26 gal tank cycle?

Raygunn · 06-13-2008, 12:53 AM

ok... so i have my 55gal setup... i'm looking around for a free 10 gal tank to use as a QT... someone gives me a 26gal w/ stand etc... its nice... so i get some more live rock and decide to have a second tank (then just went and bought a $10 10 gal qt tank)
so now here is the question... i put the rock in there and the water about two weeks ago... i didn't test it for a few days (don't know why... just didn't) so about 3 or 4 days after i did that i started testing it... and i kept getting 0s all across the board... about 4 days ago i added a raw scallop in there... still 0s all across the board... is there a posibility that this thing cycled in that short of a time while i wasn't checking the levels?
thanks
Ray

PhotoJohn · 06-13-2008, 03:33 AM

I would say no, but I could be wrong. Regardless of what the tests say I am almost sure a raw scallop decaying in a 26g or 10g would and should throw off the lvls even in a cycled tank. I would say add a scallop or shrimp again and let it sit for several days. Let it get covered with that white moldish crud for a day or two before pulling it out. (I have just left decaying items in the tank, something eventually eats it all) After another week or two you could probably lightly stock it from there.

Raygunn · 06-13-2008, 03:41 AM

ok i didn't think it would be cycled that quick... i did get some new live rock from the LFS that had alot of growth on it so i wasnt sure if that just really sped it up alot...
i was going to keep an eye on it though.

PhotoJohn · 06-13-2008, 03:45 AM

Having good cured live rock could really speed things up but usually LFS sells LR as semi-cured. Waiting a few days or a week or two will only save you money, you dont want anything dieing. Its no fun to drop your $20 shrimp into the water and have him spaz and die...

Raygunn · 06-13-2008, 03:49 AM

haha thats true...
and i was gonna wait at least another week to see whats up...
i was just wondering if that was posible... part of the rock was just cured with nothing growing on it... just rock but the other ones had corline algae and other things growing on it already and we transported them in water... so i just wasn't sure... if that could have sped it up... because my 55gal i didn't think it would ever get cycled haha

PhotoJohn · 06-13-2008, 04:13 AM

I talked to someone that claimed to have their tank cycled in a day...they used all premixed boxed water, live sand, and live rock. I was astonished that someone would stock a tank a day after putting it up but he did...i wonder if it crashed yet?

Raygunn · 06-13-2008, 04:16 AM

right... good point.. we'll wait this one out a bit! haha