What the heck am I doing wrong?!?!
 

I am incredibly frustrated right now. I am new to saltwater and have been waiting for my tank to cycle since Dec. 29th. I have gone from doing several tests a week to weekly tests because the tank just isn't cycling. I have seen my ammonia spike twice only to have it return to 0.25 and my nitrite level is still at 0.05...I have even taken my water to Big Al's for fear that my test kit is having issues.

I have about 50 lbs of live rock in the 33 gal tank and I know that nothing happens fast in a saltwater tank but I also know that it should only take 4-6 weeks for the tank to cycle and I am approaching my 8th week.

What the heck could I possibly be doing wrong???

That sounds like alot of rock in there. I have used a 33 gal to cure rock and when I put
in 50 lbs it was pretty full. I wonder is it live rock? Do you have sand and is it live? It is
a little frustrating hang in there. It gets better.

Tank should have cycled by now even it your rock is dead. You can buy bacteria in a bottle that you can use to salt the tank. Or you can just find somebody with some sand...a cup or so and salt you tank that way. The last way is to put some fish in it to start the cycle. Mollies are cheap ...... Put the light on the tank and see what grows

Yes it is live sand and I am starting to wonder if it was live rock as well but I bought it from a person off this board who said it was so I can only assume it is...I just hope that he didn't take advantage of my newbie status but I don't think that is the case as it has growth on it...
I have pictures of the tank on my Facebook page if you think you can tell by looking at it my name is Brad Mulders...

if you took us all through a step by step of your set up and gave some more info about your tank (like lighting, water turnover, any inhabitants, what brand of test kits you're using, etc) I am sure we could offer you some pertinent advice.

If the rock was cured already when you aquired it and it never dried out between the time it was placed in your tank, you may not see a large cycle. Could be good to go already. I bought my setup used from a Vancouver aquarist, transported it all the way to Vernon with much of the rock wrapped in wet newspaper and some submerged in left over tank water. Never did get much of an ammonia spike when I set it up at home.

if you have seen any nitrates at all I would say your tank has cycled . I only had a little cycle and if I hadnt of tested when I did I wouldnt of seen the spike at all cause a few hours later it was down to nothing and has been sitting this way since christmas .

I would get a LFS to double check your test results.

what helped me cycle my tank fast was using cycle .....just dumped lots of that stuff in ... and off you go :D

I'd have to agree with Mike, if your rock was in good condition and didn't have much or any die off from that transfer then your cycle could have been quick with very little spikes. If your water is testing good now then I would think you are good to go.

not to worry you can always add the hagen cycle in ther that is a great start up to get the cycle going , But reading on the post its saying that your tank is cycled. if you have a AMMONIA Or nitrites then you are still having a cycle problem but highly doubt it. If your Rock like Mike stated has been wet and in the water then you wont hav much of a die off. what type of skim mate is your skimmer producing?

and you can always dump 20 gal out and add 20 gal of new water. that will sort out anything weird in your tank......

try doing alittle bit of carbon dosing ..... sugar , vinegar, or vodka

If you're a newbie, definitely DON'T try any of the above. Patience is the first lesson.

Hehe ya my wife got all excited when she heard vodka would help and wanted to take a trip to the ocean...lol

I have had my LFS test my water 3 weeks ago and came up with the same results I was getting...they recommended I wait another 2 weeks as that would put it at the 7 week mark...

I am using a T5 HO light...I have done one small water change (about 10%) after I went to my LFS and they thought it might help.

The only inhabitant is a small hermit crab which hitchhiked his way in with some live rock rubble I picked up 3 weeks ago to give the bottom some character. Other than that just a few very small cheap and free hardy corals I couldn't pass up (green star polyp, candy cane, duncan and zoa...all doing very well).

My skimmer is producing foam and did within a day of putting it on. I empty it about every 2 days and it has maybe 1/2 -1 ounce of material in it...

Someone suggested putting a couple of mollies in...is that wise when the ammonia is not reading 0? I am going to hit my LFS and check out the Cycle stuff that was mentioned as well...

Cheers

That's hilarious! Seriously though, vodka dosing should only be done if your over 19 and with friends!:lol!:

Where did you get your sand? Are you feeding the tank anything? There must be a reason your cycle is taking so long.

I wouldn't bother with mollies for several reasons...take my word for it. I wouldn't bother with cycle either.

The tank will cycle, give it time and try to figure out the cause.... and then you'll find the answer.

Earlier someone suggested putting in a piece of shrimp so I had done that but I don't recall how long ago. I am also feeding my Duncan and Candy cane corals frozen mysis shrimp.

The sand I picked up on boxing day from Big Al's...its live sand, crushed arrogate or whatever its called.

It could be a case of you adding too much food waste to the tank for it to handle at such an early stage (even though you do have a lot of live rock), this could be the case especially if you are not using another mechanical filter other than the skimmer. The decaying shrimp could be giving you the ammonia reading.

I would suggest stop feeding the tank..... The corals do not NEED food, feeding them aids in growth but honestly I would wait until your tank is aged a big longer before you start feeding corals, especially meaty foods like mysis.

The hermit crab in there will find enough food off the rock.

Stop all feeding for now, and do a few small water changes (5%) over the next few days to a week, and see if the ammonia reading goes down.

:)
-Diana

The piece of shrimp probably spiked the ammonia again and feeding those corals is extending it. Stop feeding until your levels have dropped and then feed sparingly after it's completely cycled.

Great advice! I knew I had to be doing something to be causing it!

Thanks!!!

Anytime!!

Good news...My tank is finally cycled and I put my clean up crew in on Friday...I lost 1 snail within 24 hours but everything else I put in is doing well...so far...Crossing fingers!!!

Right on, good news! Just remember to take it easy on the feeding and remove anything dead(snail). Happy reefing!

+1, people really aren't patient enough. Don't expect instant results and TAKE YOUR TIME! Tank lives should be measured in years, not months.

I didn't try any of those but I don't think I was being impatient...I waited 8 weeks (2 weeks over the recommended time that it should have taken) and then I figured that something I was doing was the cause...which turns out I was right...

I have no issues taking it slow, but at the same time I want to do it right and that means asking questions to make sure that what I have done is the right thing.

Thanks again!