Another cycling question

[jbjints]

I set my tank up finally on 11/27 and after just about 2 weeks these are my numbers:

Temp: 79.0
Specific Gravity: 1.023 (removed 5g and added 2 cups of salt and mixed it with 2 - 402's power heads.)
Ph: 8.1
NH3: 0.27
NO2: 2
NO3: 25

I am cycling with the shrimp which I removed last Tuesday and a piece of live rock. I am not running my skimmer at the moment because I was told I do not need to run the skimmer until I add fish. I was hoping someone could help me out because I know I have some potent numbers.

Thanks,

Joe

 

[tentacles]

Give it time, your ammonia is still pretty high. It's only been ~2 weeks, so what you have going on is to be expected.

 

[skene]

since removing the shrimp... have you been feeding the tank? the point of keeping the shrimp in the tank is for bacteria to grow and feed from it.

 

[jbjints]

since removing the shrimp... have you been feeding the tank? the point of keeping the shrimp in the tank is for bacteria to grow and feed from it.

Skene, no I have not been feeding the tank. What should I feed the tank? I was under the impression that after my tank cycled that I should then feed my tank and if after 7-10 days of feeding the tank ammonia did not appear that my tank was then fully cycled. I should be feeding my tank during the cycle?

I am going to take my time with my tank and nothing will be added for quite some time but I just want to make sure my tank completes its cycle accurately. I am not going to rush my tank as I did my 40 gallon.

Thank you so much for the help.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

If you do not feed your tank the bacteria in the tank has nothing to feed on. especially if your going to be a while before you add anything.

 

[skene]

When cycling the tank... the point of the shrimp is food. Bacteria is always in the water column but will die if there is no food. So even removing the shrimp for a few days can kill off the bacteria that you are trying to colonize.
You can put another shrimp in the tank... Watch the shrimp... when the shrimp gets the fuzzies all over it... you know that you are looking at bacteria that is starting to colonize on the food... which in turn will become the bacteria that will help break down your nitrates.
This is why you need to watch the ammonia, nitrates and nitrites while there is food in the tank. 2 weeks is not enough time for bacteria to colonize properly and show you the breakdown of these.

 

[jbjints]

When I had my shrimp in the tank I removed it when the fuzzies got out of control, does this make a difference?

If not then I should add a shrimp and with the shrimp in the tank I should feed the tank? Any particular food that I should use to feed the tank?

 

[skene]

no keep 1 shrimp in the tank. the shrimp will be the constant source of food.

 

[KathyC]

no keep 1 shrimp in the tank. the shrimp will be the constant source of food.

Please correct me if I am misunderstanding you..but why would you continue to leave the shimp in - are you suggesting for the entire cycle?

The point of adding the shrimp for a week or so is to elevate the ammonia (which will cause bacteria to proliferate)..then you take the shrimp out and allow the cycle to progress by way of the different bacterias forming(and multiplying) for each of the next 2 steps (nitrite & nitrate) BUT you do continue to 'feed' the tank. It can be fed using a pinch of flake food every day or couple of days.

If you grow too much bacteria (can happen, by keeping the ammonia level super elevated for a long period of time - which a thoroughly rotten shrimp will do) - at some point - if one begins to sensibly stocks a new tank (one fish per week)- all of that extra bacteria is going to die off..and that could set off another cycle.

 

[skene]

Leaving the shrimp in there for a longer duration will allow for a larger colonizing of bacteria. You do want to jump start the cycle, but 2 weeks into the cycle and removing the shrimp prematurely you will have immediate die off especially when not feeding the tank. When testing the water... you will still see ammonia dropping, nitrates rising... etc etc... with a shrimp that has/is being consumed.
Albeit.. water changes should be happening by this time as well.
Maybe by now... he probably will no longer need a large piece of shrimp... but... even a portion of the shrimp would suffice till he is ready to add in critters.

 

[basiab]

I vote with Kathy. There is enough ammonia there now to keep your bacteria growing for a while. Once the ammonia is down to zero you just want to feed enough so that your colony of bacteria can keep it at zero. It takes months for a tank to mature. At some point you need to let both ammonia and nitrites be zero and since you don't know exactly how much your colony can break down there is no way to prevent 'losing' some bacteria at that point. Cycling can not get you to the ideal it only gets you to first base. Then, over time your colony adjusts to handle the normal daily load which is why you have to add things slowly so your colony can to adjust to the new load.

 

[jbjints]

Thank you all very much for the help. I am going to feed my tank with flake food beginning tomorrow (can't get to the LFS until tomorrow) but I am going to test my parameters tonight and I'll post them to get some more feedback. I do not plan on adding anything to my tank for awhile not because I do not want to but because the right thing to do is to take it slow. My children are having a hard time understanding this logic LOL.

I had a 40 gallon back in the day and I rushed and after losing my Kole Tang which broke my heart I vowed to never rush a tank again. I am also trying to figure out where I can put a QT tank (going to start a thread on a QT tank now because I have questions.)

Joe

 

[jbjints]

Updated:

Temp: 78.4
Specific Gravity: 1.024
Ph: 8.16
NH3: 0.07
NO2: 2
NO3: 20

 

[Tonyscoots84]

I had a 40 gallon back in the day and I rushed and after losing my Kole Tang which broke my heart I vowed to never rush a tank again. I am also trying to figure out where I can put a QT tank (going to start a thread on a QT tank now because I have questions.)

Joe

please do what you said and you will do great

its moving along the cycle...