Cycle finished

[jejton]

Since I'm not getting replies to my tank thread Ill make a separate post.
My test results are as follows:
SG 1.025
Temp - 79/80
pH - 8.0
Nitrate - between 50 and 100
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - dont currently have the test kit
Didnt bother testing anything else yet.

So does it look like I might be at the end of my cycle or do I need to test for nitrites to confirm?

If I did finsih my cycle, should I then do a water change? When can I start adding cleanup crew? Being that I've been running it without lights, algae hasn't started growing yet.

As soon as I get my new camera ( ended up returning the Nikon as it was way too slow ) I will post new pics.

I also have some pieces of LR that I used to seed the tank but dont need once thats done and will sell. At what point is it safe to take them out ?

 

[Davidl919]

Test for nitrites. Before you can say for sure you are ready on all parameters and what are you planning on keeping

 

[jejton]

i need to pick up a nitirite test ( hof was out of them ) and as for what i plan on keeping - well fish, various inverts ( shrimp, snails, etc ) including corals which will mostly be softies and LPS. I dont see why that makes a difference, though, as far as if my cycle is done and ready for cleanup crew.

 

[masterswimmer]

Your nitrate is too high at 50-100 ppm. In the ammonia cycle you won't see any nitrate readings until you've gone through your ammonia cycle (when it retreats to zero) and normally when your nitrites spike then drop will you start to see a spike in nitrates.

I'd do a water change, wait a few hours and test. If you can get your nitrates below 20 I would consider adding a good clean up crew.

I'd also start leaving your lights on for a few hours each day. Let the impending algae blooms begin and your cleanup crew will have their job to do.

swimmer

 

[jejton]

oh i know that my nitrates are too high to add anything ( and i dont have a nitrite kit yet to test those, but assuming they are 0, and i will get a kit ) but i wanted to know if my cycle is done so I can do a water change and add CUC. I've read that some suggest doing a large (50% or more ) WC at the end of a cycle. What do you think ?

 

[tosiek]

how long has it been cycling? give it a week after the cycle then add a small clean up crew and wait a week or two and keep testing. People usually wait after the cycle to change water unless there is a high trate problem, which shouldn't be high because nothing should be creating waste that much in an empty tank. By removing the water your removing free floating bacteria thats beneficial to the tank. Only reason you should be removing water is to reduce waste, which you should have none of since there are no animals there besides whatever the bacteria is producing.

 

[jejton]

yes but there is dead organic matter both in the live rock and in the marco rock, which is what kickstarts the nitrogen cycle off and why we use LR in our tanks to cycle them ( in addition to wanting the beneficial hitchhikers) so toseik your wrong about the nitrates.

But thats besides my point as I was asking if according to my test kits, my cycle is done. The tank has had water ( and rocks ) in it for three weeks now, possibly a little more.

 

[inkblue]

my 60lbs of marco has been cycLing for 3 weeks now... still not done

 

[jejton]

did you see it with any live rock ?

 

[tosiek]

you have to reread what i wrote. Maybe in the morning.

I just stated a fact that your nitrates are unusually high for end of cycle. And gave you info on why the water change is done and when after the cycle.

They should be around 20ppm or less and your tank should be ready for inverts, which its not. And your wrong. You can cycle a tank with dry rock thats clean but you have to give it 2-4 months.. If you used macro rock im sure that you didn't let the rock sit for 3-4 months, do the water changes, and skim the bucket the macro rock was in and keep the water moving with a powerhead. The high nitrates your seeing is your macro rock curing. It doesn't matter how much LR you put in to seed the macro rock its still gonna vomit a bunch of crap as its curing which is all its doing in your display.

If you did what macro rocks told you to then yell at me and tell me im wrong.

I was just giving helpful advice with some explaination on whats going on. Thats all, just aswering questions.

 

[wxl14]

It sounds like you already know that your cycle is done. Why ask? Most have already told you to wait that your not done. Patience is the key. You will save a lot more money if you take your time.

 

[KathyC]

With your nitrates that high, then no, you can not know if your cycle is finished.
Without a nitrite kit, you have no way of knowing if your nitrites are zero.
Your nitrates could be on their way up OR their way down...

If you have Marco rocks in there, it is likely that you are not done cycling yet, whether you have added live rock or not. You might want to re-read their directions.

I also have some pieces of LR that I used to seed the tank but dont need once thats done and will sell. At what point is it safe to take them out ?

You can take them out now as your cycle has already started, but I'd continue testing as you may well have an increased mini cycle as they are probably the most substantially 'live' thing in your tank.

You also need to turn your lights on as your clean up crew won't have anything to eat.

Also not a bad idea to put a few small pieces of flake food in the tank every few days so that your bacteria have something to eat. They do need to eat you know...

As Tony stated, there really is no reason to do a water change after you have finished cycling, you have nothing in there producing waste.

Why rush?

 

[masterswimmer]

Here's where there are some different opinions about water changes after a cycle. I believe you should do a nice size water change. When the good bacteria breaks down ammonia, we all know it converts it to nitrites. The next phase of bacteria will break down the nitrites to nitrates. The nitrates however don't have a bacteria that completely breaks it down. We remove nitrates through water changes and nutrient export via macro algae, ie: cheatomorpha. Since Eric does not have a fully functional refugium at this time, the easiest way to lower your nitrates is through a water change.

So I firmly believe doing a water change at the end of your cycle is beneficial. It can help lessen the pending algae bloom (not eliminate it, but lessen it).

swimmer

 

[KathyC]

So I firmly believe doing a water change at the end of your cycle is beneficial. It can help lessen the pending algae bloom (not eliminate it, but lessen it).
swimmer

Ok..I can agree with that, but I sincerely don't believe he is at the end of his cycle yet. If he did one now, it would be premature and give him a very possible false sense of security.
Also unaware that he is not running any sump. Always best to have all of the info when posting questions/answers!

 

[masterswimmer]

Always best to have all of the info when posting questions/answers!

Are you telling moi that RIF?

 

[KathyC]

Are you telling moi that RIF?

Heavens no! lol
Meaning that I didn't have the info about a lack of a sump..hence no chaeto or anything for exporting nitrates.

You? You read everything! :hug:

 

[masterswimmer]

You? You read everything! :hug:

Nope, just Penthouse............ for the articles :shhh:

 

[KathyC]

Nope, just Penthouse............ for the articles :shhh:

Yeah, yeah...you and everyone else..so I've heard...lol

:backtotop

 

[jejton]

Ok let me clear up some confusion.

I posted this as a separate thread because I was getting no replies in my tank thread but if you did have a chance to peruse it, you would have seen more details than I posted here, so thats my bad.

Toseik - I'm not trying to argue with you about my nitrates being too high. I agree with you that at their current reading I cannot add anything. Maybe I did not make myself clear and as you point out it was very late. What I was differing with you about was the fact that you do not need livestock to have a cycle ( which is what leads to the nitrate levels rising ) but just need organic matter. There is plenty of that between my 80 lbs of LR andn 50 lbs of Marco.

Master and KathyC- I am running a sump but the only thing in it besides equipment is the liverock. It didn't fit in with my aquascaping so I stuck it all in the sump and will take it out once I no longer need it and then convert that section to a macro fuge and fill the third chamber ( where the skimmer empties into ) with rubble.

Wex- My title should have had a question mark, but I dont know how to edit it, because I was asking, not telling, if my cycle is done.

I have thrown in some flakes here and there ( and a couple of escaped crickets went swimming in my sump for their last time ) to provide further organic material.

The reason I was asking all this is because in some places ( here and elsewhere ) I have read that once your ammonia and nitrites ( I know I have to get a kit to test and confirm everything ) are 0, and nitrates rise to a certain level, you should do a water change to export the nitrates and then can start adding livestock ( I dont plan on adding fish until I setup my quarantine but I would like to start adding crabs, snails, etc ). I have heard other things elswhere. As for it being such a short period of time, well I agree and that is why I am posting this thread as my readings seem to be fine but I expected it to take longer to get here.

 

[jejton]

Oh and I will turn on the lights as soon as I straighten out the electric situation and get the topoff.

BTW my marco rocks did not come with directions. Their website has had problems so I couldnt find any on there and he didn't return my emails so I posted the question on MR abotu what to do and received no replies. So I just threw them in the tank, added water, sand and let things start.