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Cycling Question


Faithbleed

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Hi All

I've been cycling for about 8 weeks now and my levels were still quite high.

I was advised to put carbon in to clean the water and do a water change around this mark.

I've put the carbon in a couple of days ago and the nitrite and nitrate have dropped dramatically. Ammonia has gone down too, but the ready is still cloudy, so under .25.

I would of expected ammonia to drop to 0 before the nitrites/nitrates started to drop? Would it be the carbon doing this?

Is this normal cycling process or have I wrecked things with the carbon? :dunno:

Should I still do a water change (was aiming for 30%)?

Cheers

Dave

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Cycling with fish or without? What are your nitrite readings? Is it a planted tank?

If you have fish you should be changing water daily. The ammonia is normally reading zero and nitrites are off the chart so you could be getting a rogue ammonia readings.

If no fish id water change daily to get the nitrites around 2ppm and leave it be.

I didnt think carbon did anything other than cleaning the water ie removing organics and medications. Water changes would do the same thing. Someone with more knowledge on carbon may enlighten us on that.

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Sorry, probably should have clarified.

Marine tank - 2 months into very first cycle (no fish).

Cycle started with dead uncured rock and a muscle which I added in there.

Lots of algae activity, green mainly, bit of brown and beige too.

Added carbon as the water had a distinct yellow tinge and it was advised.

Readings 1 week ago were:

PH: 8.3

Salinity: 1.023

Ammonia: 0.25

Nitrite: 2

Nitrate: 100

Current readings are:

PH: 8.3

Salinity: 1.024 (I've been deliberately raising it slowly)

Ammonia: <0.25

Nitrite: 0.1

Nitrate: 25

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one of those 6 of 1 or 1/2 a dozen of another things

personally i do water changes to reduce the ammonia level

i feel too much ammonia kills your bacteria that have built up

the idea of cycling is to achieve a balance between waste and bacteria

i have tried many ways of cycling and just like to keep it as simple as possible now

and wait with a marine system.... and wait.....and wait

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Yeah, I got that feeling from the research I've done.

I appreciate the advice, hopefully not long now. It's definitely been a waiting game, staring at rock for 2 months has been hard, but I don't want to rush it just when it's getting close.

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yes i am about to move my almost 900 litre system

will start new tank running, then change corals, rock and fish over

then move old system next to it and loop it into new system

all the new glass and pipe work will need to cycle

and old system once drained and refilled will have a small cycle as well

hopefully water changes will keep the system stable long enough for it all to cycle in

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