tank cycle

jake_25

hey y is my tank taking so long to cycle its been running for 8 weeks and has 10kg of live rock its realy nice rock to i got zoos on it :)

amm .50
nitri .50
nitra 160
ph 160
1.022

ive been doing a 25% water change every 2 weeks with water from the beach thats where my lfs gets his water from so i think its ok

SKAustin

Nitrates seem awful high, have you tested the water you're bringing in before it goes into the tank? your salinity is also a bit low. I'd shoot for about 1.025-1.027.

I would recommend purchasing a bucket of reef salt and r/o water. The water from your beach may be a bit polluted and may not have the proper levels of nutrients needed for a stable reef environment. Not to worry about the zoanthids though, they are one of the heartiest corals about.

Rogergolf66

Normally the water from the beach is no good. I hope that the LFS is not getting his water thier. They should be making their own. That is unless you live on an island the the reef is just right in your back yard. I would start making your own water from clean RO or RODI water.

Also double check your test kits they may be wrong. bring your water to the LFS and have them test it once. but Have tested it at home before you go. check your results against what their test kits reed.

Roger

MattD

You ammonia and nitrites need to be at 0, and your nitrates need to be AT LEAST under 10ppm (preferably under 5 - 0ppm).

Re-do your pH test, 160 is not correct (the real pH scale ranges from 0 - 14, but with fish tanks the range is usually within 6 - 9. Yours should be 8.1 - 8.3)

Do water changes, they're the only way to drop your nitrates safely. I'd advise adding chaeto to help keep the nitrates in check AFTER your cycle is done, as ammonia will kill it.

Good luck.

jake_25

sorry i ment ph 8.2 i tesed again 2 day after a water change

amm 0
nitri .25
nitra 20

it all changed over only 3 or 4 days

did a 20% water change

i live in aus and we live kind of neer the reef but thats where all my lfs get their water from and also can i use distilled water from the super market

Rogergolf66

yes you can.

verbosity

It looks to me like your cycle is nearing completion.

MattD

Yes, it is. Once your ammonia and nitrites are 0, your nitrates should plateau, and you will be required to do water changes to drop them to 0. Then add chaeto to your tank, it will keep the nitrates there.

Good luck.

jake_25

something weirds happening i tested my tank again 2 day

amm 0
nitri 0
nitra 10

i dont get it i thought my nitrates should go up when the nitrites drop and also i dont have a sump so where do u put the chaeto

jake_25

i tested it 2 times as well to make sure i didnt make a mistake im using api test kit