Has cycling started?

[RAV-65]

Hi all,

today is the 2nd day since I put the market prawn into my new tank to start the cycling stage. but measured the ammonia, seems to be zero, measured the no2 only about 0.3-0.3mg/L... why is dat so?

Do I need to put in another prawn?

Vincent Ho

[islander]

Hi all,

today is the 2nd day since I put the market prawn into my new tank to start the cycling stage. but measured the ammonia, seems to be zero, measured the no2 only about 0.3-0.3mg/L... why is dat so?

Do I need to put in another prawn?

Vincent Ho

hmm..jus wait..tis weekend ur ammonia gonna sky rocket....the smell is so bad tat u dun wanna ###### near.... once u c ur prawn has changed color or decomposed,remove it and the biological cycle will begin..

[scarab]

Don't worry. When i was cycling, I put in 5 market prawns also no ammonia shown in test. thot my test kit is spoilt but still zero when tested with test kits borrowed from others. After a few days you will definitely see a spike in NO2. If your prawn is decomposing means it is working. Be patient

[Nautical]

why do u need to put in a prawn to spike the ammonia and start cycling process? am i missing something here.

i cycled my tank without prawns. it has already been five weeks. put a clown and a cardinal fish on fourth week, still surviving.

measured NO3 at 15mg/l ; pH at 8.3 ; kH at 12dkH

thot i can share and exchange with my humble experience thus far.

[odi]

why do u need to put in a prawn to spike the ammonia and start cycling process? am i missing something here.

i cycled my tank without prawns. it has already been five weeks. put a clown and a cardinal fish on fourth week, still surviving.

measured NO3 at 15mg/l ; pH at 8.3 ; kH at 12dkH

thot i can share and exchange with my humble experience thus far.

Then what did u put in your tank to start cycling?

[Nautical]

Odi, good question, but don't know if I have the answer.

Do not want to steal RAV-65 Vincent's thread, so have started a new topic.

Please go to http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/index.php?act=ST&f=7&t=13787

[RAV-65]

No problem bro...

anyway, its the 4th day I'm cycling, the no2 still very mild, and the prawn seems like rotting, i even tore it into about 8-10 pieces.... but no smell, nothing! I dun even have activated carbon.... u mean it takes so long to rot??

Vincent Ho

[RAV-65]

Actually, when cycling, do we need to remove the prawns after a while?

Hopefully someone can help provide some info, so dat i dun have to start a new thread tom post this question...

Vincent Ho

[dravan]

actually u dun have to remove... but if the smell becum overbearing u can remove it after the ammonia spike... it actually personal preference no right or wrong

[RAV-65]

Dravan,

actually the funny thing is dat there is hardly any smell, if i stand above the tank i can smell a little bit... izit becoz i only put in one prawn?

Vincent Ho

[Nautical]

Did you use CURED live rocks in the first place ?

[RAV-65]

the live rocks are from another old tank, but it has little coralline algae and it was left in a styrofoam box for a few hours, i thought all the bacterial would have died... does dat help in the cycling process?

Vincent Ho

[Nautical]

IMHO, if there isn't much die off from the rocks, there wouldn't be a significant ammonia spike... the cycling process may have been skipped as the LR probably is able to deal with the bioload.

My tank went through without a cycle process.

My only advice is just have patience. If the prawn does not serves its purpose any more, why don't you just remove it. Four/five days of decay should be enough.

[RAV-65]

Thanxs bro, already removed it...

Vincent Ho

[ivanlaw]

If the Ammonia get high shall I change the water??

Or just leave it alone??