Cycling Done?

[Prip17]

Hi Everyone! I was wondering, how you know when your tank is done cycling? I seem to have this brown stuff on my live rock, and on my sand, is this something i should worry about. Let me just fill you in, i have a ten gallon tank, with some live rock in it, just regular sand (not live) It has been going for about 2 weeks, and has 2 damsels in it (which the guy gave to me for free for cycling) I was wondering when the prcess will be completly done, and if anyone has any ideas on fish. I really wanted a green mandrin, and maybe a clown, are they both hardy, and would they work in a 10 gallon. thanks everyone

[ckreef]

A cycle is complete once your Amonia and Nitrites get to a zero (0) level and stay that way. Hopefully your Nitrates will also be at a low reading (but probably not zero)

Your tank will go through some algae/bacterial blooms (brown, green, red ect....) --- that is really part of a tank maturing not cycling.

As for the fish --- definatly get rid of the Damsels ASAP --- will cause you nothing but trouble especially in a small tank.

Green Mandarin probably won't work really well do to feeding requirments (could be hit or miss so why chance it)

Clown fish are good --- Goby's are also good.

Hope this helped a little.

[Prip17]

Thanks Ck, what could the damsels do, just took the damsels out after reading your post.

[ReefDave]

Prip, they are miniature sharks....they will bully fish 5 times their size into stress related deaths. Very mean fish. And tough to catch in an established reef tank.

As for your cycle everything ckreef has stated is good info.

Dave

[Prip17]

are they rally miature sharks, or are you just joking?
THanks for the fast replies!

[laddy00]

Don't get a mandarin fish. they need lots of live rock for the copepods to reproduce on. I think most people that have success with these fish have at least a 100gal or more. unless you culture food it WILL starve in a 10gal tank

[ckreef]

Yes Prip --- ReefDave was basically being serious when he said they are minature sharks.

I agree 100% and is the main reason I said to remove them.

If you kept them you would never be able to have any other fish in that small of a tank. And sooner or latter one of them would kill the other one and you would end up with a Nano that only contained one Damsel and then to get that one out you would end up removeing all your corals and LR in order to catch it.

Although technically not of the shark family they might as well be and I was thinking a minature relative of the extinct Megledon (sp ??)

[ReefDave]

ckreef,
Except the damsel is too D$#% mean to ever become extinct (and too hard to catch too!).

Dave

[Sprayin70]

what would be a good fish for a 2 gallon nano? i have 3 damsels and they are mean. i was thinking about 1 clown and 1 small red starfish. thanks.

[Ray1214]

My faves for a nano that small are gobies( neons, red headed, clowns, watchman or my mostest favorite is a Hi-Fin Banded Goby, or even a catalina but you have to watch temps with a catalina), some blennies (bi color, midas as long as they don't grow too fast), clowns are good (pick the smaller specicis like perculas or occellarius or skunks and not the larger aggressive ones like clarkiis and maroons), pseudochromis will do well in a small tank (araibian, and or strawberry, or velvets), dwarf seahorses, (kind for the expert though), a single royal gramma would work, chalk bass wont grow too fast,

I would be wary of the starfish since it is known that they can turn on you in such a small space.

Hope this list helps.

Ray

[Sprayin70]

thank you i would like one small clown maybe a skunk to be different. the rest just reef and live rock. this is a stupid question but can i use a small maxima clam in the front of the tank? if not then cool.

[ckreef]

Unfortunatly Maxima Clams are one of the most light demanding clams there is. Best left to Metal Halide tanks. Sorry.