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DCisGnar

Update on the Cube along with some questions about the cycle

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DCisGnar
, 03-19-2010 at 05:46 PM (6233 Views)
Hey guys, been about 2 weeks now since I set up my 28 gallon nanocube, and I just received my test kits in the mail today. So I've done my first water test today as so far the parameters are as follows:

pH: ~8.0
Ammonia: ~0.0-0.1
Nitrite: ~1.0-2.0 (lowest measurement on high nitrites test was 2.0, and highest on low nitrite test was 1.0, but I believe it's somewhere in between)
Nitrate: ~ equal or <10
Salinity:1.026
(These tests were done with the Instant Ocean test kits)

I've been doing the cycle most of the time with lights out, only turning the lights on for short periods of time randomly to look around and see if there are any aptasia growing on the LR I have or any other little critters in there. I was wondering though, since I didn't test my water until 2 weeks after the tank was set up, if it looks like the cycle has started because of the 0.0 ammonia testing and the high nitrites? Or is it possible that there is just high nitrites and 0 ammonia because the cycle didn't start yet? Also, I removed the ceramic rings from the filter so not to cause a nitrate factory. Will this cause the nitrite to nitrate cycle to go slower? And if so, how long would you guys and gals think that the nitrite to nitrate cycle would take to complete?
Thanks for looking guys, and I greatly appreciate any responses

Blaine

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  1. rayme07's Avatar
    congrats!! on the start of your tank. Your cycle was probably started two weeks ago and is in its next stage. The only way to test that is to throw a good size pinch of food or a raw table shrimp in the tank and a few days later test and see what the ammonia reads. I am not to sure on the ceramic rings though I have no experience with that. Sorry.
  2. DCisGnar's Avatar
    Thanks for the shrimp idea Rayme, I'll give that a try tomorrow. I was reading about cycling today, and people are saying they're getting readings of around 25ppm on nitrites. If my tests are only showing 2, does it seem like too little nitrite for it to be the actual cycle?
  3. V's Avatar
    yeah you got 5/10th of f%^k all of nitrite, but it seems your peaking with the nitrate. Cause you were running blind for the first couple of weeks you missed the initial spikes. I small pinch of food every few days will see your bacterial count grow strong & you will see the trends. Give it a cool month as a benchmark ok. Not all tanks are the same, yours must of had very little die back thats all.

    I think your confusing ceramic noodles with bio balls.
    Ceramic noodles are porous, heavy & will remain submerged in a body of water, plastic bio balls will not.
    The noodles are real estate for the aerobic bacteria, so if you want to use them (model & design dependant of course) then go for it. Its essentially no difference between them & say if you added some coral rubble pieces.

    Do you need some extra explanation on the principles of the nitrogen cycle in a fashion thats more understandable bud?
  4. DCisGnar's Avatar
    Thanks V, I put the ceramic noodle thing-ma-bobbers back in the filter section. I went to the LFS today to get my water tested for the cycle (I'm kind of new with testing my own water so wanted to double check) and it showed:
    1.023 salinity
    0 ammonia
    0.8 nitrites
    <10 nitrates
    0 phosphate
    7.8 pH

    So it looks like all is going well with the cycle! Thanks again for the info Rayme and V I appreciate it!
  5. V's Avatar
    its completely submerged though yeah, it cant be like the wet dry systems of old.
  6. DCisGnar's Avatar
    Yeah they're completely submerged
  7. V's Avatar
    then your laughing, & get an avatar you strange...boring little humanoid!
  8. DCisGnar's Avatar
    Okay, okay I wiiilll.