Cycling reef tank

carram204

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#1
I’m cycling my new reef tank and i just tested my nitrites and they were finally at 0. so i tested my nitrates and they are at 0 as well does that mean my tank is cycled ? or what happened because i know nitrates are supposed to appear and then that’s when you do your big water change.
 

carram204

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#3
how long has your tank been running
it’s been running for about 5-7 week already a few days ago the nitrites were high then they finally dropped so then i just wanted to test my nitrates to see where they were at and they were at 0
 

joseserrano

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#5
Take your water to a store, have them test it and go from there. You are probably fine to start adding stuff, but good to get a second opinion with values in front of you guys.
 

Gedxin

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#8
Did you start with dry rock or live rock? Did you use bottled bacteria? Did you use liquid/powder ammonium, or what was your food source to feed the bacteria.
 
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#10
Fwiw I did the fritz turbo start 900. Two 16oz bottles. Filled the tank Tuesday morning. Ran for 24 hrs. Added fish in on Thursday. Check my levels daily. I also added Seachem matrix about 5g worth that I’ve been cooking in my other system for about 5 months now. Started see pods last night.
 

uclajay

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#14
Damsels are great to help cycle… a pain to get rid of after🫠
I just this week caught an a-hole damsel that I used to cycle my tank using a salmon egg hook and a small chunk of salmon I was getting ready to cook for dinner… much cheaper than all the fish traps out there- and more fun 🎣
 

Gedxin

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#15
You should pretty good. Just don’t go crazy on fish.
i used dry rock yes i used dr time one and only and then a a liquid ammonium
Agreed, you're good to go. Just make sure you feed a smidge so the bacteria don't starve.

If you want confidence, dose liquid ammonia to 1ppm, next day you should have nitrate measurements. If not, you've got a problem.
 

Smite

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#16
You need to verify you're cycled. Do that by dosing the advised amount of ammonia by dr. tim's. (2ppm? or so).
If in 24 hours your ammonia and nitrite read 0 you are good. I wouldn't get too hung up on the nitrates, but it makes me think you've only added the ammonia once maybe. Might just be a low amount.
 
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#18
I just this week caught an a-hole damsel that I used to cycle my tank using a salmon egg hook and a small chunk of salmon I was getting ready to cook for dinner… much cheaper than all the fish traps out there- and more fun 🎣
Lmao no way, did you record it?
 

drexel

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#19
Do what Smite suggested above and don't use fish to cycle a tank, it's kinda cruel, especially if there's ammonia present. This is an archaic method that should just go away, especially now that we can add the ammonia ourselves and we don't have to deal with fish we don't want later on. With dry rock, add all the bacteria you can (they're all pretty much the same) and I would add some PNS substrate sauce, as this has PO4 added to feed the bacteria and to get things going. I also phantom feed the tank as if there's a couple small fish in there during the cycle time, which helps to fuel the bacterial growth and feed any pods or worms that may have been added. I honestly would look for some established live rock and add piece or two if you can? Unique corals usually has some Australian or Solomon Island rock for sale. It's not cheap, but it's worth every penny in the long run.
 

b1van

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#20
I just this week caught an a-hole damsel that I used to cycle my tank using a salmon egg hook and a small chunk of salmon I was getting ready to cook for dinner… much cheaper than all the fish traps out there- and more fun
Ahaha still having issues catching my little aholes afried to use the hook and reel technique as I believe instead of a damsel ima catch my obese clown that eats anything the drops in the tank
 

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