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End of cycle?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by tje22, Apr 4, 2013.

  1. tje22 Well-Known ReefKeeper

    351
    Greene county
    Ratings:
    +22 / 0 / -0
    Well my tank is in the middle of its first diotom bloom , which has me pretty excited! I have been doseing with Ace ammonia to between 3-4ppm and within 24 hours ammonia is at 0 ppm. However my nitrite and nitrate havnt changed in a week. Nitrite has been at 1.5ppm and nitrate at between 15-20ppm.I even did a 40%water change and they still didnt change. Anybody have any ideas on whats going on?

    I just found out that Im getting sat off so I get to go to springfest!! I was hoping to pick up a first something for my tank...but if its not ready its not ready. I even have water filling to do a 95% water change when I get off work tomorrow night!

    Thanks!
    Travis
     
  2. gearhead

    gearhead Inactive User

    271
    Ratings:
    +0 / 0 / -0
    Try doctor tims one and only if u have fish , it sounds like u need denitrifying bacteria it worked for me i started my 125 with it and 5green cromise ,it cut the time in half or less but how long has your tank been running
     
  3. blackx-runner Administrator Website Team Leadership Team

    Cedar Rapids, IA
    Ratings:
    +738 / 5 / -0
    Sounds like your well along. I would stop dosing the ammonia and I would guess your nitrite will drop pretty suddenly. As long as it does I would say you can do some water changes and SLOWLY start adding tank inhabitants. Just take it slow and keep an eye on ammonia levels after adding fish. Ammonia is what will be toxic to our critters.
    I think its usually recommended to wait awhile to add some corals, let things stabilize and settle in. If I were you I would just browse around spring fest and plan for future purchases instead of buying much.
     
  4. gearhead

    gearhead Inactive User

    271
    Ratings:
    +0 / 0 / -0
    Or you could buy Hardy things like crabs or snails soft coral that like water that's not perfect
     
  5. gearhead

    gearhead Inactive User

    271
    Ratings:
    +0 / 0 / -0
    Do research or spend money gambling , I started off gambling and didn't do to bad ,,I would stay away from sps and lps tell u r sure that it's good anyway good luck , maybe others can b more help ,,
     
  6. tje22 Well-Known ReefKeeper

    351
    Greene county
    Ratings:
    +22 / 0 / -0
    I am doing a fishless cycle, and there has to be some denitrifying bacteria in there otherwise i wouldnt have nitrates would I? It has been running since march 10th.
     
  7. gearhead

    gearhead Inactive User

    271
    Ratings:
    +0 / 0 / -0
    never did I without fish ?
     
  8. tje22 Well-Known ReefKeeper

    351
    Greene county
    Ratings:
    +22 / 0 / -0
    Thank you! Im afraid the bacteria will start dying off without an ammonia source....I was planning on dosing untill I added a living ammonia producer...am I wrong in this?
     
  9. tje22 Well-Known ReefKeeper

    351
    Greene county
    Ratings:
    +22 / 0 / -0
    The firt things I want to add are
    10 ceriths
    10 nassarous
    10 star astreas
    2 pistol shrimp
    And 2 brittle stars

    and a bta......which is what i was going to nose around for on saterday...
     
  10. danmgray Well-Known ReefKeeper

    307
    Sioux City, IA
    Ratings:
    +26 / 0 / -0
    I think a BTA needs a well established tank of 6 months to a year. Someone please correct me if I am wrong.
     
  11. tje22 Well-Known ReefKeeper

    351
    Greene county
    Ratings:
    +22 / 0 / -0
    I was afraid of that, but I would like to know for sure that's why I mentioned it. I do know that I would like to add one before I add any other coral so it can get settled in without running into anything.
     
  12. danmgray Well-Known ReefKeeper

    307
    Sioux City, IA
    Ratings:
    +26 / 0 / -0
    I think it is more important that water parameters are stable than waiting for some set amount of time. Before I added a RBTA to my tank, I read up on placement. I chose a place with the right lighting and flow pattern. It hasn't moved from tha very spot for 16 months now. It grew from about 2.5" to 10-12" in the first year then split. I moved the clone to a different tank with similar placement and so far it hasn't wandered either.
     
  13. Sponge Expert Reefkeeper Vendor

    Marshalltown, IA
    Ratings:
    +233 / 1 / -0
    The rock could be putting stuff into the water to contribute to the nitrate. One thing about this hobby is to go slow and practice patience. I would not endorse a BTA before 6 months. An established aquarium, a knowledgeable reefer and the ability to maintain consistent water quality and parameters is important for all tank inhabitants! If you "have" to put something in the tank, start with shrooms and other hardy softies. They get their nourishment mainly from the zooanthellie and they get their nourishment from lighting. Your tank hasn't finished its cycle and will have mini cycles for quite some time. You want to make sure the snails, stars, etc have food to eat /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default//emoticons/smile.gif
     
  14. Big John

    Big John Inactive User

    966
    Ratings:
    +0 / 0 / -0
    Stop dosing the ammonia like xrunner said.
     
  15. tje22 Well-Known ReefKeeper

    351
    Greene county
    Ratings:
    +22 / 0 / -0
    Ok so Im going to wait on a bta....And Im going to stop dosing ammonia. Im going to order my cuc so it gets delivered on wed. Its a bummer I didnt start this a few months before I did so I could really enjoy springfest!
     
  16. nickbuol Here fishy, fishy, fishy...

    718
    Marion, IA
    Ratings:
    +17 / 0 / -0
    I was in a similar boat back at Fall Fest. I didn't even have a tank yet. I was something like 2-3 weeks from getting it. Don't worry though, fall fest will be here before you know it and by then you will know that your tank is running fine and you didn't rush anything.
    - Nick
     
  17. Big John

    Big John Inactive User

    966
    Ratings:
    +0 / 0 / -0
    Patience will save you so much money! You won't have to wait till Fall Fest, there are so many people here to hook you up with your coral selection.
     
  18. tje22 Well-Known ReefKeeper

    351
    Greene county
    Ratings:
    +22 / 0 / -0
    Thanks for the great advice everyone! I look forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!
     
  19. tje22 Well-Known ReefKeeper

    351
    Greene county
    Ratings:
    +22 / 0 / -0
    Well just like you guys said. I didn't dose with ammonia today, and when I got home from work both ammonia and nitrite were at 0 /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default//emoticons/smile.gif
     

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