Can a tank cycle in 2 weeks??!!

Yash

Yash

Trance Addict
Nov 2, 2006
319
0
0
49
Knoxville, TN
I set my tank up about 12 days back, and I've been checking the water params everyday. I used the "raw shrimp" method to get the cycle going. I also had about 20 lbs of LR which I would imagine came with lots of good bacteria.

So, when I tested this past Sunday, the ammonia spiked up to 1.5 ppm with nitrites remaining at 0. When I tested on Monday, the ammonia was down to 0 with the nitrites at 0.35. Both yesterday as well as this morning, the test came out with both ammonia and nitrite at 0, with nitrate at 50.

So, does this mean that my tank has cycled or do will there be another ammonia/nitrite spike? I'm going to do a water change this evening to bring the nitrates down.

Any info. would be appreciated as I'm a little dumbfounded that things are happening so quickly.

Thanks!
Yash
 
Sounds like it but I would keep checking every day for the next week just to make sure.
 
Have to admit yash, does seem a little quick to be honest..I used live rock and sand from a another aquarium, and bearly saw any spike at all...but, to be on the safe side, am leaving it for a good few weeks to give chance to build up the eco system a little...I would keep checking your water over the next couple of weeks, and then if is correct, prob go for your first bit of live stock...

Hope this helps, and keep us posted with how the tank is going..

Niko
 
I would say that your tank has cycled. My tank did the same thing but i just cycled it with live rock and Arag-alive substrate (no shrimp). I always heard patience is the key to a good SW tank so i still let it go for a good solid month before adding a cleaning crew or the first fish. I would recommend doing the same, I think you will be happier in the long run.

Good Luck
Rich
 
Thanks for all your replies guys ... yeah ... I'd rather err on the side of caution here as well. I'll probably wait for the whole month before adding any livestock in the tank. In the meantime, I'll keep checking the water params to make sure everything looks okay.

I know it can get frustrating at times just sitting and staring at nothing but live rock and the occasional critter that has hitchhiked (of which I've already spotted 3 medium sized snails and several tiny ones). Until the month is up, at least I have my FW tank to fulfil my craving for seeing fishy movement in the tank :)
 
It seems like you had a smallish cycle. I would think your stocking should be slow and light to start, just to make sure no ammonia pops up.

The only reason I'm saying that is because mine cycled in just over two weeks, but I had an ammonia spike over 8 ppm, and my nitrites were off of the scale before they disappeared overnight on day 15.

I'm far from an expert, but it would seem to me that the more ammonia present during the cycle means that there is enough bacteria to process a higher bioload right away.
 
Let me ask this then .... with my ammonia and nitrite remaining at 0 currently, CAN there be another spike without adding more livestock? Pardon my ignorance, but if I just let the tank be as is, will the beneficial bacteria colonies grow with the lack of ammonia/nitrites in the tank? I would think not, which would mean that bacteria-wise, my tank would be no different now than it would be two weeks from now? How would the tank be different, either in its ability to handle livestock or with respect to its eco-system in say two more weeks?

I'm not trying to rush thing here (that's the last thing I want to do) ... I'm just trying to understand how the whole thing works cos now its really got me curious.

Should I add another piece of raw shrimp or some pure ammonia to create an ammonia spike??

Thanks!
Yash
 
Yash, just let patience be your weapon with this...Wait it out a month, let things happen. this is why i used a carcass in there to produce ammonia which helps the cycle along. I am not saying it will dramatically speed it up, but will give it a nudge in the right direction..I personally dont believe in adding ANYTHING to a tank unless it is absolutly nessisary, as long as there is something there to create ammonia, it will will come along nicely..

If you want more info on the Nitrogen cycle, please have a read through this web page at the link..It does give a really good explanation of the cycle..

http://saltaquarium.about.com/gi/dy...://reefsources.itgo.com/guide/biological.html

Hope this helps you out

Niko
 
Hey Niko ... thanks for the article ... that was a great read. Oh and trust me, there is no way I'm going to be adding any livestock in the tank for AT LEAST a month. I made the mistake of adding livestock to my FW tank a little too early, so I've learnt from my mistakes :)

I was simply curious about how the whole cycle thing works and where the ammonia would come from etc etc ...

I guess the article answered my question about the ammonia source. In the absence of any shrimp or pure ammonia, the stuff dying off the LR would create the ammonia source, which in turn would create the bacteria and so on.

I feel a little bit more educated now ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom