Did my cycle start?

Discussion in 'Water Chemistry' started by andywyeth07, Apr 4, 2013.

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  1. Corailline

    Corailline Super Moderator

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    It is a dry heat, yeah right !
    Go ahead with the CUC for sure.

    I would not go over board with snails unless you have the algae to feed them.
     
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  3. oldfishkeeper

    oldfishkeeper Giant Squid

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    did you end up adding in the microbacter 7? If you did, it could be that your cycle has completed....I would still give it a little more time to be sure though....
     
  4. Todd_Sails

    Todd_Sails Giant Squid

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    Sorry folks, didn't see the last 2 posts before I posted:

    If you had ammonia, my understanding is that if it went away- it went to nitrites, then to nitrates- and I know you knew that also. If the ammonia wasn't that high, you may have missed the trites and trates.

    Many, if not most DT's have no detectable any of those once up and running smoothly.

    Looks to be over possibly, and yes on the CUC.
     
  5. Daniel072

    Daniel072 Giant Squid

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    I used bio-spira when I started my tank up and never saw an ounce of ammonia. I still haven't seen that ammonia and doubt I ever will. I saw some nitrate in the 20 range but that has quickly been decreased to 0. I think your cycle is over my friend and you should be good to slowly start adding life to the tank
     
  6. andywyeth07

    andywyeth07 Bristle Worm

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    I ordered a CUC yesterday. Should get it tomorrow. Ordered the one that was recommended for my tank size. I have some diatom on the rock and sand as well as the sides of the tank.

    I've been adding microbacter 7 for the past week now. I'm about half way through the bottle. Should I slow down on it now?

    I purchased two more chromis and a frag of zoas yesterday. I tested everything again today and still nothing.

    I'm hoping the cycle is over and it doesn't creep up on me. I'm going to keep testing to make sure. Should I be thinking about doing small water changes at this point or is that pointless until I get more livestock in the tank?
     
  7. sailorguy

    sailorguy Torch Coral

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    If you are still getting a zero or close to zero on your nitrates there's really no need for a w/c at this point,just keep testing.
     
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  9. andywyeth07

    andywyeth07 Bristle Worm

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    As I suspected, I've added my CuC and the fish I mentioned earlier in this post. I just tested the water and i'm getting the following readings:

    Ammonia - Between 0.25 & 0.50
    Nitrite - 0
    Nitrate - 0

    What should I do to get this ammonia back down or should I not be so concerned at the moment? I've been adding Microbacter 7 for the past 10 days.
     
  10. oldfishkeeper

    oldfishkeeper Giant Squid

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    I'm not sure what to make of the ammonia. In terms of the microbacter...I think if you follow the instructions and are doing the full dose, there is a limit- I believe it's for two weeks. Have you been turning off your skimmer for the recommended period of time? I'm sorry if these are obvious questions and remarks but just thought I'd mention.
     
  11. andywyeth07

    andywyeth07 Bristle Worm

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    It is two weeks that it says on the bottle. So I'm getting close to that. I didn't see where it says to turn the skimmer off (until now). However, half of the days ive been putting microbacter 7 in i had it off. I've never been able to get the water level just right in it so I just turned it off.

    Should I do a water change if the ammonia level gets any higher?

    Is there anything else I can do to try to lower the levels?
     
  12. Corailline

    Corailline Super Moderator

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    It is a dry heat, yeah right !
    A product called Prime and water changes. Small or more frequent water changes than larger less frequent ones.

    Feed very sparely, and add more live cured rock if you have to.