New tank is not cycling...is that ok?

[kelso1980]

I have a new 54G corner tank that I've had set up for over a week. I put in 40 lb live rock and live sand on Saturday the 11th. It was from an already established tank. I failed to rinse the sand off before I put it in so there was a lot of junk that settled on top of the sand. I didnt want it to get too nasty so I siphoned off the junk and added new salt water. I found a good deal on live rock so I added another 30 lb of live rock saturday the 18th. That was from a store and they said the rock had been in there for 8-10 months. I've been testing the ammonia every 2 or 3 days or so and NOTHING! I want to get this cycle over with but it doesnt seem to want to. Is there a chance that I wont need to go through the cycle? There's no algae on any of the rocks but there are a ton of tiny feather dusters that are doing great. there're also several greenish ricordia (idk what they are but that's what they look like) and one really nice looking Ricordia. They're all doing excellent too. obviously i'll wait for a while, but is it possible that it wont cycle it all?

[MileHighFish]

you have 70 lbs of live rock in your 54.. i think you will be just fine... just please take your time adding live stock, its hard i know but it is worth it!

[kelso1980]

i'm willing to wait...but will it cycle?

[MileHighFish]

you have live stock in there and all seams o.k... i would say it already has!

[Hop]

Sounds like you already got cured rock. Test for no2 and no3 for the rest of the week, but I'm betting you had a very small cycle and hopefully all is well.

[fivesmallworlds]

It's possible it won't cycle. If there wasn't much die off on the rock in transport then there really isn't much to start the cycle.

Have you put in a piece of uncooked shrimp or anything to try and prompt the cycle?

[kelso1980]

no. should i try that? how bout a live hermit crab?

[MileHighFish]

a pinch of food would work also..

[kelso1980]

K, I added some food and stirred up the sand. it's been almost 2 weeks. The guy from my local aquarium store says it probably wont cycle...so I'm going to add a crab, some gsp's and xenia from my other tank to see how they do. Wish me luck.

[ZoaFan08]

My tank never cycled so I was advised to add a store bought shrimp to try and kick start. Well after the shrimp rotted away in there for over a week and no levels rose I assumed my tank was ready. I added fish within 2 weeks and I still have those fish. All of my LS, LR, and water were from an established tank.

[Stevenx2]

"... I want to get this cycle over with..."
If you are impatient, then this is the wrong hobby. I waited about 4 months for until I started adding livestock. While your tank is cycling, it's the right time to get books read and read some more. That way you can avoid mistakes. Just my 2 cents.

[kelso1980]

I would wait 4 months to add anything if it was cycling but I've been told by 2 different people that it probably wont cycle or it had a little one because everything was from an already established tank. So i'm going to add a few small frags from my other tank that I can stand to lose and keep a close eye on it. There's a guy out here that everyone goes to and trusts but I cant make it out to see him until next week. We'll see how it goes after he tests my water. I definitely wont be adding fish for a while. Thanks for all the input so far!

[Octoberfest]

Just remember that a lot of live fish stoors will tell you anything to get your to buy live stock. If you buy a fish and it dies that means you have room for anothe rish and you'll buy it from them.

I'm on my third go around in salt water. First time I listend to my local live fish store and I never could keep anything alive so I got out of the hobby. The second time I did a lot of research and looked on here a lot but was in a rush, only got out of it because I moved. Now, my third time in I've learned patience is the best tool you can have in this hobby.

If it was me I'd wait another month and see how things are.

[kelso1980]

I'll definitely wait for a few months before I add any fish. or anything expensive. and I hear ya on the business minded aquarium store advice. thank you.

[sdc19982002]

You shouldnt have any problem adding your CUC and softies

[herozero]

i second the wait mantra. just when you think you've read enough you go overboard to quick and bam! i'm on my round two after a crash and just started to add snails and crabs after curing my uncured rock (best thing i've ever done actually). take a breath and grab a glass of wine and enjoy the ride.

[kelso1980]

Originally posted by herozero
take a breath and grab a glass of wine and enjoy the ride.

Ha! Right on. I'll do that.

[herozero]

sometimes it takes two glasses of wine to not go hog wild at the LFS. i had a cyano outbreak, and was convinced to try some red slime control. clown got super sick and got sucked into my now retired CPR backbak, scooter blenny and firefish goby died, followed by my shrimp. after putting down a good bottle of duckhorn i scratched it and started over, curing some real good quality rock and just put in some snails and crabs I had leftover just this week. the nicest thing about the uncured rock was I DID see the tank cycle, which I did not see with my cured rock. also have a ton of hitch-hikers. never thought I could have so much fun looking at rock.

[rudipez]

Yeah, i would wait or buy a couple of chromis to cure your itch!

[Spideybry]

Yea just make sure not to get any damsels. Theyre evil

[ticocuban]

I second the evil damsels...I started with 3 chromis...they all died and I think they actually caused my tank to cycle then I put in a pair of clowns and I have not lost anything that I've put in my tank since.