Saltwater cycle

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goroboy

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Jul 15, 2007
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I have a 20 gallon tank. I put in several pounds of live rock, some coral sand as substrate and I added some live sand as well. Also I seeded my tank with bacteria.
Everything has been running for two weeks.
I've tested my water twice and it has never shown any levels of ammonia or nitrite. The only thing I get is a reading of 5 ppm of nitrate and that's it.
Is my tank cycled?
BTW I got a starfish and it has been doing just fine in the tank.
 

Reefscape

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Nov 8, 2006
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if you have used fully cured live rock, i can quite believe your test results..

Personaly, i would put in a raw shrimp or prawn, wrapped in pantyhoes and let it rot...this will generate ammonia, kick start the cycle for you..The you should see some good results for ammonia and nitrite...Great levels of good bacteria in the tank will greatly help you when you come to stock the tank after the cycle has finished...

Niko
 

psariandras

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May 18, 2007
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I saw some ammonia hydroxide on the shelf at the grocery store but ingrediants read: "soft water, ammonia hydroxide, quality control agents"

I shook it and it did not foam, and it was colorless. It did not state that it was pure or 100% ammonia hydroxide. I am afraid to use it for cycling b/c I am not sure what sorts of things might be included in the vague term "quality control agents."

Should I look elsewhere?
 

Yash

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Nov 2, 2006
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I would certainly try a different store. As Grins pointed out, 100% pure ammonia should be readily available in the floor cleaning supplies section.

You did the right thing by putting that one back on the shelf ... better to be safe than sorry!

Cheers!
Yash
 

gfxslayer

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Sep 25, 2007
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Tips to maintain the saltwater

Some Tips to maintain the saltwater.
1. Never change more than 40% of aquarium water at a time.
2. Never empty the entire aquarium to clean it. This causes undue stress on fish and will disturb the biological balance of your aquarium.
3. Only change half of your filter media at a time, to retain the established biological balance.
4. NEVER use soap or any detergent on your aquarium or any products used in or around your aquarium.
5. When cleaning the inside glass of your aquarium, avoid picking up pieces of gravel, as this will scratch the glass.
6. Limit the amount of times you put your hands in the water. Oils and films may cause stress in fish.
 
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JunpoweR

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Mar 18, 2008
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Thanks for the sticky.
This thread was very informative.
I had a few questions,
I am in the market for the best and smallest nano tank to support some anenome and clown fish.Possibly some cleaner shrimp and other critters who can co-inhabit.A some exotic corals.
Will 6-12 gallon tanks be large enough for that?
 

Reefscape

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Nov 8, 2006
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Blinky
Thanks for the sticky.
This thread was very informative.
I had a few questions,
I am in the market for the best and smallest nano tank to support some anenome and clown fish.Possibly some cleaner shrimp and other critters who can co-inhabit.A some exotic corals.
Will 6-12 gallon tanks be large enough for that?
I would suggest not, for a nem...A single nem, i would recomend at least 30, depending on the species, a tank even larger than that...Thats just my opinion of course though..
 

egkid

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Jul 28, 2007
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I need some help with cycling.

Ok I setup my 29gal. on 2 days ago(Friday7/25), right now I only have live sand in there along with the water. Now my question is when can I add live rock and do I have to add an ammonia source or will the live rock be enough? I dont want to put a rotting shrimp in the tank becuase it's in my bedroom and I dont want to deal with the smell. Then I'm kinda of scared to add pure ammonia to the tank as I wouldn't know how much to add.
These are my parameters as of today(Sunday 7/27)
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 20ppm
Salinity 1.026
 
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