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40B Lps and Zoa reef (1 Viewer)

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OP
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But what am I doing wrong? There's nothing I the sump but a skimmer and return pump. No power heads in dt no lights
 

steveb

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But what am I doing wrong? There's nothing I the sump but a skimmer and return pump. No power heads in dt no lights

Wrong product to start a 7 day cycle IMO.

Just have patience, the bacteria will eventually catch up. If you are not willing to wait then I would get one of the products specifically designed for rapid cycle startup that have been mentioned and follow the manufacturers directions for that product.
 

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But what am I doing wrong? There's nothing I the sump but a skimmer and return pump. No power heads in dt no lights
Some tanks take 2 months to cycle. You probably aren't doing anything "wrong"... You're trying to recreate nature in a tiny box of water, and sometimes that takes a while.
 

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There are no lights on the tank and im getting saltwater from fish gallery
It never hurts to test your saltwater from time to time... With chloramines now in all (non-well) tap water, there's a bigger chance that even filtered water might have some ammonia. Small chance, but it can't hurt to check, especially if you feel your ammonia is too high given your current cycle time.
 

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It never hurts to test your saltwater from time to time... With chloramines now in all (non-well) tap water, there's a bigger chance that even filtered water might have some ammonia. Small chance, but it can't hurt to check, especially if you feel your ammonia is too high given your current cycle time.
I recommended he test fresh made water with no ammonia to validate the test kit.
 
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So this is what I have come up with. Im going to keep dosing bacter 7 then when I can get fish I'm going to get dr tims one and only snd add fish 2 days after.
 

steveb

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You should not be running a skimmer right now

Given, its not particularly useful for waste removal at this point (as there shouldn't be much organics other than maybe coming from rock depending on how well it was cleaned), it does help with dissolved oxygen. I would (maybe) avoid skimming for an hour or so after adding bacteria.

The nitrifying bacteria (nitrosomonas: NH4+ → N02- and nitrobacter: N02- → N03-) for these two steps are aerobic and and are surface colonizers. Just as a side note that is also why giving someone with a new tank water from a cycled system really does little as far as jump starting their cycle. Better would be sand from a higher flow area, filter floss from a filter etc.
 
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