Fast cycle w/o nitrite spike?

[jselzler1]

Hello All,

I dont even want to ask the questions given the timeframe I understand about cycling but please someone give input. This is my first saltwater tank.

I have 55g corner. Stablized salinity and temperature over labor day weekend. Found a source of 70lbs LR having been cured for 5 months only 10 minute drive from home. I put all this LR in tank immediately on 3 Sept. I believe there was very little if any die off. I pulled ~10lbs out for my final aquascape. New sand substrate went in on 3rd. This was not live sand.

Ammonia tests on 3,4,5 september were 0. So after testing on 5 semptember I added 3 shrimp. Didn't test on 6th. On 7th ammonia was up to 0.5, 1.0 on 8th, 0.5 on 9th, and 0.2 today. During this entire time I have had readings of 0.0 for nitrite. The 8th I measured first reading of nitrate, 2.0, then 10.0 on 9th, now 20.0 today. I have not added any off the shelf bacteria or other supplements.

Is it time to pull out the shrimp and let the ammonia go to zero? Will I ever see any nitrites? After ammonia goes to zero & nitrites remain at zero, is this considered cycled, even in this short of time? Is this typical when starting with 100% good, cured, LR?

Thanks,
Jason

 

[Turbosnail]

I would pull the shrimp out but I would let the tank go for another week and make sure it is cycled. You don't want to think it is cycled and put livestock in it and have it die. Remember you need to take things slow and be patient nothing fast happens in this hobby except for a tank crash.

 

[Pat02026]

Not to persuade you to jump the gun, but -10 min is not a lot of time to be out of water for the rocks. There's probably enough beneficial bacteria still alive to have compensated for the difference in the small amount of ammonia produced from die off. However- there's a lot of other factors involved in the cycle of your tank. Your likely going to see a diatom bloom -brown stuff all over sand/rocks/anything else in the tank which will last a week or two- and potentially other types of algae that will come and go in the first month or two of the initial setup. Time for a cleanup crew? I'd say so. If you have 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite then your in the clear. Add some snails to kick off some life in there and keep an eye on your levels. Wait a week or two and you will see all kinds of cool stuff happen and appear, especially if those rocks had been in any type of established tank. Just be patient and go slow with stocking of fish, and you wont be disappointed. Give it some time to mature. just start with clean up crew and keep testing to be sure its truly stable

 

[shawn708]

Are you testing for nitrates, this is the next cycle after amonia. If you have nitrites then you need something to remove it like a skimmer or fuge.

 

[Pat02026]

ammonia then nitrites and nitrates last

Edit: I should note that there can and usually is an overlap between levels, particularly nitrite and nitrate.

Also I have read (please don't quote this for the truth) that in marine tanks Nitrite is not as harmful as in freshwater systems, (possibly due to the typically higher Ph range??)

 

[jselzler1]

ammonia then nitrites and nitrates last

Checking for nitrites every day always see zero as stated in original post.. That is why i am questioning the jump in nitrates. The sequence isn't textbook nor the timeframe.