tank is cycling

[harleymike]

Ok ammonia has been at .5 for about 5 days now and nitrate and nitrite were zero.
Finally today Ammonia is dropped a bit and nitrite is rising and even showing a slight nitrate level.
Shouldnt be long now.
Cant waite too finally start adding some stuff to the tank.
Picking up some more live rock tomorrow, so should speed things up even more now.

 

[CRJ]

live rock helps alot! add a little food to the tank, it will help speed up the cycle.

 

[harleymike]

picking up some liverock, filtre and live sand out of an existing tank tonight.
That will getter done.

 

[Poseidon]

For sure that will help alot! Best of luck

 

[Darryl_V]

Live rock will help as long as its not live rock that has been neglected or with die off.  Than you are just adding more fuel to the fire.

I'm not a believer in adding food to an empty tank either....once ammonia had disappeared and nitrite is gone and nitrate is below 40ppm start adding some fish and feeding them but go slow.

 

[spyd]

Live rock will help as long as its not live rock that has been neglected or with die off.  Than you are just adding more fuel to the fire.

I'm not a believer in adding food to an empty tank either....once ammonia had disappeared and nitrite is gone and nitrate is below 40ppm start adding some fish and feeding them but go slow.

I agree. Adding more liverock may set you right back to the beginning. It is the die-off from the rock that causes your cycle in the first place.

 

[harleymike]

Put the new rock in( app 50 pounds). Also got the live sand and filtres and power head. Even got a bunch of water.
Put it in  yesterday. Only used about 3 gallons of his water. 
Before adding the new stuff. Ammonia was .5 Nitrite was about .25 and little too no Nitrate.
Was getting the brown algae on the sand.
Added all the new stuff yesterday, then tested just now.
Ammonia is pretty much 0, nitrite is 0 and nitrate is between 5 and 10 ppm.
ph is perfect.
I will let it run for another week and see what happens.
Hopefully it is good too go now.

 

[spyd]

Sounds like you are on your way! I would wait a week, like you mentioned,  just to make sure there is no die-off from your new rock. Then, you can add a clown or 2 are all ways good starting fish as they can handle a lot. If you start getting any algae blooms then I would start adding a clean-up crew at that time as well. Trochus and Mexican Turbos for your rock and Nassarius for your sand bed.

 

[harleymike]

Ok, there were some things attached too the rock. Wasnt sure what it was. They didnt look too good.
Today they opened up. There are some type of mushroom. they are a purple coour, with white stalk base.
And a beige coral.
The coral detached it's self, two of them, they fell too the bottom and opened up. Have little fingers with little nips all over them. A beige colour. Not sure what it is. The base has all kinds of sharp points, I guese too attache too things.
I put one on a rock at the bottome and one at the top too see how they do.

 

[Duke]

with a picture im sure we could ID it all for u.

Sounds like a coral of some sort. and maybe something else?? its weird how u said it detached itself.. corals wont do that

 

[Blob-79]

yea some lps can detatch from their skelotons, too much flow can cause it

 

[harleymike]

The two things that detached. That I think are corals are closed up righ tnow. They didnt like me touching them and moving them.
I will get some pics today or tomorrow.
Was looking at some pics. I think its a kenya tree.