got the water tested

shooshoomanz · 10/19/2010, 06:02 PM

ammonia 0
nitrites 0
nitrates 0.5
pH 8.2

4 days old tank...

I'm confused i thought ammonia came first and nitrates last? anyways sorry just really excited about this not rushing but curious about the nitrogen cycle steps

Mr. Fish · 10/19/2010, 06:08 PM

Do you have lr in the tank, if so where did you get it?

JoeRonda · 10/19/2010, 06:31 PM

You could have nitrates if you got some livesand from someone. Or your liverock could be showing some nitrates in the water because it is old and established. You won't see NH3 & NO2, until you overload you biological filter capacity ( Liverock ). Then you will experience a cycle.

shooshoomanz · 10/19/2010, 06:51 PM

i currently have 15lbs of live rock, 25 lbs of live sand one damsel, three random mushrooms that came with my live rock, and my newest piece has two or three sponges, with a bunch or random macro algae :] live rock has been in for 3 days. live sand since the water started, i do supplemental bacteria from nutrafin daily, of a 10ml's once a day.

Once again the tanks a 20 gallon long. 78 degrees, 1.025 specific gravity, and my lights i'm running are a 10,000K at 54w, and a 420 actinic bulb, at also 54w. thats 08w for 20 gallons about 5.13w per gallon.

JoeRonda · 10/19/2010, 07:28 PM

That sounds like a good setup, just test your parameters once a week until you detect NH3 (ammo) and NO2 (nitrite), then test once a day until they both go to zero. After this you can safely add another fish.

shooshoomanz · 10/19/2010, 07:43 PM

so that sounds like i should wait until i actually get ammonia? or should i try to overload the cycle a little bit to actually kick start it by getting another fish? Sorry im not confused haha.

Percula9 · 10/19/2010, 09:17 PM

Just feed the fish normally and let the biofilter slowly adjust. The nitrates is probably test noise.

JoeRonda · 10/20/2010, 05:33 PM

If I were you I would test your param's in one week, if nothing shows test in another week, if nothing shows, buy your next fish. That's probably the way to do it.

Sk8r · 10/20/2010, 05:37 PM

expect 4 weeks.
You will see ammonia toward the finish of the cycle.
Then you will see it go away. This is the point at which bacteria are beginning to set up shop.
Give it another week after that.
And quarantine your fish for 4 weeks before putting them into the tank, or you will risk having ich infest and kill your fish and set up shop in your sandbed, after which you have to have your tank fishless for 8 weeks to let it die out. Your lfs should never have sold you a damsel to cycle the tank: that advice is 30 years out of date.

The step between end-of-cycle and first fish is CUC (cleanup crew) of micro-hermits and snails. I recommend one nassarius snail to keep the sandbed clean, too.

shooshoomanz · 10/20/2010, 06:06 PM

thanks dude once again, i appreciate you giving me more of your advice.
quick question though?

isnt the nitrogen cycle,

ammonia>nitrites>nitrates?

i thought ammonia came first? not towards the end of my cycle or is there another spike towards the end..and does the fact that i have live rock that's extremely healthy and has been established in a system for months effect this cycle as it has been suggested thus possibly even to the extent of eliminating it?

thanks in advance!

KeMo · 10/20/2010, 07:47 PM

LOL
umm I think we already been through this as did you not have the same post around noon today. ???
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1922138

JoeRonda · 10/20/2010, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shooshoomanz

thanks dude once again, i appreciate you giving me more of your advice.
quick question though?

isnt the nitrogen cycle,

ammonia>nitrites>nitrates?

i thought ammonia came first? not towards the end of my cycle or is there another spike towards the end..and does the fact that i have live rock that's extremely healthy and has been established in a system for months effect this cycle as it has been suggested thus possibly even to the extent of eliminating it?

thanks in advance!

You got it. That's exactly right. You may not even experience a cycle with aged LiveRock. It may be so matured that it is processing the fish waste so effectively that you would have to add a small school of fish to see a cycle.

shooshoomanz · 10/20/2010, 08:39 PM

thanks again guys!! for reassuring this and your encouragment... been a bit of a kafuffle in the rc world but anyways my live rock is now up to 20 lbs from the same tank i bought the live rock earlier. going to wait another week test daily and keep yall informed. I appreciate all the feedback. damsel is looking great ready to trade it in for some hermits and snails. corals are actually growing, ive begun daily dosing with iodide, stronium and malyblahblah cant remember haha, and liquid calc. at a smaller amount then recommended afterall im only feeding 3 corals haha. but im really looking forward to the progress theres one colony of polyps in some purple coraline agea growing like wildfire getting bigger every day it may be too early to tell but what are these guys?
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/b...-19_111444.jpg

anyone else want to identify these specific types of shrooms?

hes grown about a centimeter in diameter while these have stayed pretty consistant
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/b...g?t=1287628623
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/b...-19_111413.jpg

thanks again everyone

10/19/2010, 06:02 PM	#1
shooshoomanz Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Plainville CT Posts: 79	got the water tested ammonia 0 nitrites 0 nitrates 0.5 pH 8.2 4 days old tank... I'm confused i thought ammonia came first and nitrates last? anyways sorry just really excited about this not rushing but curious about the nitrogen cycle steps

10/20/2010, 05:37 PM	#9
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	expect 4 weeks. You will see ammonia toward the finish of the cycle. Then you will see it go away. This is the point at which bacteria are beginning to set up shop. Give it another week after that. And quarantine your fish for 4 weeks before putting them into the tank, or you will risk having ich infest and kill your fish and set up shop in your sandbed, after which you have to have your tank fishless for 8 weeks to let it die out. Your lfs should never have sold you a damsel to cycle the tank: that advice is 30 years out of date. The step between end-of-cycle and first fish is CUC (cleanup crew) of micro-hermits and snails. I recommend one nassarius snail to keep the sandbed clean, too. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

10/20/2010, 07:47 PM	#11
KeMo Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Toronto Posts: 357	LOL umm I think we already been through this as did you not have the same post around noon today. ??? http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1922138 __________________ 39Gal Reef Tank. 40 Lbs Fiji LR , 25 Lbs Fiji LS DeltecMce600,MP10-es Specs-ph8.0-8.3,salinity1.024-6,calcium450,alkalinity,8.4-9.4,magnesium1400.Temp.77-78 Blue Mandarin,BTA,Mushroom,ToadStool,Torch,cuc Current Tank Info: 30 gal Reef

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10/19/2010, 06:08 PM	#2
Mr. Fish Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 828	Do you have lr in the tank, if so where did you get it?

10/19/2010, 06:31 PM	#3
JoeRonda Made in the U.S.A. Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Washington,PA Posts: 694	You could have nitrates if you got some livesand from someone. Or your liverock could be showing some nitrates in the water because it is old and established. You won't see NH3 & NO2, until you overload you biological filter capacity ( Liverock ). Then you will experience a cycle.

10/19/2010, 06:51 PM	#4
shooshoomanz Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Plainville CT Posts: 79	i currently have 15lbs of live rock, 25 lbs of live sand one damsel, three random mushrooms that came with my live rock, and my newest piece has two or three sponges, with a bunch or random macro algae :] live rock has been in for 3 days. live sand since the water started, i do supplemental bacteria from nutrafin daily, of a 10ml's once a day. Once again the tanks a 20 gallon long. 78 degrees, 1.025 specific gravity, and my lights i'm running are a 10,000K at 54w, and a 420 actinic bulb, at also 54w. thats 08w for 20 gallons about 5.13w per gallon.

10/19/2010, 07:28 PM	#5
JoeRonda Made in the U.S.A. Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Washington,PA Posts: 694	That sounds like a good setup, just test your parameters once a week until you detect NH3 (ammo) and NO2 (nitrite), then test once a day until they both go to zero. After this you can safely add another fish.

10/19/2010, 07:43 PM	#6
shooshoomanz Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Plainville CT Posts: 79	so that sounds like i should wait until i actually get ammonia? or should i try to overload the cycle a little bit to actually kick start it by getting another fish? Sorry im not confused haha.

10/19/2010, 09:17 PM	#7
Percula9 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Orange County CA Posts: 3,819	Just feed the fish normally and let the biofilter slowly adjust. The nitrates is probably test noise.

10/20/2010, 05:33 PM	#8
JoeRonda Made in the U.S.A. Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Washington,PA Posts: 694	If I were you I would test your param's in one week, if nothing shows test in another week, if nothing shows, buy your next fish. That's probably the way to do it.

10/20/2010, 06:06 PM	#10
shooshoomanz Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Plainville CT Posts: 79	thanks dude once again, i appreciate you giving me more of your advice. quick question though? isnt the nitrogen cycle, ammonia>nitrites>nitrates? i thought ammonia came first? not towards the end of my cycle or is there another spike towards the end..and does the fact that i have live rock that's extremely healthy and has been established in a system for months effect this cycle as it has been suggested thus possibly even to the extent of eliminating it? thanks in advance!

10/20/2010, 08:39 PM	#13
shooshoomanz Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Plainville CT Posts: 79	thanks again guys!! for reassuring this and your encouragment... been a bit of a kafuffle in the rc world but anyways my live rock is now up to 20 lbs from the same tank i bought the live rock earlier. going to wait another week test daily and keep yall informed. I appreciate all the feedback. damsel is looking great ready to trade it in for some hermits and snails. corals are actually growing, ive begun daily dosing with iodide, stronium and malyblahblah cant remember haha, and liquid calc. at a smaller amount then recommended afterall im only feeding 3 corals haha. but im really looking forward to the progress theres one colony of polyps in some purple coraline agea growing like wildfire getting bigger every day it may be too early to tell but what are these guys? http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/b...-19_111444.jpg anyone else want to identify these specific types of shrooms? hes grown about a centimeter in diameter while these have stayed pretty consistant http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/b...g?t=1287628623 http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/b...-19_111413.jpg thanks again everyone