What do these water readings mean?

H

HkySk8r187

AC Members
Oct 18, 2004
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I'm curious if the tank is cycling, or if it's done, or doing anything at all. I put the LS and LR into my 24 gallon tank on July 9.

Here is the readings I took each day. I'm hoping someone can tell me what is happening in the tank, and explain maybe a little bit. I looks like I had an ammonia spike (seems to me a very small one though), and nitrates went up and are now coming back down. I thought nitrates would never go down? Ammonia breaks down to Nitrite, and Nitrite breaks down into Nitrate? I was always under the assumption that Nitrate only went down with water changes or if you have a refugium. Also, why did my alkalinity change?

Anyhow, some explanation would be appriciated. Thanks.

July 9
Ammonia - 0.25
Nitrite - 0.2
Nitrate - 5
PH - 7.8
Alkalinity - low/normal
Calcium - 490
Temperature - 79.6
Specific Gravity - 1.023


July 10
Ammonia - 0.25
Nitrite - 0.05
Nitrate - 20
PH - 7.8
Alkalinity - normal
Calcium - 470
Temperature - 80.0
Specific Gravity - 1.023


July 11
Ammonia - 0.25
Nitrite - 0.5
Nitrate - 35
PH - 7.8
Alkalinity - normal
Calcium - 470
Temperature - 80.8
Specific Gravity - 1.023


July 13
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0.5
Nitrate - 10
PH - 7.8
Alkalinity - high
Calcium - 470
Temperature - 80.6
Specific Gravity - 1.024


July 15
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0.35
Nitrate - 5
PH - 8.1
Alkalinity - high
Calcium - 490
Temperature - 79.8
Specific Gravity - 1.024
 
was your live rock cured or not, by the looks of it it was. That means that as long as ammonia and nitrite are completley gone, you can add fish, hardy first, you could add them with a little bit of nitrite left but better off waiting. yes, nitrates only go away if something is done to make them go. I don't know how the cycle is ment to work!
 
Not sure how cured it was. I didn't smell when I got it so it wasn't completely uncured.

It does still have lots of little things dangleing off of it. Not sure if I should have scrubbed the rock or something.

I haven't seen any pods yet :( but I have some very small featherdusters.
 
take it easy, these things take time. What kind of fish are you planning to get?? You should get some kind of a grazer to eat the copious ammunts of algae that will grow in the first 6 months or so. How much light do you have ?
 
lighting: 3-36w CF/Actinic Blue and an additional T-5 Actinic Blue

I dont know what kind of fish I want yet, I was planning on just a couple and not overstocking. I mostly just want a pretty reef tank and couple fish (maybe clown or blenny or something) and some inverts like a cleaner or fire shrimp.
 
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