Jump to content

Is my cycle finished?


Recommended Posts

  • SRC Member

Today is Day 16. Ammonia and Nitrites tested negative or at most low yesterday. Nitrates at non detectable according to my JBL test kit.

Same results today. The tank has had its ammonia n nitrite peaks. Is my cycle completed?

Water has tiny hair particles. This is really getting on my nerves. I also see some hair algae, like white hair on the rocks. There are also some brownish dirt on the rock, which scatter when i shake the rock.

Will this end?

When can i add my live stock in? Should i add some of those green algae they sell to export the nutrients?

I have attached a pic of the tiny particles, its the clearest i can get. It

Tiny hair particles (Hair Algae?)

post-6-1040900029.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hi, the brown dirt usually come with the LR. probably no harm, if you find it an eyesore, just vacumn that area when you do water change.

if you really cannot tahan, i think can put in ONE hardy fish. I added my first fish also after abt 15 days. but i had 15 kgs of LR in a 15 gallon tank, and that probably also expedited the process. but once you have fish, pls start to put in the skimmer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • SRC Member

I think you can start stocking slowly. Good luck.

post-36-1093875548.jpg

Warning: Heavy handed moderator in operation. Threads and post are liable to be deleted or moved without prior notification.

Moderator's prerogative will be enforced.

Any grievances or complains should be addressed to The Administrator.

http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/uploads/post-36-1073276974.gif post-36-1073276974.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does the tiny hair-like particles settle when you turn off the water circulation?

Or do you see movement? It may be some kind of zooplankton (unlikely though)... could be a bacteria bloom. Could be just suspended detritus or even dead hair algae.

You could do a small water change or filter the water with wool to remove them.

If the ammonia and nitrite peaks are gone... and nitrate is zero... your tank has cycled. Stock slowly just in case you get ammonia spikes... give the respective bacteria time to adjust to the dissolved waste nutrients added.

Check other parameters like PH, alk, phosphate and calcium to ensure that your LR, new corals will be ok... you may prefer growing coraline algae rather than hair algae if your phosphates are high!

Good luck!

AT

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • SRC Member

I have about 11.5 kg in a 15 gallon.

About those tiny hair particles, they come in all differerent sizes. They are not really moving but i can see them curl up every now and then. Are they alive? I think i will get a thick filter fool for my HOB filter.

Don't think a fish can survive in such water though, gotta clear it up first.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • SRC Member
They look more like those white worms you see in dirty freshwater tanks.

are these white worm sticking on the glass? If yes, just leave it there or use a algae cleaner and clean it. When I first setup my tank, i have lots of these sticking on the glass, after sometime, it just goes away.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • SRC Member

Ya, he has a heater in his tank.

post-36-1093875548.jpg

Warning: Heavy handed moderator in operation. Threads and post are liable to be deleted or moved without prior notification.

Moderator's prerogative will be enforced.

Any grievances or complains should be addressed to The Administrator.

http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/uploads/post-36-1073276974.gif post-36-1073276974.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • SRC Member

If the tank is 24/7 in an air-con room, the water temperature can drop below 25 at night and early morning before the lights come on.

I think Blueterror is the best person the answer.

post-36-1093875548.jpg

Warning: Heavy handed moderator in operation. Threads and post are liable to be deleted or moved without prior notification.

Moderator's prerogative will be enforced.

Any grievances or complains should be addressed to The Administrator.

http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/uploads/post-36-1073276974.gif post-36-1073276974.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • SRC Member

are these white worm sticking on the glass? If yes, just leave it there or use a algae cleaner and clean it. When I first setup my tank, i have lots of these sticking on the glass, after sometime, it just goes away.

The worms are not sticking on the tank glass. I see some white bugs crawling on the front glass though. These worms are riding on the current and suspended in the water. Pretty gross looking.

Yes that is a heater, my room is in aircon. Fish only tank.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • SRC Member

i think its about 28-29 celsius without aircon.

with aircon + heater i maintain about 26-27 celsius

without heater, it has gone down to mayb 22-24 celsius depending on my aircon settings.

fluctuation is about 3 celsius at most a day if i do turn the aircon off.

I observe that temperature drops are quite gradual over a few hours.

Aniway these few days sometimes i turn off the airconditioning, don't think it affects my tank much. There is this mushroom coral that came with my LR and survive the cycle, it seems pretty ok. anyway i don't plan on stocking much corals in this tank so i think temperature not really an issue.

btw why do i not detect any nitrates? Where have they gone to?

I don't have a DSB, only maybe 1-2 inch of sand

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • SRC Member

The worms are not sticking on the tank glass. I see some white bugs crawling on the front glass though. These worms are riding on the current and suspended in the water. Pretty gross looking.

Yes that is a heater, my room is in aircon. Fish only tank.

those bug crawling are pods, good for the tank.... As for your Nitrate, what test kit are you using? What kind of filtration are you using? There should be some trace of NO3 at the end of the cycle, if I am not wrong..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • SRC Member

once u add fish & start stocking , all those bugs will be gone.

Those on the glass most probably amphipods/copepods/tintinnids- no worries,in fact very desired. The worms sort of thing could be- ciliates or other protozoans,also no a big worry except for viewing pleasures. All of them would have been hitchikers of the LR.

u could start stocking with very low levels- maybe a single fish at first.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • SRC Member

I using JBL test kit. I tested it on my freshwater tanks and its pretty accurate. *shrugs* i tested ammonia and nitrites today again and both were nil.

Anyway i bought this algae today. The guy told me its just RED ALGAE.

Couldn't find it in books or forums but it couldn't be too harmful to my tank right? I like how it looks.

Anyway wat is the greenish plant in the middle?

post-6-1040993965.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • SRC Member

I got a few strands of that red algae too... its seems very hardy, a few strands is stuck beneath a pile of bryopsis for weeks.. but its still red... name? i dunno.. but the bt timah lfs aunite says its called bamboo...

i think the green algae is bryopsis..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share



×
×
  • Create New...