Cycle time line?

[Nonfamous]

Okay, so I'm on day 10 of the new tank. I'm not really seeing much life in there if any at all. I'm starting to wonder if my live rock was simply wet rock! So what is a time line for things? When should I start seeing something that resembles life on this rock? I'm not even seeing anything that looks like algae at this point.I was hoping to see maybe a worm or something by now, Nothing, Maybe one little spot of something maroon coloured about the size of the hole in this "6". I'm not even sure that its alive!

Anyone with experience wanna clue me in?

 

[Northstar24]

The cycling is more about the ammonia / nitrite / nitrate cycle, and less about seeing 'life'. Its entirely possible that the 'live' rock your LFS had wasn't so 'live'

What are your ammonia / nitrite / nitrate levels testing at?

Generally, you see a spike of Ammonia, which is followed by a spike of nitrite, and finally, both ammonia and nitrite will test at 0 and you will start seeing nitrates. It is at this point that you can start adding things to your tank.

Generally speaking, it can take up to several weeks for this to take place, it depends on what was used to kick off the cycle, and how much live rock you have

 

[Nonfamous]

Okay, 2 days ago:

Temp 78.8
Salinity 1.0235
Nitrate 20
Nitrite 3.0
Alkalinity 300
pH 7.8
Ammonia .5

Today

Temp 78.1
Salinity 1.023
Nitrate 20
Nitrite 4.0
Alkalinity 300
pH 8.0
Ammonia .5

Temp change and pH may be due to testing error. I'm using strips right now. Going in the am for a proper test kit! So, what do ya think? Anything going on in there? There is 50 lbs of Live rock and 30 lbs dry rock in the tank as well as a few lbs of live in the sump. I'm waiting, and have been for a week, for another 25 lbs of Live Vanuatu rock. Still no idea as to when it will ship, :(

 

[little_fish]

Yep, your still in the middle of your cycle. When the ammonia and nitrites are gone, do a water change and you are ready for your first fish!

 

[SarahSmile]

You'll get there! One day soon you'll do your liquid testing and the ammonia will be at 0 and the nitrites will be too, just hang in there. This is the toughest part, I know.
"live" rock is referring to the bacteria, I never saw anything "alive" when cycling either of my tanks with my live rock. Just the ammonia and the nitrites.
You won't see green algae growing now cause you're cycling without lights. The maroon colored circle sounds like coraline algae, people love it, it comes in various shades of pink/purple/red and will spread over your rocks and glass. Hope this reassures you that you're right on track....

 

[SarahSmile]

Oh, and I never saw a worm or a copepod or anything cool and alive in my tank, (other than what I added!) had my biocube set up for 8-9 months. I just took the rock out and moved it to my new 60 gallon and then I saw this little red bug. That was the only weird thing I've ever seen so you don't always see any cool living stuff until you put it in. Doesn't mean the bacteria you need and various things aren't in there, just means you don't see them. Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Nonfamous]

Okay, so I went and picked up a proper test kit today. The results that follow aren't too far off of what the strips were telling me.

Temp- 78.5 f
pH- 8.0
NO2- 5.0
NH3/NH4- .25
NO3- 20
Salinity-1.023 (via refractometer)
Alk-300

Not that it makes much difference, but at least I know its a good test.

 

[sen5241b]

The time to cycle has a lot to do with how much dead stuff there is on the rock.

 

[Nonfamous]

All of the sudden it seems the water is turning green. Time for a water change or is this normal? Not dark green, just a green tinge to it.

 

[little_fish]

ya, its an algae bloom. Its pretty common in new tanks, just give it a few days, do your water change and it should go away on its own.

 

[Kully3xf]

your water is going to do all sorts of weird stuff for a while. you will get brown stuff everywhere, water will turn green, hair algae will grow, all sorts of nasty stuff. some will go away with time, some will need specific CUC members to rid it. This forum will have ALL your answers within 5 - 10 minutes of search! :)