Just checking in

[Dario5678]

Its been a while since I posted as I wait for my rock to cycle in my BRUT.  My Ammonia has finally went to zero after spiking and I aded some more food and ammonia to raise it again so it can drop again.  Do I continue to add ammonia and letit drop down to zero until my notrites are zero?  Since its tock that im putting in an establised tank..do I need to wait for nitrites to go down to zero?  Its about 60 pouns of rock going into a 90 gallon with two small fish and 10 pounds of live rock.  Also, SHould I check for phosphates before putting it in the tank?

[Keraxis]

I wouldn't keep adding ammonia... its just starting your cycle over.  

[s2nhle]

yes check your phosphates. stop adding food and ammonia. If your phosphates are high the rock are leaking them. use some phosphates remover.

[Dario5678]

Thanks guys.

[zygote2k]

yes check your phosphates. stop adding food and ammonia. If your phosphates are high the rock are leaking them. use some phosphates remover.

how do you know the phosphate didn't come from the source water if present? or from the food source?

[zygote2k]

part of cycling the rock/tank/system is letting things proceed as natually as possible after the addition of an ammonia source.

adding other chemicals like a phosphate remover only inhibits the growth of bacteria which can ultimately lead to a much longer cycle or worse.

I typically cycle the rock in the tank with full lighting and skimming along with increased circulation. This is the setting that the rock will be exposed to in real time. Add a food source, and watch it for next 6-8 weeks. Add nothing.

You'll go through diatoms, cyano and ultimately hair algae. When HA grows long enough, add a single herbivore like a Yellow Tang. Feed sparingly as you are encouraging it to eat naturally occurring algae and never have to worry  about hair algae issues.

When Tang eats all algae, start regualr w/c's and add snails to clean the glass. The rock has been pretty much untouched until the arrival of the Tang and has been left as a growing medium for as many microorganisms as were originally on the rock to flourish and establish a foothold in aquarium conditions. 

If you start with dead, quarried rock, you usually end up with little to no diversity except what came from your aquarium equipment if used and the air around you.

If you start with the freshest rock available that is wild or aquacultured, you'll literally get a small microcosm of life that will establish itself in the aquarium. Your tank will thrive if you go this route and you'll have far fewer issues with the usual ailments that prevail.

[s2nhle]

how do you know the phosphate didn't come from the source water if present? or from the food source?

There are a lot of thread out there that discuss about it. Here is the good thread to read.

http://www.reef2reef.com/threads/so-you-were-told-your-rock-leaches-phosphates-not.190668/

[Dario5678]

part of cycling the rock/tank/system is letting things proceed as natually as possible after the addition of an ammonia source.

adding other chemicals like a phosphate remover only inhibits the growth of bacteria which can ultimately lead to a much longer cycle or worse.

I typically cycle the rock in the tank with full lighting and skimming along with increased circulation. This is the setting that the rock will be exposed to in real time. Add a food source, and watch it for next 6-8 weeks. Add nothing.

You'll go through diatoms, cyano and ultimately hair algae. When HA grows long enough, add a single herbivore like a Yellow Tang. Feed sparingly as you are encouraging it to eat naturally occurring algae and never have to worry  about hair algae issues.

When Tang eats all algae, start regualr w/c's and add snails to clean the glass. The rock has been pretty much untouched until the arrival of the Tang and has been left as a growing medium for as many microorganisms as were originally on the rock to flourish and establish a foothold in aquarium conditions. 

If you start with dead, quarried rock, you usually end up with little to no diversity except what came from your aquarium equipment if used and the air around you.

If you start with the freshest rock available that is wild or aquacultured, you'll literally get a small microcosm of life that will establish itself in the aquarium. Your tank will thrive if you go this route and you'll have far fewer issues with the usual ailments that prevail.

Thanks,

 

It has already been cycling in a tub for some weeks now becasue I do not have a tank other than the already established tank that I mentioned.  Thta why I am trying to figure at what point can i move it from the tub to the tank that has 2 fis and some rock in it already.

[matt]

Thanks,

 

It has already been cycling in a tub for some weeks now becasue I do not have a tank other than the already established tank that I mentioned.  Thta why I am trying to figure at what point can i move it from the tub to the tank that has 2 fis and some rock in it already.

 

Can you put it in a piece at a time over the next few weeks? If you've been cycling it in a tub and nothing is dying on it I would think it wouldn't much impact an existing system other than to give you more surface for bacteria to grow and help you....just perhaps add it slowly vs all at once so you can monitor.

 

The brute itself has surfaces where bacteria are colonizing during a cycle of the rock...so water quality of the brute will be driven by both the rock's and brute's bacteria colonization