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New Member
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Last Login: 5/12/2011 7:12:56 PM
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i have a 55gal tank i have had for 3 weeks, i am running a marineland cannister filter,uv sterlizer,eshobbs protein skimmer i just got and 2 damsels. I had 3 fish and one died yesterday. The levels are Salinity 1.026 and ph: 8.4 nitrate is between 40-80 ppm, nitrite is 1.0 ppm,ammonia is .50 ppm how long does it usually take to cycle a tank. i am being patient but i keep thinking it is never going to cycle these levels have been this way for at least 2 weeks ...... PLEASE HELP:
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Average Member
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a tank can take 8 weeks to cycle. youre doing well, so just be patient. and a word of advice, get rid of the damsels now. theyre not needed to cycle a tank and they will beat up anything you put in after them. return them to the store if possible, and they will be hard to catch from the tank, theyre very fast.
4 gallon Finnex pico aquarium- Iwagumi tank with orange eye black tiger shrimp.10 gallon- Planted Asian biotope with CPD's, sparkling gouramis, and a breeding pair of Betta albimarginata. <link to pics of my tanks- http://board.fishchannel.com/Topic225475-16-1.aspx>
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New Member
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| my local fish store petco told me i needed the damsels to cycle the tank,if not damsels what do you suggest.
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Average Member
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petco has historically not been very great with saltwater knowledge. find a good local fish store that deals with saltwater. but when cycling a saltwater tank, you need about one pound of live rock per gallon and as it "cures" it will release ammonia that cycles your tank. i work at the best LFS in michigan and this is how we recommend that people cycle their saltwater aquariums. if you need more detailed info, feel free to PM me and i would be happy to help you out more extensively.
4 gallon Finnex pico aquarium- Iwagumi tank with orange eye black tiger shrimp.10 gallon- Planted Asian biotope with CPD's, sparkling gouramis, and a breeding pair of Betta albimarginata. <link to pics of my tanks- http://board.fishchannel.com/Topic225475-16-1.aspx>
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Fish Moderator
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buying fish to seed your tank is spending unnecessary money. If needed you can throw a dead raw shrimp in from the local meat market. Also nearly all salt tank take 8 - 10 weeks to cycle the bigger the tank the longer it take. You can add fish when ammonia and nitrites read zero.
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http://board.fishchannel.com/Topic208662-16-1.aspx
Fish keeping is not a hobby but a way of lifeBuilding a 135 gallon reef tankBarracuda 4300gph by sequence pumpBuilt an 8 bulb 55 watt 10,000 k light with 4.5 watt moon light30 gallon sump with a 30 gal. remote refugemini bubble king EV180 Protein skimmer 40 gallon Planted 4 Altum Flora Discus
11 plants ,4 Ghost shrimp,1 Clown & 1 Bristol nose Pleco1 Zebra Apple SnailEhiem 2213 canister filterHydor 425 powerheadEhiem Jager 200 watt heatert-5 compact 6500k lightNeptune Systems Aquacontroller jr
PLEASE PM ME IF YOU WISH
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New Member
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| Not sure if my tank has finished cycling but my PH is 8.4,Nitrite is 0 and Nitrate is 160,and Amnomia is 0... Do i need to do a water change if the tank is cycled.
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Fish Moderator
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you should also check calcium and alkalinity. And yes do a small water change then retest your nitrates in 24 hours, the number you posted seems high. Then if everything is what it is you may add a couple of inhabitants.
*************************************
http://board.fishchannel.com/Topic208662-16-1.aspx
Fish keeping is not a hobby but a way of lifeBuilding a 135 gallon reef tankBarracuda 4300gph by sequence pumpBuilt an 8 bulb 55 watt 10,000 k light with 4.5 watt moon light30 gallon sump with a 30 gal. remote refugemini bubble king EV180 Protein skimmer40 gallon Planted 4 Altum Flora Discus
11 plants ,4 Ghost shrimp,1 Clown & 1 Bristol nose Pleco1 Zebra Apple SnailEhiem 2213 canister filterHydor 425 powerheadEhiem Jager 200 watt heatert-5 compact 6500k lightNeptune Systems Aquacontroller jr
PLEASE PM ME IF YOU WISH
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Average Member
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| Agree with pretty much everything everyone has said. Especially the part about avoiding damsels. Green crhomis are the only ones I have ever had that didn't cause big problems I had to solve by removing them. Patience is a virtue when cycling a SW tank. The time it takes to do correctly will save you big bucks in the long run. Don't rush it. And if you are asking for advice on what fish to get, my favorite is the Flame Hawkfish. Very hardy, colorful, loads of personality, stays small, reefsafe, and peaceful to most other fishes. They may eat ornamental shrimp though if you plan to get one of those.
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Hi Susan,
By now you’ve discovered that getting advice from your LFS can be less than accurate. It’s sad but true, about 90% of LFSs give out erroneous information when it comes to SW aquarium keeping. As a beginner, you would not believe that the very place beginners go to start would NOT be the place to get advice. Unfortunately it is true. While the owner MAY be attuned to the ways of keeping a reef tank successfully, they seldom have the time and energy to educate their employees. To add to the problem, most LFS employees suddenly become experts in their own mind. As if accurate information transferred to them by osmosis. Come here to us for the most up-to-date information. But even then, question everything, seek information, glean what is accurate and dispel what is not.
The three most important words of advice are these, research, Research and RESEARCH some more. You have entered a new world fraught with disaster if you just plunge ahead. Back in the 60s it’s what we had to do to learn. Today, there’s the Internet and it’s endless resources. Research and enjoy the journey. I have and still I’m more thrilled every day.
You learned that Petco is still stuck in the 70s and 80s information age, eg, using live fish to cycle. That’s been a no no for 30 years. Then there is the raw shrimp cycle method. Raw shrimp are still used to some degree today but there is a better way. Introducing LR at the very start is the best method and you would not be putting any fish through the painful torture, and often death, of Ammonia and Nitrite poisoning.
Here’s a bit of advice that has been passed down since I first heard it back in the 70s, ”Nothing happens fast in a SW tank except disaster" That is as true today as it ever was even with todays miracle substances on the market that claims to “cycle” your tank overnight. While there are some really promising innovations coming along that might prove worth your money, nothing can take the place of patience.
As I mentioned in another of your threads, the canister filter will be the source of high Nitrates. Your’s is skyrocketing out of bounds and will cause untold problems soon. Water changes will have little effect until you eliminate the source. Figure this at 160, if you do a 10% water change it theoretically will lower to 144. Not much of a change and would have little effect. Besides, having the canister running, it would be back to 160 in a day or two. Your fighting a losing battle.
A sump/refugium with a deep sand bed (DSB) and Macro Algae is what is needed and a Nitrate Reactor would be very helpful. I have a thread on another forum that chronicles my 135 reef build. It has become Iconic in nature with over 800 responses and more than 57,000 views. The thread has become a “must read”, as noted by many readers. I’m humbled and honored by the public and private responses I’ve received about that build thread. Here’s a link to the thread - Amphibious’ 135 mixed reef build. I hope I’m not “breaking” any rules here on the forum by posting a link to an educational thread on another forum.
I’m also the Author of an article titled “Nine Simple Rules, Buying Healthy Fish and Keeping Them Healthy”. It, too, has received great reviews by my peers, and that also humbled me. Several forum administrators have allowed me to post it on their forums. If the Admins would allow it, I’d be happy to post it here, too. PM me for a link.
You’ve launched yourself on one of the most fascinating journeys known to me by keeping a reef aquarium right in your home, Susan. I congratulate you on that decision. Aquariums have kept me totally fascinated for 65 years. I’m 73 years young, at least at heart.
D i c k
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