Tank won't cycle

[JimFun71]

Hi all,
I have a 10g nano it's been up for around 5 weeks now. I added 2 small damsels to get some bio-load about 3 weeks ago, added 3 small Cerith snails about a week ago to help with a Diatom bloom and thus far I have no NH3/Nh4 reading at all. I knew adding 2 fish to start was a bit of a risk so I was all ready for emergency water changes. Is it possible that the LR I got from my LFS brought all the bacteria cycle with them and thats why I'm not getting the classic cycle spikes? Is the tank already cycling?
Water tests:
NH3/NH4 0
NO2 0
NO3 0
PH 7.9
SG 1.025
Temp 79
All chemestry was confirmed at LFS
As always thank you for your comments,
Jim

 

[marcah]

sometimes we get lucky and go without a big cycle.. from what you have said I would think you are ready to put what you wanted in the tank without many worries.. just keep an eye on the levels...

 

[little_fish]

Ya, it sounds like you skipped a cycle. But in the future, never cycle a tank with live fish. Its just cruel. Instead you can toss in a piece of table shrimp and accomplish the same thing.

Also, now your tank is fully stocked and you are going to have to remove the damsels to put any other fish in, which is not a fun experience.

 

[Smitty]

It's possible that you skipped the cycle...how much live rock did you start off with?

 

[JimFun71]

Smitty, I started with about 9 lbs of LR. Little fish, my guy at the LFS told me to start with a small fish. He said it's the same as starting a fish only tank. I would never use an animal for sacraficial purposes. I have an old book form the 80's when I had my fish only tank and it said the same thing. Once the water is stable you add 1 to 2 inches of fish per 10 gallons. Perhaps the knowledge base has changed over the last 30 years but trust me I did not mean to endanger or harm any animals.

 

[marcah]

1 to 2 inch of fish is for a frreshwater setup doesnt hold the same for a saltwater setup, that is approx. 1 fish per 10 gal..And alot of LFS say to use fish to start the cycle, but never a good idea to do it... between the amonia spike then the nitrate spike most stress out and die or just die from the high levels themselves..

 

[little_fish]

Cycling with fish is the old school way, but there are much better options now