Is my tank cycled or not started? NEED HELP!

My Ph was at 7.2 when I filled my 75 gallon tank also. I got some of that SeaChem PH Buffer and dosed it and 2 days later it was at 8.3. Get the PH Buffer like Brandon says and bring your PH up then you should add a couple of sely shrimp or Green Chromis to the tank and let it do its thing, TEST, TEST and TEST again.

When I started my tank I didnt get any readings for 2 weeks, and I had 3 Green Chromis in my tank, so I added 1 deli shrimp to my sump, tested daily and still didnt read anything so I went extreme and added 6 more shrimp to my sump and BAM, it started the cycle. A week later all my readings came back to Earth (zero)

Again, get your PH where it should be (8.1 to 8.3) and then everything else should fall into play.

Good luck and take it very slow.

 

I wouldnt recommend cycling a tank with fish. If you want the cycle to start just throw a piece of raw shrimp in and test and you will see the spike. the ammonia will spike and then the nitrite and when those start coming down the nitrate will spike and after the nitrate has fallen back down to 0 then your tank is cycled. You can do a water change at the end of the cycle aswell. Patience is a virtue in this hobby.

 

what i did to speed up my cycles was i threw in a bunch of dead shrimp in my tank, and 1 cup of urine to boost my ammonium lol. i let it sit with no filters or skimmers for about 2-3 months and tested everything. once i saw that everything was in check i threw in a few cheap fish and let them swim. tested water 3 days later and nothing was found. after a month with the cheap fish i took them out and sold them back to the store. and began putting in my tank corals and stuff i hope this helps you.

 

Does this LFS only deal with saltwater and freshwater fish and supplies? Its not a chain pet store right? I find that at my LFS there are only 2 very knowledgable reef associates and those are the only 2 people I deal with when I have any questions regarding my tank.

My LFS would have never given me the instructions they gave you, so maybe you aren't getting a chance to speak with a knowledgable person there or maybe its time to look for a new LFS.

Goodluck, how is your tank doing?

 

so far everything is good...my PH is at 8.2...my alklinity is at 3.6 meq/l...my ammonia is at 0...nitrite is at 0...nitrate still at 20ppm...i have a green chromis whos been in there for about a week now and some crabs and snails...i think i might be adding more fish soon

 

so ur un cured rock where did you get it? it looks like base rock for ur lil pic.

 

So you're at about 5 weeks now? Test again in a couple days and if everything looks ok then do a small water change to help with those nitrates. Then I do believe you will be able to start adding more fish.

Remember though that you still need to go slow. 1 fish per week honestly. The tank is still new.

 

ya its about 5-6 weeks...im confused tho...my PH is fluctuating by .4...i ahvent been testing at the same time everyday so im gonna start doing that...but is it okay for the fish to be as low as 7.8?

 

your PH will fluctuate throughout the day, usually going lower at night. as long as nothing seems stressed by it i would not worry too much.

 

Dont know if it's cycled or not

Best bet to to start a dairy, it will help keep you on a routine.

Best wishes to you,
Mike