself.

 

[92Miata]

Oh thats good to hear! Over at r/reeftank I'm being told to take the fish out, break down the tank and hang myself.

Yeah, that's reddit for you.