High nitrates

Do you have another test kit handy or a LFS close enough to take a water sample for testing? I honestly can't imagine your nitrates jumping that high overnight without a lethal ammonia spike beforehand, especially after a WC and the addition of macro and a skimmer. Also, how does your livestock look? If it were possible, a Nitrate spike that high should have everything pretty stressed out.

 

The difference in the two values must be an error in one value or the other.

Do the fish and or corals look stressed?

Despite the fact that you used cycled cured live rock you will still have to do water changes to avoid a mini cycle.

Others are correct water really does not carry any significant beneficial bacteria to assist in cycling the tank.

If it were my tank I would preform small water changes weekly and avoid over feeding for the next month or so to avoid any new tank syndrome causalities. Better safe than sorry and you have fish that develop Marine Ich from even a minor amount of stress.

 

^ What he said.
Ahhh Mr.Bill, Mr.Bill, you have turned into a speed typist.

 

Only if the water is in fact dirty. I agree that there's no beneficial bacteria; however, water from an established system is matured and stable. I've used it many times myself when upgrading or moving a tank. Personally, I don't understand the idea behind wasting good water and new salt just to deal with the parameter swings, etc., but to each their own.

 

Wouldn't I have ammonia and nitrite build up if my tank wasn't that well established.

 

not necessarily, have you tested your WC water?

 

I use the pre-made water in jugs for all my water changes. I use RO water for top off and I get that from a store, however the RO is made for drinking so it makes 98% instead of 100% pure like RO/DI. I've never tested the nutri sea water for obvious reasons. Also I've ordered a RO/DI system that'll be coming next week.

 

You probably have enough bacteria types to carry out the nitrogen cycle and prevent you from having a detectable ammonia and nitrite value.

Sand/filtermedia/walls.... will all colonize and assist with the biological load once the tank is established longer.

Are the fish and corals looking stressed?

 

I'd just continue bigger WC's and not add anything else and lower feeding likes corrailline suggested IMO. Thinking you just overwhelmed the system, but it should catch up.

 

No not at all, actually growth on all them has been amazing and my fish have been doing great too. I got a coral recently and it's been doing great, pretty good amount of growth same with my mushrooms.