algae bloom?

thanks all for the responses. Brian, we have about 40 pounds of live rock in the tank. It is actually doing very well, has some red, green, and purple plaque algae as well as some other macroalgae, and some polyps! (NOT aiptasia - got rid of one of those!)
When we set up the tank we did not use an ammonia detoxifier, but simply used tap water. The tank sat with just the cleaned crushed coral and the water, filter and heater running, no cover on the tank, for several days before we added anything.
Do you think this amount of live rock carried enough bacteria to keep the ammonia from spiking beyond 0.5? Those little fish are doing their job of pooping! We are also being careful not to overfeed. Do you think if we just patiently sit tight we will start seeing either a further increase in ammonia or some nitrite?
The nitrogen cycle graph is an excellent one; its basically the same graph that was in one of the books I read before we added the live rock and fish.
 
yes, we were planning on waiting a good while anyways. We have a family trip planned after school gets out so didn't want to add until we come back from that! That also gives me lots of time to research fish species and "easy" invertebrates, but that's fuel for another post....
Not seeing a bigger ammonia spike, due to the live rock, makes sense. But should it still drop to zero at some point, and should I still begin to see some nitrites, which would then drop off, followed by some nitrates? (ie, the rest of the cycle?)
 
You may or may not see a rise in nitrites. I started my 50gal reef with 25lbs of fiji from an existing tank and 30lbs of gulf-viwe live rock. I didn't add anything else for a few weeks and I did not experience any "cycle". Since you added live rock, you automaticaly inserted aerobic bacteria into your tank. I don't know where your rock camce from but you probably had a little die-off which caused the small rise in ammonia. Your LR is now processing the ammonia generated by the fish. You may not see a rise in nitrites since the bacteria may have multiplied to the level of converting the nitrites into nitrates. We can't be sure, that is why I would wait a while before adding anything else. You also may want to add some more live rock (6 - 20 lbs) before adding any critters. This would bring your total live rock to 1 - 1.5 lbs per gallon. You could also add cured LR from your LFS as you go along. This way you could pick the pieces you want without experiencing any ammonia spikes.

Brian
 
I knew we were close, but not quite there, in terms of the amount of live rock!
What you said about there being bacteria already established from the live rock made sense. But if that's the case, then -
a.) at some point, shouldn't my ammonia drop from 0.5 to zero?
b.) if the ammonia is already being converted to nitrites, but I may not see any nitrites because of the action of another species of bacteria, then shouldn't I also at some point start seeing some nitrates register in my testing?
I would hope that at least the ammonia would drop to zero - what do you think I can expect? Thanks for your help.
 
It is difficult to predict exactly what will happen in your tank. Was your LR cured? I ask because if it wasn't, then some of the life on the rock was dying off when you placed it in your tank. As for the ammonia, yes you should see it drop to 0 and then see some nitrates. Since your 1st post stated that your getting some algae growth, I think that you are starting to see some nitrate production.
Brian
 
we got a little bit of a variety. We got some aqua cultured stuff (shipped from Florida) and got it on the day it was delivered. That was our first three pieces. Then we found a better dealer, and got the remainder there; I believe this was cured. It was on this stuff that the polyp and aiptasia showed up, as well as a little bit of bubble algae. (Ihave read that the bubble algae can propagate undesirably, so am keeping my eye on that, but its pretty much status quo right now.)
I guess then, my algae is a good thing as long as it doesn't get out of control. Which, at this point it is not. I guess then what I need to look for as a sign of adequate cycling is the drop in ammonia! Thanks for clarifying the details, this is very useful.
 
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