ltkenbo
Reefing newb
- Location
- Bloomington, MN
I am just starting a 75 gallon reef tank. I bought 115+ lb. of live rock that I stored for a couple days in a brute trashcan with saltwater then moved into my new tank which contained fresh saltwater.
Last night, I tested the water for both ammonia and nitrates. Both read 0 ppm. I add 2 nice large raw shrimp and let it sit overnight. This evening, almost 20 hours later I measured both again. I now have 0 ppm ammonia and between 10-20 ppm of nitrate.
So I'm thinking since I have so much live rock that came from a mature tank that the ammonia was pretty much instantly "eaten" by the nitrifying bacteria and then converted into nitrite and nitrate finally. I don't have a nitrite test kit so I can't check for that, but I would guess that if the ammonia was gone so fast so is it.
So is my initial cycle done? I understand that the cycle never stops, but what I mean is that if I let my tank sit for another week do you think it would be safe to add a clean up crew and maybe a clownfish? If so, should I remove the dead shrimp now and do a water change?
Last night, I tested the water for both ammonia and nitrates. Both read 0 ppm. I add 2 nice large raw shrimp and let it sit overnight. This evening, almost 20 hours later I measured both again. I now have 0 ppm ammonia and between 10-20 ppm of nitrate.
So I'm thinking since I have so much live rock that came from a mature tank that the ammonia was pretty much instantly "eaten" by the nitrifying bacteria and then converted into nitrite and nitrate finally. I don't have a nitrite test kit so I can't check for that, but I would guess that if the ammonia was gone so fast so is it.
So is my initial cycle done? I understand that the cycle never stops, but what I mean is that if I let my tank sit for another week do you think it would be safe to add a clean up crew and maybe a clownfish? If so, should I remove the dead shrimp now and do a water change?
