New 20 gallon long cycled but only a week old. What now?

A week ago I started my first saltwater tank. It is a 20 gallon long with 21ish pounds of live rock and 20ish pounds of live sand. I added biospira and have been taking reading on the tank over the week.

I started off at all zeros. Ammonia and nitrite climbed fast then peaked for a few days. Now the ammonia is at zero, the nitrites are at zero, and the nitrates are at the 10-20 range. The ph has been consistently between 8.1 and 8.2. salinity stays around 1.024-1.025 depending on water level. Temperature stays at 78 or 79 depending on if you trust the cobaly heater or thermometer but its always the same.

I have 2 margarita snails and 2 red leg hermet crabs and some stupid worms I don't like but are apparently good so they stay.

Should I put some food in the tank to feed the bacteria while I wait another 3 - 4 weeks for my first fish?
Do I need to feed the snails and hermet crabs anything?
What should I do next?

 

Bump!

Thanks!

Ken

 

are your readings still coming up the same? if so id probably wait a little bit before adding any livestock. You may try to feed a little but I wouldn't over do it.

 

Put a little food in the tank to feed your bacteria and your clean up crew.

Do you have a quarantine tank set up? Now would be a good time to quarantine your first fish, which you can add to the tank in a few weeks.

 

I doubt your tank is cycled in a week. Saltwater tanks take much much longer than freshwater tanks to cycle.
I don't know of any tank that has cycled in week ?
I would feed your tank daily and make sure you complete the cycle before adding any livestock.
The ammonia spike you first saw was probably just die off from the live rock you have used.

When you say your salinity is between 1.024 -1.025 depending on water level, try to top up every day with RODI to keep that steady. And are you using a refractometer to test it ?

 

I doubt your tank is cycled in a week. Saltwater tanks take much much longer than freshwater tanks to cycle.
I don't know of any tank that has cycled in week ?
I would feed your tank daily and make sure you complete the cycle before adding any livestock.
The ammonia spike you first saw was probably just die off from the live rock you have used.

When you say your salinity is between 1.024 -1.025 depending on water level, try to top up every day with RODI to keep that steady. And are you using a refractometer to test it ?

With live rock, live sand, and a bacteria additive, I would find it difficult to believe the tank isn't cycled in a week.

 

With live rock, live sand, and a bacteria additive, I would find it difficult to believe the tank isn't cycled in a week.

No mater what you do or how careful you are, live rock will have die off , live sand unless arrived wet is not live sand, if it is it will also have die off.
I have been reefing a while and have many friends in the reefing game, never heard of seen a tank properly cycled in a week.
But that's jus my opinion.
Is opinions, not what this forum is all about.

 

No mater what you do or how careful you are, live rock will have die off , live sand unless arrived wet is not live sand, if it is it will also have die off.
I have been reefing a while and have many friends in the reefing game, never heard of seen a tank properly cycled in a week.
But that's jus my opinion.
Is opinions, not what this forum is all about.

From the OP, it seems like they did get spikes from die-off, that were then converted to nitrates. I'm just confused - since there's bacteria in the live rock, live sand and biospira, it seems like the die-off was converted. What's the wait for? Is there something other than 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and a positive nitrate reading?

 

From the OP, it seems like they did get spikes from die-off, that were then converted to nitrates. I'm just confused - since there's bacteria in the live rock, live sand and biospira, it seems like the die-off was converted. What's the wait for? Is there something other than 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and a positive nitrate reading?

Just very unusual for the ammonia that was from the die off to be converted that quickly. From past experience.
If using API test kits (which most people use ) I would be very suspicious of ANY tank that cycled in a week.
Even the OP is saying she should be waiting another 3 to 4 weeks and should she continue to feed the tank.
That was the original question.
I personally would wait the CUC she has added will start doing their job and themselves producing waste. I would like to see those numbers consistently for at least min of 3 weeks before adding anything else.
you may also find that some of the rocks are still suffering some losses and die off, must not enough to register on the tests.
Why rush and risk when we are talking 3-4 weeks.
You should know nothing happens quick in a reef tank. Slow and steady wins the race.

 

You know, everyone with experience in reef tanks seems to say that. I agree things should be done slowly. A tank crash would really be a bummer and lots of people would quit the hobby because of it. I was in no way meaning to argue (I hope it didn't come across that way) but I guess I didn't fully understand how it's not "cycled" if the readings all come up the way a cycled tank does. Then it's a matter of hobbyist test kits not reading the numbers well enough.