Quote:
Originally Posted by Blizz003
When will this ammonia spike happen? The cycle isn't complete till I get nitrate starting to rise right? And the only way to get that out is water changes?
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The ammonia spike will happen when it happens. Not helpful I know, but like you said, patience. Your cycle will be complete after your nitrates
drop after they peak, which will happen once you have enough bacteria growth. Again, every tank is different, so times will vary. Water changes will only help remove nitrates a bit, not much I'm afraid. You really need to give the bacteria time to populate. You can help the cycle along by dosing MicroBacter7, or something similar. Wait for your nitrates to drop below 25ppm before adding any fish, and even then, add fish slowly. I made the mistake of adding too many fish too quickly and my nitrates shot up. Sensitive corals can be added once it drops to 5ppm, roughly. Prepare yourself for some bad algae growth, with phosphates around 0.25.
Give us some more info on your set-up. Sump? Equipment, etc, and start a photobucket or flikr account to post pics.