Whats with my params??

bring your water to the lfs to get tested maybe you have a bad test kit...how much LR do you have in the tank...maybe its not enough to maintain enough bacteria for the bioload you have in the tank...the only thing i saw you said about LR was the LR rubble in your HOB and the rock the mushrooms were on

 

I don't know how much LR because i mainly have 20 lb and i just added a bunch without weighing, but i'm pretty sure it's more than enough, i have added a dead piece along with rubble after the cycle, is that what caused my params to rise? i'm starting to blame the rock/rubble i added + the mushroom rock for this, hopefully my bacteria will take care of that i'm guessing it's just a mini cycle?

I will test today and if still, i will go to the LFS and get some prime + get my water tested.

Will reply with the results...

 

Good chance it is the cause, was it a large piece of rock and how long was the LR out of water during transport? Probably a mini cycle will fix itself pretty fast probably, maybe add a bacteria booster to speed the process up

 

How big is your tank? Like Bruno said more than likely that new live rock caused the recycle. Plus IMHO, Api test kits aren't the greatest. You nitrates maybe lower than you think. I second going to an LFS and get some readings.

 

Waiting too long to add your first initial livestock can also cause a re-cycle. Your bio-filter is made up of living organisms (bacteria) that will readily die off if not fed.

 

Another clue, the tank is only 5 gallons and i had 1 5'',6'' rock added plus the rubble.

It was only a week when my cycle has finished.

Just wondering alot of people say CUC + Corals don't add to the bioload, If let's say a pico reef with no fish and only corals/invertebrates, won't most of the bacteria die?

 

although on most tanks cuc/corals wont be much of a load but on a pico they may have some kind of affect on bioload since its such a small tank

 

My levels are improving, don't you think?

Ammonia - 0.5-0.10 ppm
Nitrite - 0.3-0.8 ppm
Nitrate - 20-30 ppm

Colors are not as easy to identify so i have different guessings.

I will take some water to my LFS for testing.

right now i won't add anything and just wait for levels to drop and stable at 0 for a few days, after that do you recommend getting my first (and last) fish or will that blow it and spike everything? i'm really afraid to introduce a fish that my levels will spike and afraid that i wait too much that my bacteria colonies die and decrease!

i'm thinking a goby/damsel/clown.

 

Yea once the cycle is over that should be fine, I would mostly look into a clown goby or another micro goby for your best choice on a tank of that size and maybe some shrimp like a couple peppermints and goby

 

I'll probably get a cleaner or coral shrimp first,, and as long as my params are stable and ok i'll get a clown or ywm goby.

Thank you everyone for your help!, also will keep this thread updated to any changes..