cycle question.

If you rock was in saltwater, even if the salinity was jacked up, it was likely sustaning a fair amount of bacteria on its surfaces. However, as soon as you start to increase your tanks bioload you will likely see a little bit of an out break from the increase until the bacteria can increase to keep up.
I would still likely give it just a little more time before you start adding anything. Maybe throw in a few snails and crabs to add a little bioload and cleanup crew.

 

Posted By Philby on 12/11/2007 10:02 AM
I know it is about time to add a CUC - but what are they going to eat?? I don't have any algae and I have a little detritus, but it's mostly LR rubble from when I was aquascaping not fish poo...
I was waiting for a diatom bloom to add the CUC, but maybe I'll just go ahead and get some anyway.
If they have nothing to eat add a little food. What they dont eat right away they will eat as it starts to rot. I just would not take off adding coral or sensitive fish right away.

 

Cycle times will vary depending on the tank. I know my latest tank had a small cycle and it never had high levels of ammonia or nitrite during the first month. It's better to be safe at this point and wait. If you can't, I'll look the other way while you're adding xenia and damsels to your tank. /site/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/_default/emoticons/smile.gif J/K. I really do hope you wait a couple more weeks before adding anything.

 

Phil, when are you gonna order fish?

 

Posted By Philby on 12/11/2007 12:54 PM
I hadn't planned on adding any fish to my tank until the last week of December (when I have some time off work and can actually get some shipments!). That would be about the 4-5 week mark for both my clowns in QT and LR added to my base rock.
Maybe I'll find a day next week that I can take a half day off work - get home around 11:30 in time to acclimate a shipment of snails and drop them in the tank.
Thats a good plan. It pains me to see people rush a tank and then fight with it while the livestock is trying to deal with the stress of the move.

 

JUst my opinion,   but the ANN   cycle  as we know produces the bacteria that converts amonia to nitrite to nitrate, the ammount of bacteria in the tank depends on the ammount of ammonia that started it. In order to be a cycle it has to have amonia, I used Damsels to start mine,
and the cycle took around 30 days, but you have to remember the amount of bacteria related back to  the ammount that started it, so if you had a real light cycle then added some fish that were not tolerant to amonia you could get a spike as the ANN cycle increases it bacteria count. In my opinion if you did not see 3 to 7 amonia then a spike in nitrite, the you MAY have a issue.
Damsels are cheap  add a few and see what happens.  then increase your live stock slowley, waiting 3 weeks or so between modest additions.
I waited 3 months before i added any corals. it was painful  and cost more for shipping but smaller orders and waiting just to see in my opinion is the best.
The ANN cycle takes around 30 days it can be shortened with the addition of bacteria but at a price.
patience in this hobby is either practiced or learned.
I'm not wanting to sound like nervious nelly , just be careful check what happens when you add some cheap fish, Don't get a 100.00 purple tang to see how you cycle went.
Let us know how it goes