No Ammonia spike!

[mrhasan]

Hello everyone,

It's been almost a week since I am running my new 20L saltwater tank with live rock and aragonite sand (regular not the live one) along with a CB false percula (the sale tempted me to buy it :sad:) and a brittle star.

The following are the parameters my tank is maintaining for the past week:
1. pH: higher than 8 but lower than 8.2, probably 8.1
2. Ammonia: 0ppm
3. Nitrate: 0ppm
4. Nitrite: 0ppm
5. SG: 1.024

I am using 20lbs of initially cured live rock and the rock has already started getting diatoms. I have heard that diatom bloom only occurs at the end of cycle but I have not seen any spike in ammonia or nitrite and my fish is, I can say, VERY HAPPY because it even eats from my hand, responds to my movement and was talking a nap under the filter outlet!

Can anyone suggest what is going on?

[daplatapus]

If you have fully cured live rock with enough bacteria on it to consume the ammonia produced by whatever is in the tank, you'll never see ammonia. Just be carefull not to add too much too quickly and allow the bacteria that consumes ammonia to grow after each addition. You will eventually see nitrates though so keep an eye on that as time goes by.

[mrhasan]

I am checking my water parameters every night to make sure whether everything is right.

So what I understand from you point (and something which I have always thought of) is that with cured live rock, there will not be any sort of spikes right?

So can I increase the bioload every week now like adding one fish/clean up crew a week till stock permits?

[daplatapus]

IMO, there's no 100% way to be sure that's what's going on other than time. I'd personally give it 2-3 weeks at least until I added more. I know it's hard, but the last thing you want to do is rush this part of your tank.
I assume your percula didn't get QT'd. Many, including me, will suggest that is playing Russian roullette with your tank. If you don't QT every fish, it's only a matter of time until you introduce an illness, parasite or other unwanted critter in your tank.
But we all make a personal choice on that one, just wanted to give you a heads up in case you didn't know.
For now, sit back and relax, enjoy what you have in you tank for a couple weeks. Get used to testing, and maintaining your tank. Look for amphipods, copepods, mini brittle stars, pineapple sponges and tons of other critters that are probably in your tank already.
In the meantime research ich, brookynella (sp) and velvet and you'll start to see why.many qt every fish and dip every coral.

[mrhasan]

Yah I must agree that that I did hurry at this beginning. I didn't QT my tank because I bought the fish from a reliable source who generally QT their tank, had no sign of illness and I also did a fresh water dip before getting the tank in.

Since I got aqua cultured live-rock, I did not get any hitchhiker so my tank is only populated by the clown, a brittle star that I got for the tank and (hopefully) the nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria.

I am just thinking about adding may be one or two hermit crabs next week in the tank to start cleaning the bloom.