Help! New tank cycling questions!

Ok guys I need your help! Let me first describe the situation.

I've got fine grain sand from one of our beaches down here. I've also pulled quite a bit of live rock from the sea. There is allot of stuff on the rock like emerald crabs sally long foots, brittle stars, snails. I have a smaller sump below with miracle mud, sand and calupra, both feather and bubble calupra. The main tank was set up with the live rock and sand and I had a powerhead circulating the water. This was circulating for about two days before I got everything together and connected the sump. At that point the water in the main tank and sump was crystal clear.

Now.......... I've connected everything together and have about 1000GPH flow thru the main tank to the sump and back. The water has become cloudy and all the little things on the rock have started to die off! Is this normal? In just one night from connecting the sump? Should I take all the dead out of the tank and do a water change? Should the water be slightly white? Should this all be happening so fast? Should all the coraline be loosing there color? ARGH HELP! Maybe nothing is wrong but I'm just uncertain about things and what to expect in cycling.



Oh I don't know how it got in there but there is also a little fish looking like a 1 inch stingray.

 

hi TinFury,

Ok first of all don't get anxious! I'm not an expert on cycling like a bunch of people on here are, but I have cycled six tanks and cloudy water is PERFECTLY normal, especially when the sand is fine grain like the type you described. It can take more than two days for the water to clear up. Die-off is not only normal, it's expected and desirable to get your biofilter established. Depending on how much live rock and live critters you added I would do a water change if you want them to make it through cycling, but I don't know how many pounds you put in. I always add like 20 - 25 pounds at a time, if you put it all in at once the water can get nasty really fast.

Hope this helps you. Cool mini stingray!

 

Thanks... what about stink. Should it be stink?

 

The stink is dying organisms. If you transported the liverock wet, in buckets and never uncovered it until it was time to put it in your tank there would be minimal die off. With the exception of stuff that just will not live in an aquarium.
When you take the rock from the ocean you take the good with the bad...
And it kind of spoils the fun if you kill everything off.

Jim

 

Yea I tried to keep it submerged the whole time. I guess I just do water changes and try and see if I can get something to stay alive. I put in ALL my live rock at the same time. I think I may have about 1LB per gallon. I would have taken more but I just can't fit anymore. I really found some beautiful pieces on my last trip.

 

Sounds more like a bacteria die off to me. You didn't have enough demand in the tank for the bacteria on the rock to eat so it has died off to an amount that is needed to sustain what you've got in the tank. If you do water changes now, you're just going to prolong the cycle. If I was you, I would just leave the tank alone and let it settle down some. Don't add any more fish, rock, etc., until you tank finishes cycling.

 

amcarrig is right. The best thing to do is nothing at this point. It would be better to let the tank go through its' natural cycle, and when it is done you will have enough bacteria to keep the tank healthy. I did a tank and from the start did water changes weekly and fought diatom and die-offs pretty much for the 6 months the tank existed. I then did another a few months later, let it alone for almost 2 months and have not had any algae blooms, have had softies propagating and clear water since. Water changes come about 3-4 weeks.
I also started a 240 for a friend and though she complained about the diatoms and all for the first 2 months I took the advise of Reefscapes in Pensacola-they do set-up and maintenance,to do no water changes for 8 weeks. The tank is now doing great.
Once the tank is cycled you can expect to keep whatever is alive alive when you bring in FRESH AND PROPERLY TRANSPORTED live rock.

 

Argh I guess the mini stingray thing is going to die then. Don't worry I guess.... there will be more. Thanks for everything guys. I'm going to just sit back, relax and watch.