Could My Tank Possibly Have Cycled?

tayRavage23 · #1 12/29/2007, 08:10 PM

hey everybody, on Friday the 21st i added 22lbs of cured LR to my newly set up 24g Aquapod. The rock was shipped via next day air, and did not sit out for very long at all when it arrived at my door. Im also in Oakland so the whether isnt too bad so i was hoping for minimal die off. Anyway, i went out of town that weekend and when i got back on Monday the 24th i checked my parameters. Ph was stable, ammonia was .25, Nitrites were .50, and Nitrates were at 0. Since then I've checked my parameters about every other day and everything has been consistently at 0 except for Ph of course. Since the rock was cured is it possible that i actually missed most of my cycle while i was gone?

thanks in advanced

bertoni · #2 12/29/2007, 09:02 PM

Sounds likely to me. I might try feeding a tiny bit of fish feed each day for a few days to see how the ammonia reacts.

ChrisOz · #3 12/29/2007, 09:05 PM

I second bertoni. If the ammonia spikes, your original cycle was probably insufficient. If the existing bacteria is able to process the waste without a spike, you're in the clear.

tayRavage23 · #4 12/29/2007, 09:46 PM

ok sounds good thanks for the help

Deb91 · #5 12/29/2007, 10:06 PM

Wow you must have got some nice live rock!

george81 · #6 12/29/2007, 11:03 PM

i would wait a few more weeks patience is the key to success in this hobby..i know as well as the rest of us know the exictment of adding you re first fish....hold off an do it right...what test kits are you using....you have 1 month of research under you re belt a few more weeks will do you that much better...dont rush

demonsp · #7 12/29/2007, 11:31 PM

Cant trust your readings during the cycle and only whene they drop and stay level do you know your cycled. If you want a fully stocked reef tank in 6 months then your asking for trouble. Slow and easy. add stock slowly and monitor levels. If you see levels rise and normal water changes dont help then your able to controll much much better then a tank thats rushed , stocked , and you really are guessing or hopeing things will be fine.

Many problems only show after months or yrs and then its much harder to eliminate and control. Which may cause stock loss or even major crash.