Cycled - Next Steps?

[FranktheTankTx]

Hey Guys -

Don't get me wrong - I've cycled several tanks in my life. I'm not a rookie, but I don't mind getting advice or noting everyone's opinions along the way.

My tank has cycled in 1 week. I used 2 medium raw shrimp, and removed them after 5 & 6 days. My levels have come down and I consider the tank cycled.

Parameters:

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
pH - 8.05
Calcium - 440
Alk - 8
PO4 - 0
Temp - 79
Salinity - 1.024 (want to get this to 1.025)
Mg - Did Not Test (will later, but I expect it to be on the money)

So, what's next?

Here's a couple things I generally do pretty soon.

1) Add chaeto to refugium
2) Add small clean up crew (a few hermits and snails)

Some advice:

1) When should I begin running carbon & phosphate
2) When to do first water change
3) Anything else

I'm not really wanting to add a fish yet, however I will QT my fish for a minimum of 2-3 weeks. So ordering one now isn't a bad idea necessarily.

Also - in my mind of common sense, something tells me when I remove the shrimp - what feeds the colony of biological bacteria I have developed thru the cycle? Nothing I say... thus I need to add some sort of food source for this colony to survive and continue to grow. What do you have in mind?

[Saltcity]

I'm thinking your tank isn't done cycling.....

Did you use live sand?
Liverock?
Did you use an additive that helps cycle?

The first thing I do is add a cleanup crew.... start slow and add them as the tank needs them.

[FranktheTankTx]

Ha! You didn't read - "My tank has cycled in 1 week." I'm not a newbie - I know when the tank cycles.

I always use live rock and half live sand/half aragonite. I'll feed the tank for another week to keep up with the biological bacteria colony... and add a small clean up crew after 14 days minimum.

Though, I appreciate your opinions and suggestions.

I can't really remember when I started running carbon and GFO on my previous tank.

[Jay180reef]

I started running GFO when the hair algae started. I ran carbon later, when the water started to get cloudy/yellow. Water changes are personal preference but 10-15% regularly is important.

[FranktheTankTx]

Thinking back on my past experience and common sense - I think I should do a water change when I decide to add something to my tank such as a clean up crew.

Thus I can ensure that a water change does not effect any parameters negatively - thus ensuring it's safe to add inverts/fish/corals.

[Flipper62]

Originally posted by FranktheTankTx
Ha! You didn't read - "My tank has cycled in 1 week." I'm not a newbie - I know when the tank cycles.

I always use live rock and half live sand/half aragonite. I'll feed the tank for another week to keep up with the biological bacteria colony... and add a small clean up crew after 14 days minimum.

Though, I appreciate your opinions and suggestions.

I can't really remember when I started running carbon and GFO on my previous tank.

WOW......for NOT a NEWBIE ???..... Your sure talking & asking questions Like a newbie. ?????
Its OK to Be a newbie....& ask lots of questions......Thats why we are all here

Sorry...No tank finishes its cycle in 1 to 2 weeks. IF you have been in this hobby for a few years.... LIKE you say..... you would know this

[familiar1985]

my tank cycled in 14 days and i added Cycle prob helped. i think if you were to get established water and quality live rock you would be good to go pretty quick, but then theres no cycle if im not mistaken.

[rkelman]

Its quite possible he cycled in a week to 2. If the live rock is established you can start a tank with no cycle at all. (meaning no spikes, the cycle is always happening) My 90 didn't cycle/spike at all. Neither did my 190. I would go on your regular water change schedule frankthetanktx. I don't run carbon continuously just once in a while. Or GFO at all so I can't help you there. Stock slowly and watch for a relapse.

[dkh0331]

Water change, run your carbon and get a clean-up crew.

[FranktheTankTx]

WOW......for NOT a NEWBIE ???..... Your sure talking & asking questions Like a newbie. ?????
Its OK to Be a newbie....& ask lots of questions......Thats why we are all here

Sorry...No tank finishes its cycle in 1 to 2 weeks. IF you have been in this hobby for a few years.... LIKE you say..... you would know this

I'm a coach who works with beginner players for a living - I fully understand EVERYONE begins at the same level. I would never feel it's not ok to be a beginner.

I have not cycled a tank in almost 3 years - and I cycled "old school" with a fish. So this was my first "shrimp cycle" ever. As I stated - I don't mind getting advice and suggestions. Thus why I don't mind asking questions.

Now let me inform you what a cycle is. A cycle is the period of time it takes for growth of a biological bacteria colony (nitrifying bacteria) to support a certain bio load.

I could start a brand new tank with brand new water and sand, and use someone's 5 year old live rock from an existing tank and never have a cycle. Why you must wonder? Because the foundation of biological bacteria is already present - it just needs a food source.

So, if I have purchased good/established live rock (which I did not post whether I did or not - and you do not know whether I did or not) then YES it is possible I cycled in 1 week. Especially if I have used good/established live sand as well.

My reasoning for the post was to gain everyone's opinions and suggestions and maybe even experiences. I'm not an expert, but I do have a lot of common sense which has helped me thru 31 years thus far.

Is my tank mature yet? Heavens no... but cycled? Yes.

Please, I continue to welcome everyone's opinions, suggestions, and experiences.

Current Plan

Week 1

1) Cycle tank

Week 2

1) Monitor parameters & ensure everything is stable

Week 3

1) 10% Water change
2) Run carbon & GFO
3) Add small clean up crew (5/5 hermits and snails)
4) Monitor

Week 4 & Beyond

Stay patient.

[herozero]

I AM a newbie, can someone enlighten me on what GFO means?

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by herozero
I AM a newbie, can someone enlighten me on what GFO means?

GFO is granular ferrous oxide
eg Phosban--there are many more brand names

It is a chemical media that reefers run in phosban reactors to reduce the phosphates in their tanks

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by FranktheTankTx
Hey Guys -

Don't get me wrong - I've cycled several tanks in my life. I'm not a rookie, but I don't mind getting advice or noting everyone's opinions along the way.

My tank has cycled in 1 week. I used 2 medium raw shrimp, and removed them after 5 & 6 days. My levels have come down and I consider the tank cycled.

Parameters:

Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
pH - 8.05
Calcium - 440
Alk - 8
PO4 - 0
Temp - 79
Salinity - 1.024 (want to get this to 1.025)
Mg - Did Not Test (will later, but I expect it to be on the money)

So, what's next?

Here's a couple things I generally do pretty soon.

1) Add chaeto to refugium
2) Add small clean up crew (a few hermits and snails)

Some advice:

1) When should I begin running carbon & phosphate
2) When to do first water change
3) Anything else

I'm not really wanting to add a fish yet, however I will QT my fish for a minimum of 2-3 weeks. So ordering one now isn't a bad idea necessarily.

Also - in my mind of common sense, something tells me when I remove the shrimp - what feeds the colony of biological bacteria I have developed thru the cycle? Nothing I say... thus I need to add some sort of food source for this colony to survive and continue to grow. What do you have in mind?

The bacteria only cycle to match the bioload and start to recycle when a new bioload is introduced.
What you strive for is lots of live rock that contain bacteria so that when a new bioload is added to the tank the response rate is faster in matching it.

when you remove the shrimp the bacteria remains or slightly decreases to the existing bioload

this does not mean that it will take as long to match a new bioload if introduced providing is numbers are spread over more live rock
this is where the cycling time of 3-4 weeks comes into play or that you immediately transfered established live rock to your tank

In any case slow addition of fish is always recommended

Good luck--it sounds like you are "in charge" of your situation

[herozero]

capn: always appreciate seeing your advice when i cruise around, thanks!

[sdc19982002]

Originally posted by Flipper62
WOW......for NOT a NEWBIE ???..... Your sure talking & asking questions Like a newbie. ?????
Its OK to Be a newbie....& ask lots of questions......Thats why we are all here

Sorry...No tank finishes its cycle in 1 to 2 weeks. IF you have been in this hobby for a few years.... LIKE you say..... you would know this

I surely dont want to start an all out battle here, but the tank I'm running now also cycled in less than a week. I also am old school and have been in and out of sw for 20 years. I'm not saying it's the norm, but it can be done. Mine was with 80#s cured live rock about the same amount live sand. I saw no nitrite or ammonia spike had 10 ppm nitrate at the end of the 1'st week. tank is about 3 months old now and doing great.

[FranktheTankTx]

Don't sweat it - Flipper62 had a bad day. He either doesn't understand what a cycle is or ... well I don't know what else it was.

Let's stay on topic -

I'm currently feeding my tank some raw shrimp to continue the growth and development of the biological bacteria colony.

I will be doing a water change this coming weekend & adding a few hermits and snails next week. I'll monitor them for the next week and move on accordingly.

Thanks everyone.

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by FranktheTankTx
Don't sweat it - Flipper62 had a bad day. He either doesn't understand what a cycle is or ... well I don't know what else it was.

Let's stay on topic -

I'm currently feeding my tank some raw shrimp to continue the growth and development of the biological bacteria colony.

I will be doing a water change this coming weekend & adding a few hermits and snails next week. I'll monitor them for the next week and move on accordingly.

Thanks everyone.

IMO I prefer to let the tank cycle on its own over 3-5 weeks and resort to using the raw shrimp only as a test if I never saw a nitrate or ammonia spike. At the most it is left in 12 hours max.
Why cause unnecessary high ammonia spikes killing off any hitch hikers ect that might have came in with the live rock.

[sdc19982002]

IMO i would stop with the shrimp and just feed once or twice a week with some flake or mysis. If you keep with the shrimp you'll just keep mini cycles going. Growing a huge force of bacteria now doesnt help much unless you plan on adding a bioload real soon. Alot of the bacteria you produce will starve and die out, therefore I think the shrimp is no longer needed. What I did in the past was to add a piece of shrimp to boost bacteria before adding large fish to a tank. It worked well.

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by sdc19982002
What I did in the past was to add a piece of shrimp to boost bacteria before adding large fish to a tank. It worked well.

I believe the key word here is "before" and not at the same time

[sdc19982002]

Yes. Not a good idea after the fact.

[Whys]

Me thinks Flipper likes to drink while hobbying. Probably not the only one. :] He does have a lot of experience and often useful analysis, just not a lot of personality filter. A trait shared by many members.

From what I've gathered, enough quality liverock and/or livesand, plus a slow approach to bio-load, seems to mean mini-cycle to no cycle.

I'm with you Frank. My setup is now 3 weeks old, no cycle to speak of, and I'm not eager to add fish either. I find myself wondering if my brittle star is more predator than I want in my tank right now. Looking into sand worms and sandbed clams to trick-out my DSB.

Good luck with the new tank.

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by Whys
Me thinks Flipper likes to drink while hobbying. Probably not the only one. :] He does have a lot of experience and often useful analysis, just not a lot of personality filter. A trait shared by many members.

From what I've gathered, enough quality liverock and/or livesand, plus a slow approach to bio-load, seems to mean mini-cycle to no cycle.

I'm with you Frank. My setup is now 3 weeks old, no cycle to speak of, and I'm not eager to add fish either. I find myself wondering if my brittle star is more predator than I want in my tank right now. Looking into sand worms and sandbed clams to trick-out my DSB.

Good luck with the new tank.

you have the situation that I was describing above. With no readings in ammonia and or nitrates then adding a raw shrimp for 12 hours would tell you if your system has cycled enough to handle that kind of bioload.
i.e if after adding the shrimp there is still no rise in ammonia after 12 hours then you can consider your tank ready to add a clean up crew.