Cycling...am I doing this right?

[ShelbyJK500]

So the 550g (total volume) build is up and running. I had it running without starting a cycle for the past 2 1/2 weeks. I didn't want to start the cycle before Christmas and have an algae bloom in full effect for all the out of town company.

I put 3 good sized pieces of shredded raw shrimp in the sump 3 days ago. Nothing. I haven't had any new algae starting, and all tests still reading "0". No ammonia spike at all...nothing even registering??

The only background I have is that my refugium (65g) is almost full of live rock and 90% of the rock in both of my connected displays were seeded for about 45 days. The fuge is full of pods and a few bristle worms from the rock. The "refreshed" rock in the displays were seeded with live sand and live rock for the 45 days and have now been sitting in the tank running for the past 2 1/2 weeks.

SO, my question is...did I not shred enough raw shrimp to cause a spike? Or am I already cycled? Or, does it take more than a few days for the shrimp to take effect? I do have a good blanket of diatoms over the rock and sand, which has been there for about 2 weeks. I also have some cyano going in the fuge. All of that was prior to the shrimp being added though.

Just wanted to get some educated opinions before I thrown a basket of raw shrimp in!

 

[Wicked Color]

Patience young jedi, patience.
A complete cycle will take weeks if not months in a system that size.

 

[ShelbyJK500]

Okay, not too much feedback. Is that it Wicked, just wait? I thought you had to "initiate" the cycle by causing an ammonia spike? I do have a large amount of live rock and "seeded" live rock in the tanks (basically all of it), along with an established DSB in my 65g fuge. It's been up and running for 3 weeks now and like I mentioned, I added the raw shrimp and nothing has happened?!? What is going to cause the cycle to get going? I'm beginning to wonder if I don't already have enough biological filtration that the raw shrimp didn't make a difference. I'm curious if it would take alot more shrimp to cause the spike do to the volume?

 

[kyuubichan218]

My system isn't nearly that big, but about half my live rock was established rock from someone else's system and my cycle was practically negligible. I think I detected like 1 ppm ammonia for a day or so. When I started fighting algae and my nitrates and ammonia were zero I figured that my cycle had passed.

 

[Cake_Boss]

I thought that too, it just takes time for the shrimp to break down. Patience young Padawan

 

[ShelbyJK500]

I thought that too, it just takes time for the shrimp to break down. Patience young Padawan

Cool...glad to hear some more feedback. I'm not going to rush it, but after doing some research on lots of threads...I heard A LOT of conflicting info. I've heard MANY people upgrading from 55g or so tanks to 200g+ tanks only adding more sand and using the same rock with basically no cycle at all introducing their livestock right away. I don't really have any livestock to add so I'm in no rush, other than WANTING to start adding stuff. 6 months has been a long time coming.

 

[Wicked Color]

Grind up another shrimp or two and toss it in, and get a hearty tester coral, I will give you some palys if you want they will open when the water is acceptable, and be hard to kill Sometimes the bacteria colonizes quickly and you dont see any ammonia, it all gets converted too quickly, also test for nitrite and nitrate.
Have you seen any brown on the sand or glass yet?

 

[ShelbyJK500]

Grind up another shrimp or two and toss it in, and get a hearty tester coral, I will give you some palys if you want they will open when the water is acceptable, and be hard to kill Sometimes the bacteria colonizes quickly and you dont see any ammonia, it all gets converted too quickly, also test for nitrite and nitrate.
Have you seen any brown on the sand or glass yet?

Maybe I should do that, the shrimp I put in have pretty much disintegrated. The hearty coral idea is good...I should try that as well. What are some hardy ones? Not sure if I have any.

I did test for nitrite and nitrate a week ago, two days ago and yesterday, both show no traces as well. I have had a brown diatom film on the entire sand bed and rock bed in my smaller display (and some on the glass), and to a smaller extent in the larger display for the past couple weeks. My fuge has had some algae buildup and some red slime going for the past couple weeks also.

I've heard most people say not to introduce any kind of light cycle during the cycling process because of algae blooms getting out of control. So I haven't been introducing any direct light into either tank. Might this be slowing the process? There is ample daylight in the room where both tanks sit and I have my fuge light running 24/7 right now.

 

[Cake_Boss]

.

 

[cdrewferd]

Can't wait to see these tanks.


Drew

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Wicked Color]

Light wont hurt, palys and leather corals would be my first choices because they have polyps that open when conditions are right, and close when wrong, but wont die unless things are really jacked up.
If the shrimp is gone, and there is diatoms-- your cycle has at least begun, and all you should do is add a test coral and a few cheap fish.

 

[amonchak]

I have a few Kenya trees and a paly or two if you needsome.

I'll be around this weekend.

 

[ShelbyJK500]

Grind up another shrimp or two and toss it in, and get a hearty tester coral, I will give you some palys if you want they will open when the water is acceptable, and be hard to kill Sometimes the bacteria colonizes quickly and you dont see any ammonia, it all gets converted too quickly, also test for nitrite and nitrate.
Have you seen any brown on the sand or glass yet?

I might have to take you up if you have a tester paly. I need to catch up with you...I'll send you a PM!

I have a few Kenya trees and a paly or two if you needsome.

I'll be around this weekend.

Thanks for the offer! I have a ton of Kenyas I could probably frag real quick to use. A paly would be nice though since it's VERY obvious when it's open, as compared to the Kenyas. Thanks again!

 

[Boogie]

I have a few basic palys if you want.