Cycling, Nitrates and Cyano Questions

[bhanson]

I have recently taken down a 5 year old old tank and am setting up a new one. The old tank was a 75G reef that was going through a pretty bad cyano problem. All of the coral and fish were moved to my other reef tank. The live rock was taken out at stored in bins filled with the water from the tank I took down.

The new tank is also a 75 and filled up (RO/Instant Ocean)4 days ago. All new bulbs (only CF on right now for 8hrs). I am using the Caribsea Ooltic sand for the bottom. I put in some of the old rock that was in the other tank (no signs of cyano on it when it went in) and about 30 lbs of fresh live rock. Currently using a wet/dry and coralife super skimmer until the silacone in the refugium/sump is cured. Also I am using Seachem Stability. Water flow is pretty good with two Maxijet Sure flow 160s and the return from a Mag 7.

Questions:
1. Nitrates are about 5ppm is that normal for 4 days into cycling?
2. Should I have put the old live rock from the cyano tank in the new one even though it looked ok. (I am starting to see very small spots of cyano coming back on those rocks)?
3. When should I start adding stuff into the Fuge?

Ammonia - 0
Nitrites - 0
Nitrates - 5ppm
PO4 - 0
PH - ~8.0


Thanks

 

[bhanson]

Any Input??

 

[Anonymous]

Cyano is a product of high nutrients/phonsphate levels in the water or tied up in the sand bed, not a problem with the rock itself.

Every tank cycles differently, and the fact that you added new rock makes it impossible for anyone to tell you when things should be settled down.

Sounds like you're on the right track though.

 

[Ben1]

With the cycling the nitrates are the end product of the nitrification cycle. A properly cycled tank will test 0 for nitrite and 0 for ammonia.

Ammonia-Nitrite-Nitrate. So if you are testing 0 for both ammonia and nitrites then cycle is done on that end. The de-nitrification cycle would bring the nitrate out of the aquarium, along with water changes. Anyway...since you added new live rock this can have die off for some time depending on the rock and most new cycles take around 30 days.

I would throw a blob of cheato in the fuge right now.

As far as using the old live rock if the aquarium was suffering from cyno you probably had a build up of nutrients as Jim mentioned in that tank. The rock might have a build up of detritus in it that could be blasted out with a turkey baster or powerhead.

I have heard of live rock coming from high p04 systems to have p04 bound or calcified to it somehow but I am not to sure about the likelyhood of the bound p04 being leeched into the water causing long term issues.

Youll have to test for ammonia and nitrite if you think the tank is going through a cycle.

Good luck

 

[bhanson]

Thanks, I ordered some Chaeto and will add that ASAP, so far Ammonia and Nitrates are 0, P04 is now trace and Nitrates are still hovering around 5ppm. I added a new skimmer its a Berlin X2 Venturi, anyone know if that would be better than the Coralife Super Skimmer?

Thanks

 

[Ben1]

Well I know there are people that like the corallife skimmers, but IME they are crap. I bought one for my sons tank since I needed a HOT skimmer and again IME with the one model it was junk. The air/water mix was terrible, the amount of wasted room in the reacton chamber and crappy pump they come with , let alone the problems with setting the water height and coming home to flooding drove me nuts. I just ordered a remora to replace it, and although I am not a fan of the aqua-c skimmers either it will be much better then the corallife skimmer, and I needed a hang on so not many options.

Its been years since I used a berlin and AFAIK they are all right. I have tried lots of skimmers and some I just didnt like while others, like the aqua medic T-1000 w/ aquabee pump I loved, while I here a lot of people complain about them although now they use a dolphin pump.

Anyhow I guess the point is the pump and injection method on the skimmers is just as important as the skimmer design itself. I dont know anything about the new pump the berlin is using but I am sure its no red dragon lol.

Anyway good luck with it!

 

[bhanson]

Thanks, so far the new Berlin X2 is working much better for me than the Coralife super skimmer.