Tank Cycling

[Muchcunfooz]

I’m currently cycling my tank with just dry rock, a filter with carbon, a heater, a wavemaker, and a current USA light. I’ve been adding a couple of flakes of fish food per day to increase the ammonia for about a week. Right now the ammonia is at .25ppm and the nitrite is at 0ppm. Where am I in the cycle, am I doing everything right, and can someone give a brief outline of how to cycle so I know what to be looking out for?

[jurgenph]

if you're still reading ammonia, you are at the very start of it.

here's the first link that popped up on a google search on cycling a new tank.
https://www.marinedepot.com/cycle-an-aquarium-ap.html


J.

[top shelf]

Cycle has just started, just be patient and give it time. Go slowly nothing good happens fast.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1031074

A lot of very good info there and worth reading if you are new.

[thegrun]

I would however dose pure ammonia without surfactants to raise the ammonia to 2ppm, doing so will give you a nice robust cycle and boost up the ammonia level much quicker than adding food. Use pure ammonia without surfactants (available at most hardware stores, I got mine at Ace Hardware) or perfumes. To be sure the ammonia does not contain surfactants shake the bottle and if it bubbles up like dish soap it has surfactants in it, pure ammonia will not have bubbles. To raise 100 gallons of water from 0 to 2 ppm ammonia you would need to add 0.8 grams (8 ml) of standard 10% pure ammonia. Once your ammonia hits 2ppm you do not need to nor should you add additional food or ammonia.

[JUNBUG361]

Put a shrimp, chaeto or some live rocks & just wait. Test the water parameters in the beginning, then again 3 to 3 1/2 weeks

[RussC]

Lots of patience! I'm only 4 months into my tank now. I went through the cycling, then through the uglies of algae everywhere. Total panic. But just like the veterans said, just wait it out. Don't panic. Totally normal. Nothing good happens fast. If I was told that once, I bet I was told that 1000 times.

If you have ammonia, you are early in the process. its more obvious than you think when the cycle moves. Hang in there. If you have live rock, that will be a huge help in cycling the tank. Wouldn't recommend buying any livestock to help cycle your tank. Kind of a risky expense and really unnecessary.