Hello fellow reef2reef members,
I have been a long-time lurker of the forum but have never signed up as I had nothing to contribute. I recently got into the space with a 350-gallon saltwater decorative tank with artificial coral.
It has been 41~ days since I have had water in the tank and have begun the process of cycling the tank...
My tank:
The company I bought the tank from started me with 15~ damsels. The fish have been fed sparingly but enough. As it stands, there have been no water changes but he intends to start water changes to the tune of 5%-10% per week next week. Moreover, I am monitoring contamination levels on a day-to-day basis. The salinity sits at 1.026 and I was told we are trying to get it between 1.023 - 1.024. PH has been a steady 8.2 for at least 3 weeks now. The nitrite and nitrite have been 0/0. This means that the tank is still cycling. 2-3 weeks in, two bonded clownfish were added and they are doing well. Maybe two weeks ago, a bi-color angelfish was added and he is thriving with a wonderful personality. Mystery Wrasse [2; bonded] were added last week but they died overnight. They were QT fish from an LFS that the tank company has been using for decades. My dad used to purchase piranha from them years ago and we know the owners; this was confirmed.
To "expedite" the process, the owner of the company I purchased the tank from put liverock in my sump 1-week ago. My readings have not changed at all; the results are the same. I have tried multiple test strips (brands) and they are all nearly identical.
As it stands, I am not going to add any fish as a) I do not want to kill any fish, b) it is cruel to subject fish to an environment where they cannot thrive.
Having said the above, the only thing I can do at this juncture is wait for the tank to cycle, correct? Is there any recommendation(s) on anything else I should do other than wait? It is a colossal tank so I am assuming that is what is prolonging the cycling process.
I am just waiting for nitrates to pop on one of my readings and then for a week, I will continuously check and then, we are cycled. So as long as there is trace ammonia, no nitrites, and 15-20ppm nitrates. I will then do a 15-20% water change and begin adding fish slowly.
I have been a long-time lurker of the forum but have never signed up as I had nothing to contribute. I recently got into the space with a 350-gallon saltwater decorative tank with artificial coral.
It has been 41~ days since I have had water in the tank and have begun the process of cycling the tank...
My tank:
The company I bought the tank from started me with 15~ damsels. The fish have been fed sparingly but enough. As it stands, there have been no water changes but he intends to start water changes to the tune of 5%-10% per week next week. Moreover, I am monitoring contamination levels on a day-to-day basis. The salinity sits at 1.026 and I was told we are trying to get it between 1.023 - 1.024. PH has been a steady 8.2 for at least 3 weeks now. The nitrite and nitrite have been 0/0. This means that the tank is still cycling. 2-3 weeks in, two bonded clownfish were added and they are doing well. Maybe two weeks ago, a bi-color angelfish was added and he is thriving with a wonderful personality. Mystery Wrasse [2; bonded] were added last week but they died overnight. They were QT fish from an LFS that the tank company has been using for decades. My dad used to purchase piranha from them years ago and we know the owners; this was confirmed.
To "expedite" the process, the owner of the company I purchased the tank from put liverock in my sump 1-week ago. My readings have not changed at all; the results are the same. I have tried multiple test strips (brands) and they are all nearly identical.
As it stands, I am not going to add any fish as a) I do not want to kill any fish, b) it is cruel to subject fish to an environment where they cannot thrive.
Having said the above, the only thing I can do at this juncture is wait for the tank to cycle, correct? Is there any recommendation(s) on anything else I should do other than wait? It is a colossal tank so I am assuming that is what is prolonging the cycling process.
I am just waiting for nitrates to pop on one of my readings and then for a week, I will continuously check and then, we are cycled. So as long as there is trace ammonia, no nitrites, and 15-20ppm nitrates. I will then do a 15-20% water change and begin adding fish slowly.
