to skim or not to skim
- Thread starter mm2meyer
- Start date
dcantucson
Reef pro
You can start running it, but it won't be doing anything until you start getting a bio-load.
see thats the funny thing tho. I was running it without any rock just 50lbs of sand and got nothing but a little bit of sediment. I added 60lbs of cured LR and got nasty gunky skimmate. The stuff you get with a bioload. I was just wondering if I should run the skimmer while the tank cycles. So far I've gotten an ammonia spike went from 0.25 yesterday to 0.5 today and my nitrites spiked from 0.2 yesterday to 0.5 today... Sound normal for a cycle???
Wes888
Reef enthusiast
Yea, that sounds normal. LR usually have quite a bit of dead stuff when it's been out of the water. They would generate quite a bit "stuff" that skimmer could pick up.
KidJ57
Struggling Reef Addict
YUP! PERFECT! ...maybe not perfect, but normal :lol:
But I would hold off on the skimmer till I started to see nitrates. Right now you want the tank to attempt to level itself off. Give it a while longer (maybe like 2 weeks), you'll see the ammonia at least lower if not go to 0 before your Nitrites stop spiking. Then those nitrites will start to lower as your nitrate spikes. When you're nitrite and ammonia are at 0, do a 20% water change and then start up that skimmer IMO
But I would hold off on the skimmer till I started to see nitrates. Right now you want the tank to attempt to level itself off. Give it a while longer (maybe like 2 weeks), you'll see the ammonia at least lower if not go to 0 before your Nitrites stop spiking. Then those nitrites will start to lower as your nitrate spikes. When you're nitrite and ammonia are at 0, do a 20% water change and then start up that skimmer IMO
KidJ57
Struggling Reef Addict
Just let it do it's thing...remember it should take 4 to 5 weeks unless you spent a bunch of money that you didn't have to, :lol: to cycle faster. The main thing is that you're not killing anything, you're growing beneficial bacteria so sit back and...
...as much as a jittery/eager new reefer can, haha
The thing that sucks here is that your nitrite is going to stop spiking till your ammonia stops spiking, and the nitrate isn't going to stop spiking till the nitrite does, so...ya, just let it run its course
The thing that sucks here is that your nitrite is going to stop spiking till your ammonia stops spiking, and the nitrate isn't going to stop spiking till the nitrite does, so...ya, just let it run its course
yote
In Memoriam
Turn that skimmer on,let it run.
Its got to get broke in anyway,and may keep the nitrates from going off the charts as the cycles ends.
Its got to get broke in anyway,and may keep the nitrates from going off the charts as the cycles ends.
dcantucson
Reef pro
+1 yote.
Rcpilot
Reef enthusiast
I'd run the skimmer. The "live rock" is going to have a bunch of dead stuff on it, so thats where you're getting the cycle. Like Kid said, it's totally normal. Let it run. I wouldn't even waste the test kits on it right now. It's doing the cycle just as it should do. Just kick back for a month and let it run it's course.
Start checking your ammonia and nitrites around the last week of September. If they are both at zero, then check your nitrates. Record your nitrate reading. If they are high (more than 10 IMO) then do a 50% water change and let it sit for another week.
After a week, check ammonia, nitrites and nitrates again. IF ammonia and nitrites are still at zero, then check the nitrates again. If they are under 10 then go get ONE coral or ONE fish.
Stock slowly. One new coral per week OR one new fish per month.
:^:
Start checking your ammonia and nitrites around the last week of September. If they are both at zero, then check your nitrates. Record your nitrate reading. If they are high (more than 10 IMO) then do a 50% water change and let it sit for another week.
After a week, check ammonia, nitrites and nitrates again. IF ammonia and nitrites are still at zero, then check the nitrates again. If they are under 10 then go get ONE coral or ONE fish.
Stock slowly. One new coral per week OR one new fish per month.
:^:
beano
habitual reefer
+1 rc
