Advice on cycling

[LauraL]

I'm about 10 days into cycling a 29 biocube with live sand and live rock. Ammonia, nitrates and nitrites are WAY high, and there's been a lot of die off. I've done two 50% water changes, and I'm buffering pH, but not much more - only a couple of hours of light a day, and no reef food. Water is at about 78. SG is fine.

Here's what I'm wondering: I can see what I'm pretty sure are corals on the rock. Do I need to be feeding them/giving them more light? I don't want a red algae bloom, but I don't want the corals to die, either.

Any advice much appreciated.

Thanks!
L

 

[TL1000RSquid]

Any chance you can get some pics of your suspected corals?

 

[tanker]

Coral, or Coraline on the LR??

 

[greech]

Pictures would be helpful.

The stock lighting on a BC should be enough for most corals. Unless they are non-photosynthetic, they will need more than 2 hours of light per day (around 7 or 8). Know that increasing the light cycle will enhance algae blooms. that's not a bad thing and fairly common.

Don't feed the tank at this point and don't bother with pH buffering at all. If the corals are truely alive, they have a rough road ahead of them though the nitrogen cycle. They may not make it all.

Most LFSs are not going to sell live rock with expensive corals on them. You may be seeing aiptasia or mojano anmeones (common pests that should be dealt with sooner rather than later) or sponges. None of them should be fed.