Is a mini cycle enough if I add livestock slowly?

daveydoodle

daveydoodle

Blenny
#1
#1
First SW tank, but I've been through cycles before with FW. In my 75 gallon on 04/20 I added 80 pounds of live sand, on 04/26 I added 35 pounds of fully cured and heavily encrusted with coraline (and a green unknown algae) live rock, 4/27 I added 3 pounds of live rock rubble to the refugium. 4/28 the Ammonia was .25 ppm / Nitrates 0 / Nitrites 0. 4/29 I added 1 large cooked shrimp to supplement an ammonia source. Today on 2 different tests (two LFS) Ammonia, Nitrates, Nitrites were all 0. The shrimp is broken down and "soggy" so I know he's more than qualified to be a decomposing organic material. Questions:
1. Do I need more ammonia (second shrimp, pure ammonia, ghost feeding)?
2. Did I put enough Live rock/sand/rubble that I only had or am having a mini cycle?
3. Is the cycle delayed for some reason?
4. Why do people park in driveways and drive in parkways?

I'm in no "hurry" (per se) but I would like to see my ammonia above 1.0 to know with certainty that I'm cycling. Otherwise, start with a CUC now and keep an eye on water changes and test levels? If it was or is a mini cycle, I would just add fish slower than anticipated to equally increase BB with bioload?

And for the record...I wouldn't be in such a hurry if you guys would stop selling the things I would like to have in my tank. I propose no more livestock sales until I'm fully cycled?? :nevreness: Just kidding of course, but save some, will ya?
 
jahmic

jahmic

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#2
#2
If the live rock and/or sand you added was from an established system with some sort of a bioload, you may only see a mini-cycle like the one you described.

I wouldn't add more dead shrimp or ammonia to your tank...you've confirmed that the ammonia is being converted and imho it really does nothing but add waste to your tank unnecessarily. Going back to the live rock and sand...you likely have a lack of nutrients and detritus in your tank to feed any detrivores that hitch-hiked in on the rock, and will get a small die off of some of those organisms. That natural die off should be enough to keep your beneficial bacteria levels up early on.

I'm typically impatient and just add fish once I can confirm 0 ammonia and nitrites for a week after a mini-cycle. Just remember to really add things slowly, watch your levels, and stay patient.

For your cuc, I'd wait until you are feeding the tank and have algae growth....I added too much too soon and lost a few of my snails.
 
tlsrcs

tlsrcs

Dolphin
M.A.S.C Club Member
#3
#3
lol this site issucks so bad when you are trying to save money or hold off on a cycling tank. lol you can always set up a QT tank
 
Cake_Boss

Cake_Boss

Blue Whale
M.A.S.C Club Member
#5
#5
Lol, these live sales kill me!

I'd take that shrimp out so it stops polluting the water. I usually get impatient with adding livestock as well. Try one or a harem of those firefish
 
daveydoodle

daveydoodle

Blenny
#6
#6
Today's test results, taken twice with the same results (once by me, once at a LFS)

Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 5.0ppm

The medium sized cooked shrimp has been in the tank since 4/29 which is 4 days. No Ammonia??
 
jahmic

jahmic

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#7
#7
daveydoodle;164020 said:
Today's test results, taken twice with the same results (once by me, once at a LFS)

Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 5.0ppm

The medium sized cooked shrimp has been in the tank since 4/29 which is 4 days. No Ammonia??
Click to expand...
Apologies if you already know this...but your bacteria is converting the ammonia to nitrite, which in turn is converted to nitrate by other beneficial bacteria. Congrats!...your tank has cycled. You can definitely remove that cooked shrimp, there is no advantage to allowing your nitrate levels to continue to increase as that shrimp decays in your tank. I'd remove it and watch the levels for a couple days...your ammonia and nitrites should remain at zero and the nitrates will likely remain stable until you do a water change.
 
daveydoodle

daveydoodle

Blenny
#10
#10
I'm in SE Arapahoe, near E. Hampden and Gun Club Rd. (E470/Quincy). Once I'm fully cycled and confident I can add corals I'll be making several trips up north for some of the great livestock you guys are selling. I may buy a car with better gas mileage just for that reason. Do you know if any other members on here take Direct Deposit? :smile-new: Might as well give you my paycheck now....
 
amonchak

amonchak

Administrator
Staff member
M.A.S.C Club Member
M.A.S.C. B.O.D.
M.A.S.C Treasurer
#12
#12
Hit me up to come by chat reefs and get some starter corals!! I'm at Quincy and E470 too.

I would like to know some other reefers in the area!
 
daveydoodle

daveydoodle

Blenny
#13
#13
Good to hear that you both are so close, look forward to meeting some of the others and talking reefs. My wife can only listen for so long before she doses off.....I think she'll catch the bug once she starts seeing it grow. At least I hope she does, Father's Day is coming up. Hmmmm, power tools or LPS??
 
BPreefer

BPreefer

Nurse Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#14
#14
Yeah, much more fun for them when they get to pick out cool corals. Just be careful with that, I ended up with a tank full of xenia at one point. Looks cool pulsing and flowing in the water but grows like a weed. Lol
 
jahmic

jahmic

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#15
#15
BPreefer;164136 said:
Yeah, much more fun for them when they get to pick out cool corals. Just be careful with that, I ended up with a tank full of xenia at one point. Looks cool pulsing and flowing in the water but grows like a weed. Lol
Click to expand...
LOL...so...how did you convince her to let you take the xenia out? Tell me before it's too late! haha
 
CRW Reef

CRW Reef

Blue Whale
M.A.S.C Club Member
ex-officio
#16
#16
Add a bristletail file fish they love xenia :) Dave hit me up when you are ready and well get you some corals.
 
daveydoodle

daveydoodle

Blenny
#17
#17
Jahmic,
Yeah I'm torn, I really, really wanted some Xenia from day one, but I also want a Copperbanded Butterfly and I've heard they pick at those as well as Fetherdusters. I rockscaped my tank with a specific outcropping in mind for Xenia hoping to keep them under control.
 
jahmic

jahmic

Reef Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#18
#18
daveydoodle;164217 said:
Jahmic,
Yeah I'm torn, I really, really wanted some Xenia from day one, but I also want a Copperbanded Butterfly and I've heard they pick at those as well as Fetherdusters. I rockscaped my tank with a specific outcropping in mind for Xenia hoping to keep them under control.
Click to expand...
Yeah...I did the same with an outcropping for the Xenia. But that location is now being set aside for some SPS, lol. I have the xenia sitting in the sand right now and it's growing quickly. Looks great, but I want more zoas there instead. ;)
 
BPreefer

BPreefer

Nurse Shark
M.A.S.C Club Member
#19
#19
jahmic;164188 said:
LOL...so...how did you convince her to let you take the xenia out? Tell me before it's too late! haha
Click to expand...
Just convinced her she needed other stuff instead, lol. And it sells well, probably financed most of the new coral purchases with it at the time.
 
daveydoodle

daveydoodle

Blenny
#20
#20
Todays readings are Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0, Nitrates between 5-10 (closer to 10 we'll say). I did just over a 25% water change of the total system. And from this a stupid question arose. I have several rocks that are close enough to the surface that during a water change were exposed briefly. I have no corals or anything yet in the tank, however do I have to keep this in mind when I place corals so that they are never out of the water? I had (4) six gallons jugs of saltwater next to the tank and immediately after removing 25 gallons I replaced it. The rocks were not exposed for longer than 2-3 minutes I would estimate, but is this taboo with corals?
 
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