disrupted cycle?

lunning · 02/04/2007, 03:02 PM

I have had my 75rr setup for 15 days now and started cycle with a large raw shrimp. I started with 60lbs of base rock and 80lbs of caribsea argonate sand. I seeded it with a cup of live sand and a 1lb rock from my 18 month old tank as well as a 7lb piece of live rock from the lfs. The ammonia has spiked, but the nitrite and nitrate have only gone up a little and now are back to 0. Has something disrupted my cycle or was the one shrimp that has almost all decayed not enough?

lunning · 02/04/2007, 04:42 PM

I've heard a cycle can be rushed with cured live rock, but how long does it take for base rock to become established with bacteria?

bertoni · 02/04/2007, 10:44 PM

The shrimp was more than enough. Curing live rock or condition base rock is variable. I'd just stock up slowly. I don't know of any data on how long it takes base rock to become established, but I think your tank should be okay.

zoomfish1 · 02/05/2007, 12:02 PM

My base rock took about 6 months to get coraline on it. I'm sure bacteria populated it much sooner than that. I have also not read how long base rock takes to cure, but with nothing alive on it, I'm not sure it has to cure.

Like Jonathan replied, stock slowly, 1 or 2 fish initially, then 1 every 3 to 4 weeks. That way you don't overstock for the biologics in the system. You wait between stockings for those bios to catch up with the then existing load before you add more bio load to the tank via more fish.

lunning · 02/05/2007, 09:27 PM

Im moving everything from my 30g over so I will be putting 26lbs of established live rock in with my the 68lbs that is in there already. Right now I am not running any skimmer in my 75 with a 10g as the sump(letting it cycle without skimmer). I will be replacing that with the 30g and leaving the ls in it as soon as I put the baffles in it for a fuge.

zma21 · 02/05/2007, 09:34 PM

My tank is less than a month old, my cycle has completed and my base rock is starting to burst with coraline.

02/04/2007, 03:02 PM	#1
lunning Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Nevada, Iowa Posts: 100	disrupted cycle? I have had my 75rr setup for 15 days now and started cycle with a large raw shrimp. I started with 60lbs of base rock and 80lbs of caribsea argonate sand. I seeded it with a cup of live sand and a 1lb rock from my 18 month old tank as well as a 7lb piece of live rock from the lfs. The ammonia has spiked, but the nitrite and nitrate have only gone up a little and now are back to 0. Has something disrupted my cycle or was the one shrimp that has almost all decayed not enough?

02/04/2007, 10:44 PM	#3
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	The shrimp was more than enough. Curing live rock or condition base rock is variable. I'd just stock up slowly. I don't know of any data on how long it takes base rock to become established, but I think your tank should be okay. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

02/05/2007, 12:02 PM	#4
zoomfish1 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Claremore, Oklahoma Posts: 1,659	My base rock took about 6 months to get coraline on it. I'm sure bacteria populated it much sooner than that. I have also not read how long base rock takes to cure, but with nothing alive on it, I'm not sure it has to cure. Like Jonathan replied, stock slowly, 1 or 2 fish initially, then 1 every 3 to 4 weeks. That way you don't overstock for the biologics in the system. You wait between stockings for those bios to catch up with the then existing load before you add more bio load to the tank via more fish. __________________ Zoomfish Current Tank Info: 75g RR, dsb w/90 lbs sand, 150 lb live rock, anemone & LPS tank

02/05/2007, 09:34 PM	#6
zma21 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: NOLA Posts: 1,453	My tank is less than a month old, my cycle has completed and my base rock is starting to burst with coraline. __________________ SCA 50 Starfire: In Progress Current Tank Info: 20 High -> 40 Cube -> Nanocube 12 DX -> 25 Gallon Rimless -> 10 Gallon AGA Temporary Tank -> JBJ 24 LED -> SCA Starfire 50 Cube

02/04/2007, 04:42 PM	#2
lunning Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Nevada, Iowa Posts: 100	I've heard a cycle can be rushed with cured live rock, but how long does it take for base rock to become established with bacteria?

02/05/2007, 09:27 PM	#5
lunning Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Nevada, Iowa Posts: 100	Im moving everything from my 30g over so I will be putting 26lbs of established live rock in with my the 68lbs that is in there already. Right now I am not running any skimmer in my 75 with a 10g as the sump(letting it cycle without skimmer). I will be replacing that with the 30g and leaving the ls in it as soon as I put the baffles in it for a fuge.