new live rock

[Phuture1]

hey folks. i'm in the process of cureing 20lbs of live rock. it's my first go at it. it's been soaking for about two weeks now. amonia went down to 0ppm but my nitrites are high. is this normal ? i'm new at this whole reef thing. just looking for a little feedback. i would appreciate any advice.

 

[Myteemouse]

yep its a cycle after the trites are done the nitrates will spike then when they drop your good? could take a while!
You got a skimmer on those things??
I've been told that will help alot in the niitrate stage?!?
But others know better!
They can help more!

 

[Phuture1]

no. no skimmer. maybe i'll thorw one on there. thanks for the words of wisdom A.


GUY

 

[Scooterman]

Here is a link to some good information that will help you get those questions answered or at least give you some help on getting started. I hope your cycling the rock with the ro/di water & salt mixed up to 1.026sg & temp consistent & some water flow also needed for cycling.

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=124

 

[Krish]

Yes, as suggested, all a part of the cycling process. In a nut shell, waste, decaying matter etc produces ammonia, a bacteria will be responsible for converting that ammonia into a less toxic form (nitrites), then another bacteria will be responsible for converting the nitrites into and even less toxic form (nitrates) and at this point, your intitial cycle is complete. Nitrates won't drop off as quickly, but it is at this stage, you can introduce the rock to the tank. You don't have to wait for the nitrates to completely drop off to zero. If you did, you'd be waiting months on end (LOL). Some people actually never get their nitrates to completely drop off. So once you are reading 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites and it remains stable there for about a week or so, then your initial cycle is complete.

 

[Phuture1]

thanks for the help guys.

 

[boosted306]

Just keep an eye on the chemistry. Above posts are good.