New 55g

[FlyTekk]

Hey so ive got a 55g lookn to set up a fowlr.

I picked up about 44 lbs of rock over the weekend from a manhattan reef member.

Have 25 more pounds of marco rocks.

After picking up the live rock i drove for about an hour and put them in my half full tank immediately.

The rock came from a fowlr/predator tank. Not a reef. And doesnt seem to be teeming with life.

The rock seems to have a lil brown algae as well as a lil purple.

Im noticing some debris being blown around. Even what looks to be floating shrimp or pod carcus. Maybe 1/10th of an inch big. Very small.

I test 0 amonia 0 nitrites but am getting a light reading of nitrates.

The rocks been in the tank for 2 days now.

Does this mean that there wont be a cycle cause i am getting nitrate readings and 0 amonia/nitrites?

Or will there be a cycle.... If so when? Should i add a frozen shrimp to kick start the process? Or is the debris currently in the tank enough?

Or should i assume the is not much of a cycle and the rock has enough bacterial life to convert waste to nitrates? There for i can order my clean up crew?






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[JimmyR1rider]

If you add a shrimp to start the cycle get a RAW cocktail shrimp from the seafood counter of your supermarket and rinse it with RO/DI water before putting it in to wash off any preservatives that may be on the shrimp. Can also use along with it a cycling agent- such as nutrafin cycle or brightwells microbacter7. After you get the cycle started you can take out the shrimp and feed a little bit of flake food here and there to feed the bacterias and keep them alive. Monitor your levels and youll see the cycle happening. Good luck

 

[FlyTekk]

So, the fact that the rock came from an established tank doesnt speed things up? Or even prevnts the cycle from happening period?

Im asking cause some have told me that they have started thier tank with established live rock and bever witnessed a cycle at all.

So im confused on wether i should add more amonia to find out if it will need a cycle.... Or is it done? Cause i am reading some nitrates after 2 days of rocks being in there. But 0 amonia and nitrites.

Sorda looks to me like there was a slight 2 day cycle.

But how do i know for sure? Dont want to try with a fish? Thats not cool.

Thanks.

 

[dubs]

snails/hermith and dont take this wrong but 2 days is not enough to cycle a tank in reefing there is no short cut just take it slow u will end up with better tank and its will cost u alot less there is alot of info on mr /web so u just have to read ...

 

[FlyTekk]

I have all the time in the world. Not rushing at all. Being as patient as i can be. :0) but my question is..... When do i know?

I mean what if its 2015 and i still have no amonia reading? Never got any ammonia nitrite. Just nitrates.

Wouldnt it be safe to say that the live rock was already cycled?

Or are u telling me that in about 2 weeks or 2 months or 2 more days (what ever i may be) the amonia will spike!

If ur telling me that then ill wait. And def let it cycle. But im hearing that becuase yhe rock is established, i may wait forever for a cycle that may never come.

 

[Killerdrgn]

Might as well just throw in some flake food or something to see if it spikes.

 

[FlyTekk]

Yea i was figuring that. Just thought id ask incase it was common knowledge that there will be no cycle.

Guess we'll try and see. Will let ya know.

 

[FlyTekk]

Ok so i have an update.... I still read 0 amonia, 0 nitrites.... But my nitrates have increased from last night.

So if nitrates are steadily increasing but no signs of nitrites and amonia....

Doesnt that mean im done cycling. Like... Isnt that what i want?

 

[motortrendz]

pretty much.. once you put a fish in youll know bc eithe itll spike or nothing will happen.. i use green chromis.. bc theyre cheap and if they survive theyre pretty cool..

 

[JimmyR1rider]

Yeah is a good sign I was only sayin because you asked about the shrimp and had said there was no life in your rocks possibly- your levels seem like your doing fine. Good luck with it. post some pics when you get them

 

[chuckstyl5]

if you were to feed your tank with food - what food would be good??

 

[FlyTekk]

It didnt look like there was any life.....

But this morning i spotted tiny shrimp like creatures walking the surface of my glass. Hehe. POOOODS!