New tank- HELP

[adamNdonna]

Hello!

We are Adam and Donna and just started a 55 saltwater tank. When I say just started I mean like last Thursday we filled it up added 3 bags of live sand, 50lbs of live rock with an octopus 1000 skimmer, two power heads with T5 lighting and a heater. We have been adding Stability daily following instructions on bottle. Our readings have pretty much stayed the same at salilinity 1.022, ph 8.2, ammonia 0, nitrites 0, nitrates 0 temp 79. Is this all normal? We have not seen the spikes ithat we hear people talking about. Should we add a little clean up crew?

[crock921]

im a newb as well, but everything i have read has said to wait a few weeks on the cuc (clean up crew). your tank should cycle with the different levels as the live rock begins to filter the water in the tank, and turn it into a mini reef.

[adamNdonna]

Hello crock921! We are new to the whole forum thing. I keep waiting for changes but see none. I guess I need to be more patient!
What size is your tank and how long has it been up and running?

[rmcaum]

Was the live rock transported wet from a local fish store? You need some die off or an ammonia source to get the cycle started. You could add some pure ammonia and check the levels after 24 hours to see if your rock can keep up. There are threads on this site about dosing water volumes to a certain (1) ppm. I wouldn't add any live stock until you are sure that the bio filter can handle the ammonia.

[gone fishin]

I would bring the salinity up to about 1.026. If you have good live rock you may not see much of an initial cycle. You can get some pure ammonia without any surfacants. If you shake the bottle it should not foam up. Add enough ammonia to get about 4ppm when you test. I would start with about 10ml of ammonia then test. If you are cycled then within 24 hours you should see zero ammonia and nitrites. If you still detect ammonia and nitrites then wait until they are gone. Just my 2 cents. Good luck

[Jholt11]

I have never put pure ammonia in my tank and can't say that I would recommend that procedure. I have read some threads where individuals have done that or placed a piece of shrimp in the tank for a few days to rot in order to jump start the process. I just ghost feed my tanks and that works fine. You will need to be patient and give it sometime to cycle.

[adamNdonna]

Bob,

Live rock was transported in a styrofoam cooler and once we got it home we placed the live rock in saltwater buckets filled with saltwater until the next day when we placed in our new tank. So, our tank has not even begun to cycle???

[adamNdonna]

Jholt11,

Is ghost feeding just pretending to feed fish that are non existent?

[BassMekanik]

Bob,

Live rock was transported in a styrofoam cooler and once we got it home we placed the live rock in saltwater buckets filled with saltwater until the next day when we placed in our new tank. So, our tank has not even begun to cycle???

Was it wet or dry in the styrofoam cooler?

If it was dry then you have to be patient. I cycled my tank for well over a month before adding anything.

If it was already wet and live then the wait time could be quicker, just depends on your levels.

[Sgt Jonny Cat]

Hi, I am also a rookie here, I set my tank up last wednesday. By what I have learned so far here, instead of pure amonia, I placed a raw shrimp in my tank for a few days. I put it in one of my wifes stockings so it would be easier to retrieve. Now the waiting game starts...it looks as though we have at least a month after the nitrogen cycle starts. When the amonia spikes and goes back to 0 thats when the cuc goes in I guess...

Patience is the key here I guess....good luck

[shermanator]

I started with live rock from my LFS and never really saw a cycle on its own. To prove my tank was ready (although I still have not added a CUC), I added ammonia to 2 ppm and it was gone within 24 hours, showing that the rock was pre-cycled. That is what I would recommend. You can buy ammonia designed for cycling online (makes it easier to not overdose it).

I also did the shrimp thing and it stunk up my house. Ammonia is much easier and less smelly.

[crock921]

Hello crock921! We are new to the whole forum thing. I keep waiting for changes but see none. I guess I need to be more patient!
What size is your tank and how long has it been up and running?

I have googled this until my head hurt, and from what I can see, be patient. Wait about a month before adding anything. You may not see anything happen at first, but youll see it eventually. Lots of people feed fish that arent there or put a dead prawn (shrimp) in the tank to make the live rock get to work. Since the rock actually does the filtration, it needs to get jump started. There should be an algae bloom of some sort as well, which is why you add the cleaning crew (if im understanding the process correctly)

[rmcaum]

If the rock was under water during transport, there is a chance that you won't get a cycle. But that rock if it was cured at the fish store, would still have some or most of the bacteria needed to support a small bioload ( a fish). If it was out of water in the cooler, you should have had some die off that would have started a cycle. The safest bet is to do as shermanator says above. Just something to test where you are. Better safe than sorry. If it was really live rock, I would suspect that you are ready for some livestock. You dont want to let it sit there doing nothing for a month because any bacteria from the fish store or your short small cycle will begin to diminish. That is why people ghost feed, to begin or maintain the bacteria. You have to see some proof that the rock is ready. There is also a chance that you had very little die off, but the rock was stored in sterile(ish) holding tanks (without an ammonia source.) if that's the case, you may have never started the cycle and the rock wouldn't be capable of supporting a load.

[Jholt11]

Jholt11,

Is ghost feeding just pretending to feed fish that are non existent?

Yes. You are correct.