Is this a normal Cycle?

[BriggsReef]

So we cycled the tank with the live rock that had been out of the water for a few days. I'm almost scared at how fast the levels went up then back down. I used some stuff called STABILITY to help with the cycle. The algae on the rocks that was green turned brown and seemed to have died off.

This almost doesnt seem right but i double tested and Everything is at 0ppm..EVEN NITRATE

day 4-5
Ammonia 1ppm
Nitrite .50ppm
Nitrate 20ppm

day 7-8
Ammonia .25ppm
Nitrite 1.0ppm
Nitrate 40ppm

Day 11-12
Ammonia 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
Nitrate 0ppm

Am i missing something here? or was this just a fast cycle. Can i add a fish?

[faisal629]

Not sure but I let my ammonia levels go as high as 6-8 ppm and its been 2-3 weeks and they are slowly decreasing and nitrite is at around 5-6 ppm, on the other hand I went the cheaper (and safer) route and used 120lbs of dry rock and about 3 small pieces of live rock <5lbs
Did you throw in a frozen shrimp or ghost feed? If not then throw in a dead shrimp and let it rot.
Wait till some one with more experience then my self approves of this lol I'm fairly new as well

[Pete H.]

I would wait a few more weeks. It is possible that you ran the cycle that fast. However, if you had significant bacteria growth, it is possible that some of the bacteria could die off now that there is no more ammonia to feed on. So, it is possible to have a mini second cycle if you happen to be done with the first one. (Or so I have been told)

Are you ghost feeding? or is that what the Stability is for?

There is no huge hurry right? just play it safe and check the parameters for a little bit longer.

my 2 cents

[Sugar Magnolia]

I'd say wait at least another week, testing every couple of days. If your params stay at zero for over a week, then you can add your first fish. Remember to stock s l o w l y, so the denitrifying bacteria has a chance to adjust to the new bioload.

[wolfador]

you can try adding some pure ammonia to the tank and see how quickly it gets converted.

[bnumair]

what siz tank do u have. i had a 20 gal with 20 lbs of cured live rock from established tank that cycled in 2 weeks.

[00Warpig00]

I am curious what happened to all your nitrate. something seems fishy to me. Most new tanks have to have nitrate diluted via water changes because they dont have any other way to deal with nitrate. Your ammonia/nitrite curves look ok and wouldnt concern me, but I wonder where your nitrate went to...

Nick

[bnumair]

I am curious what happened to all your nitrate. something seems fishy to me. Most new tanks have to have nitrate diluted via water changes because they dont have any other way to deal with nitrate. Your ammonia/nitrite curves look ok and wouldnt concern me, but I wonder where your nitrate went to...

Nick

i never have nitrates even when i am cycling my tanks. i always go from ammonia to nitrites and thats it. coz i run sulphur denitrator from day one.

[mykol reef]

double check for your test kit is important in the cycle the nitrite then nitrate.