I came back to fish after 20 years without them. I setup my freshwater tank and after a slow start (I did not know about the cycle 20 years ago) I got things under control. However freshwater was not enough, so I needed saltwater for the first time.

I did some reading and I decided to start the cycle fishless. I have a 30G tank with 28 pounds of live rock in it. The tank was setup 2 weeks ago and the rock was added 3 days ago. Here are the parameters:

Tank: 30G
Rock: 28pounds
Temp: 76F
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0.5 - 1 (using freshwater testkit)
Nitrate: 0 (using freshwater testkit)
PH:8.2
Salt Gravity:1.020 (low, but I will add more soon)

I am beginning to freak out, because I do not see Nitrate and I have done one small mistake: I added Tetra Safe Start by assuming it's for saltwater as well. I'm hoping it will not harm anyone in the future.

I worry, because I do not have answers for some questions:

0. Will the nitrate finally come in or I will need to do something else?
1. Is it possible for the nitrogen cycle not to start? I have a feeling that's what will happen in my case.
2. I do not have a skimmer, is that required for every salt water fish?
3. Are powerheads required for saltwater fish?
4. What other chemicals/parameters to look for besides: ammonia, nitrate, nitrite? I have seen tests for copper and other stuff in store today. Are they important?
5. What is a recommended saltwater test kit? Do you guys have anything standard you use as the API freshwater test kit?

Please help, because I'm trying to cycle this thing fishless and I need lots of patience. Thanks in advance,

Schabi

0. Will the nitrate finally come in or I will need to do something else?
Nitrate will always come up. This is where decomposed food and fish wastes ends up.

2. I do not have a skimmer, is that required for every salt water fish?
A skimmer is always a good idea. It takes out a lot of complex organic compounds.

4. What other chemicals/parameters to look for besides: ammonia, nitrate, nitrite? I have seen tests for copper and other stuff in store today. Are they important?
Ph and hardness are very important.

Hi,

Good to hear your starting a salt tank! let me try to answer some of your questions:
As neonshark stated, the nitrate is the broken down food crumbs. Before it turns into amonia.

I guess it could, I would throw like 2 damsels in their to kick things off.

Some on here will say yes, some on here will say a lot of stuff. They aren't required, I don't use one, and never have. HOWEVER they are always a good idea.

again, technically no, however I would strongly recommend getting at least 1 to keep movement going. You will start to see a nasty film on the top of your water if you don't keep the water choppy

The more tests the better, go get yourself a master reef/master salt test kit.

I buy the master reef and master salt kits together.

__________________

GetITCdot, that was super helpful.

One question. If I add the damsels, will I have to do partial water changes every 2 days? I went fishless in order to avoid water changes ever 2 days.

I already bought both of those API saltwater tests. They will come in in 2 days.

IMO I wouldn't do the water changes, the idea with the damsels is to get the water a bit dirty and get your sump and what-not broken in.

__________________

Welcome aboard:
Nobody asked if the rock was fully cured? If not your cycle may just beginning. Nitrates are the end of the nitrogen cycle not the other way around. If the rock was fully cured you may not see Ammonia or Nitrites. If the rock was not cured you will have to add a Ammonia source to jump start your cycle. Are power heads required technically yes you don't want any dead spots in a saltwater tank. Not only to move water at the surface, but also oxygenate the water and also to stabilize PH. As far as a skimmer goes you will hear a lot of hobbyist say you don't need one. For the most part those are the ones that don't run one. I have been in this hobby long enough to make this statement with confidence I would rather have one and not need it then need one and not have one.

__________________
If It Is To Be It's Up To Me!!!
http://www.aquariumforum.com/vbgoogl...216796875&zoom

The Rock. It's not that simple. I bought the rock from 3 local places. The first rock is cured by my definition. It does not smell and it is pure white/yellowish color. It has weird animals coming out and going back in from the whole. The second rock I have turned out to be a manufactured rock with purple color on it. I'm assuming it's dead. The third rock is like the first one. It does not smell, it has that white/yellowish color, but it does not seem to have alive animals in it. It has weird studs growing on it, but I'm not sure if it's life.

I read about it online, but when I went to the store and saw it life it was not that easy to say what is cured or what is not for me. No pretty colors on them. That is for sure.

Just to make sure I would add a piece of table shrimp. It's only going to make your tank better in the long run.

__________________
If It Is To Be It's Up To Me!!!
http://www.aquariumforum.com/vbgoogl...216796875&zoom

Just like that, straight from Shop Rite store?

yup

__________________

From this point you can do your cycle two ways, a hard cycle or a soft cycle. A hard cycle you let all your levels peak and come down on there own without water changes. This takes a little longer, but your beneficial bacteria will have a real good start. Or a soft cycle, when your levels peak start doing 20% water changes bi-weekly.

__________________
If It Is To Be It's Up To Me!!!
http://www.aquariumforum.com/vbgoogl...216796875&zoom

Or you could find someone with a nice tank, and bum like 30 gallons of water from his tank...

__________________

I would add macro algaes to your tank.

and use a couple of mollys (mo food added for 1 week) to cycle the tank.

With plant life balancing out the tank it is not unusual and even expected to have nitrates and no nitrItes or ammonia. Because the plant life prefers to consume ammonia over nitrates. Then as bacterial build up the plant life will consume the nitrates becuase that is the only nitrogen available to them.


my .02

__________________
fw leiden since 1979, fo salt since 1979, mixed reef 55g 2002-2009. Strong emphasis on the tank taking care of itself. Balanced with plant life, no water changes, tap water, no filters in FW. Only dosing calcium, alk, mag in marine reef tanks. http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/my-...ods-26410.html
recent tanks (till 2009) 7 years- 10g FW leiden 7 yrs, 55g mixed reef 7, 2 yrs, 20g FW leiden, 10 g fw leiden , 29g mixed reef, current tank 55g leiden

Good info. Thanks