View Full Version : Cycling help
blinxxpunk182
02-27-2008, 8:35 AM
im cycling my 55 gal. right now. and its been about 3 weeks. i have 40 lbs of livesand and 30 lbs of LR with a clownfish and a chromis. the bottom is starting to brown up but how exactly do i find out if my tank is finished cycling?
Reefscape
02-27-2008, 8:48 AM
Hi there....You'll know when your tank has finished cycling by your water test results...If you follow them through from the start, you'll start off with ammonia, which will rise to a peak, at this point, nitrite will start to be generated and rise which will cause the ammonia to fall all the way back to zero ppm....Again, the nitrite will peak and nitrate will start to be generated. Nitrate will rise as nitrite falls back down to zero ppm..Nitrate will rise and peak, and then eventually fall back to >10ppm...When this stays this way for a week, carry a large 50% water change and you can concider your cycle complete...
All the brown thats starting to form is diatom algae, which is normal on a new setup...
blinxxpunk182
02-27-2008, 8:52 AM
i test the chemicals every week and honestly in any of my tanks......ive never had any chemical be high.(besides my nitrite when its time to change water) my ph is the only thing i have to stabilized.
Reefscape
02-27-2008, 8:57 AM
Depends on how cured the live rock was when you started the tank...If you used fully cured live rock, then you maybe will only experience a level up to 1ppm...Where as a tank that has uncured live rock can rise to possibly 4 - 5ppm ( which i class as high )....
You say you get elevated nitrites?? Realistically on a stable aquarium, you should not been seeing any nitrites at any point after the cycle has finished....
blinxxpunk182
02-27-2008, 9:22 AM
well the elevated nitrites arent at all a large movement. its no more than 1ppm. but the livrock didnt even have any coraline on it or anything. just plopped it in there and now its starting too brown a little bit
Sounds like it is experiencing a diatom bloom. However, what are your specific water parameters in the display right now?
blinxxpunk182
02-27-2008, 5:36 PM
PH: 8.3
N02: 0 ppm
NO3: 0ppm
Ammonia: 0 ppm
and currently out of carbon test.