Is my tank cycling ?

[flea1]

Hi guy,

I just setup my first saltwater tank (90 gallons) and I think I just made a big rookie mistake , against my better judgment I added a blue/green chromis to cycle the tank, and I also added "Dr Tim's one and only" (That's how I saw Mr saltwater tank cycle his tank), The chromis has been in the tank for 24h and he is not looking good, I don't know if it's a problem with the fish or my water because the fish wasn't able to swim when I let him out of the bag.

I'm so confuse right now, I don't even know if the tank is cycling, and I can't take the fish back because the LFS is closed till Thursday.

Can you guys shed some light on what's going on with my tank?

Rock: BRS Pukani Dry rock
Sand: Caribsea Arag-Alive Special Grade
Water: RO/DI
Temp: 77 F
pH: 8.1

Test so far:

Date
4/22 Ammonia:0.25 mg/L, Nitrite:2 ppm, Nitrate:50 ppm
4/26 Ammonia:0 mg/L, Nitrite:4 ppm, Nitrate:100 ppm
4/28 Ammonia:0 mg/L, Nitrite:2 ppm, Nitrate:100 ppm
4/29 Ammonia:0 mg/L, Nitrite:1 ppm, Nitrate:50 ppm

[shifty51008]

yeah it is still cycling but it isn't bad, you don't show ammonia which is good the nitrites are not toxic in SW at those levels and your nitrates are high but for fish only it is ok. I would still do a 10-20 gal water change though.

what is your salinity reading at?

what is the chromis doing that he is not looking good? it could be he is getting used to the new surroundings.

[flea1]

Originally Posted by shifty51008

yeah it is still cycling but it isn't bad, you don't show ammonia which is good the nitrites are not toxic in SW at those levels and your nitrates are high but for fish only it is ok. I would still do a 10-20 gal water change though.

what is your salinity reading at?

what is the chromis doing that he is not looking good? it could be he is getting used to the new surroundings.

Salinity is at 1.026/35ppt, The fish was swimming sideways wen I first put him in (and had a slight c shape to him), I had to turn off the pumps so he could swim down, Then I turn the pumps back on and 2 hours later I find him floating in the right corner of the tank like his dead, then I turned the pumps back off again he starts to sink to the bottom of the tank (like it's dead) and then swims away , Then I get up this morning and I see him floating like a dead fish, I go get the net to fish it out and it disappeared lol

[AYGurgies]

What type of water testing products are you using?

[AYGurgies]

Try not to use any chemicals to speed your cycle like Dr. Tim's and only etc... Try to let it cycle naturally. Your live rock can do that which is the natural way.

[flea1]

Originally Posted by AYGurgies

What type of water testing products are you using?

Salifert test kits, and Refractometer for salinity.

[flea1]

Originally Posted by AYGurgies

Try not to use any chemicals to speed your cycle like Dr. Tim's and only etc... Try to let it cycle naturally. Your live rock can do that which is the natural way.

I'm using dry rock.

[f3honda4me]

Originally Posted by AYGurgies

Try not to use any chemicals to speed your cycle like Dr. Tim's and only etc... Try to let it cycle naturally. Your live rock can do that which is the natural way.

Dr Tim's isnt a chemical and didn't harm the fish.


OP, it sounds like ammonia burn. You shouldn't have put fish in right away.

[flea1]

Originally Posted by f3honda4me

Dr Tim's isnt a chemical and didn't harm the fish.


OP, it sounds like ammonia burn. You shouldn't have put fish in right away.

But I didn't put the fish in right away, I added the Dr Tim's on 4/24/12 and the fish on 4/28/12, Look at the test dates (0mg/L Ammonia on 4/28), Should I do a water change now or wen Nitrite hits 0ppm ?

Thanks

[OTOWN78]

Just out of curiosity, did you acclimate him, and if so what steps did you use to acclimate. If I read correctly he started acting weird as soon as you put him in the tank?

[PintoSeahorse]

yep. its cycling

[flea1]

Originally Posted by OTOWN78

Just out of curiosity, did you acclimate him, and if so what steps did you use to acclimate. If I read correctly he started acting weird as soon as you put him in the tank?

I acclimated him by putting the bag in the tank and leaving it in for 1hr (like the guy at the LFS told me to do), and yes he started acting weird as soon as I put him in the tank.

I havent seen the fish since this morning, hope his not dead.

[OTOWN78]

You only floated the bag? Did you add your tank water to the bag every 10-15 minutes or did you float the bag then empty the bag into the water?

[TheAquatard]

Yeah, if the fish was acting weird from the start I'd say it was an acclimation problem. The person at you lfs was very wrong to tell you to float a fish in a closed bag for an hour. Just dropping the fish in caused it major stress. Read up on drip acclimating, good job using Dr. Tims. Now you know for next time. Pick the healthiest looking fish from the lfs.

[OTOWN78]

Other small tidbit, never put the water in the bag into your tank. The LFS often have chemicals in their water and can contaminate your tank.

[flea1]

Originally Posted by TheAquatard

Yeah, if the fish was acting weird from the start I'd say it was an acclimation problem. The person at you lfs was very wrong to tell you to float a fish in a closed bag for an hour. Just dropping the fish in caused it major stress. Read up on drip acclimating, good job using Dr. Tims. Now you know for next time. Pick the healthiest looking fish from the lfs.

Oh god I'm an idiot, I didn't know that I was supposed add tank water to the bag, I will definitely read up on drip acclimation .

So should I just leave the tank alone or do a water change?
I'm hoping the fish is not dead inside one of the rocks, because I cant find him.

[flea1]

Originally Posted by OTOWN78

Other small tidbit, never put the water in the bag into your tank. The LFS often have chemicals in their water and can contaminate your tank.

Thanks for the tips man, lesson learned

[OTOWN78]

Hope this help you..

http://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=157

[flea1]

Originally Posted by OTOWN78

Hope this help you..

http://www.liveaquaria.com/PIC/article.cfm?aid=157

Thanks man, will read. Will my cycle get screwed up if the fish dies inside one of the rocks?

[OTOWN78]

A 90 Gallon tank.... Should not have a problem. Usually when a fish dies it could raise your ammonia level. So I would keep an eye on that. This is where the saying comes in...
" The solution to pollution is dilution." This is why some people tell you its easier to care for a larger Saltwater tank than a smaller." Smaller tanks will require alot more attention.

[flea1]

Originally Posted by OTOWN78

A 90 Gallon tank.... Should not have a problem. Usually when a fish dies it could raise your ammonia level. So I would keep an eye on that. This is where the saying comes in...
" The solution to pollution is dilution." This is why some people tell you its easier to care for a larger Saltwater tank than a smaller." Smaller tanks will require alot more attention.

Okay thank you for the help man, I will definitely wait this out, I'm going to let the tank do its thing.

[TheAquatard]

I'd still try my best to find it, unless it was really small. The less dead stuff in your tank the less the tank has to process and the less ammonia/ nutrient problems you'll have. Good luck! Let us know how your next purchase goes. I'm jealous you have a 90 gallon tank and I'm only allowed to have 30 gallons :/

[flea1]

Originally Posted by TheAquatard

I'd still try my best to find it, unless it was really small. The less dead stuff in your tank the less the tank has to process and the less ammonia/ nutrient problems you'll have. Good luck! Let us know how your next purchase goes. I'm jealous you have a 90 gallon tank and I'm only allowed to have 30 gallons :/

Yeah I saw him this morning and I tried to get him out, but he went back into the rocks, it's a very small fish so it's hard to catch him.

Btw I bet you're 30 gallon tank looks way better than my 90

[00Warpig00]

It's pretty easy to catch a dead fish... and if he is alive still there would be no reason to catch him at this point since your ammonia is gone. I wouldn't worry about nitrites as it looks like they are falling and your cycle is almost done. Also nitrates are known to read higher than reality when nitrite is present so I am not sure that would concern me at this point either. It sounds like the issue was dropping him into the tank without acclimating for the salinity difference. Most LFS's keep their water at 1.016 to 1.022 if you put him directly into 1.025 that is a big difference and could be your issue. Not sure you mentioned it but was the bag sealed air tight the entire time it was floating for the hour without having been opened since you left the LFS? If not, how long was the fish in the bag before it was opened? Could be ammonia issues but that's likely to only be an issue with a fish that was in a sealed bag for more than a few hours and then in an unsealed bag for more than a half hour or so.

Nick

[flea1]

Originally Posted by 00Warpig00

It's pretty easy to catch a dead fish... and if he is alive still there would be no reason to catch him at this point since your ammonia is gone. I wouldn't worry about nitrites as it looks like they are falling and your cycle is almost done. Also nitrates are known to read higher than reality when nitrite is present so I am not sure that would concern me at this point either. It sounds like the issue was dropping him into the tank without acclimating for the salinity difference. Most LFS's keep their water at 1.016 to 1.022 if you put him directly into 1.025 that is a big difference and could be your issue. Not sure you mentioned it but was the bag sealed air tight the entire time it was floating for the hour without having been opened since you left the LFS? If not, how long was the fish in the bag before it was opened? Could be ammonia issues but that's likely to only be an issue with a fish that was in a sealed bag for more than a few hours and then in an unsealed bag for more than a half hour or so.

Nick

Hey thanks for the reply man, the fish is actually still alive, I actually caught him today and his in my refugem, I was actually looking at him and he has some small spots on his body, I'm going to take him back to the fish store on Thursday, the fish is very weak and he can barely swim against the current in my tank (I turned off the mp40, the only thing on is the return pump), and yes the bag was sealed the entire time, the fish was out of the bag in one hour, also the fish wasn't swimming in the bag, he was just sitting there.


Ps. Just did the test and it's looking good so far, Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0.1 ppm, Nitrate 10 ppm, pH 8.0-8.1