Saltwater tank cycling help!!?

Very good - you're learning! What Amquel is supposed to do (according to the manufacturer) is neutralize ammonia, but leave it in a bioavailable form for bacteria so that "fewer water changes are necessary". Take what you will from that. It will probably keep any ammonia (or nitrites, nitrates) from showing up on your tests, so it will be impossible for you to know when your tank is fully cycled. I'd stop using it, personally.

Your pH is a little on the low side - you should try and raise it to a 8.0 or above (ideally 8.2-8.4). This could be a cause of your fish's stress, too.

Since your tank is on the smaller side, I'd do a partial water change to get out some of the Amquel. I'd also look into adding some kalkwasser to increase the pH - it's caustic, so be careful when using this. Mix some in a clean bottle with water and allow it to settle for 30 minutes before using. Use a medicine dropper or measuring spoon to put in just a little (no more than 1/2 dropper or 1/2 teaspoon) at a time and add this slowly - depending on the size of your tank, it might take some time (and quite a few droppers full) to raise your pH. Once you get it up, you can then just add it to the replacement water.

Don't get talked into other pH products (pH up, Aragamite, etc. I've tried these and kalkwasser is the best to go above 8.0).

You could add more live rock - that's really up to you, but 10 lbs isn't a lot. For a biological filtration for reef systems, I've seen 1 lb/gallon for Pacific rock or 1.5 lb/gallon Atlantic/Carribean rock recommended. If your tank is to be fish-only, you can use whatever amount you like, but the more rock you have, the more surface area there is for bacteria to colonize.

BTW, the protein skimmer probably doesn't have a lot to remove yet, unless your live rock has a lot of die-off. You can save that till about the third week of operating.

Good luck with the tank!

Don't add more fish! Cycling without fish is much better. Way back in the day I used to use damsels to cycle a tank but have found it to be very inhumane. IF you can catch him do so and take him back for a store credit or something. You can add a fish a week or so after the cycle is done.

Ammonia detoxifiers will usually still register on a test kit. Your only on day 2 though and don't have a lot in your tank to really give a hard cycle. When stuff starts to decay you should see a rise in your ammonia even with the Amquel. Your LFS owner probably sold you the AmQuel to help the fish with the ammonia. It's not at all necessary but shouldn't effect the cycle to much. Ammonia detoxifiers really should never be needed in an aquarium. Doing a water change now will not hurt at all since you are so early in your cycle. Water changes later during the cycle will prolong the cycle time. Your pH is completely normal for a new tank just starting the cycle. Don't mess with it and only worry if it is still low after your cycle is done.

More live rock will help but its expensive and not really necessary. Adding in regular dead aquarium rocks will be seeded by the live rock and will grow to be live rock as well.

Take out the biowheels. They aren't necessary and can prolong a cycle. The live rock will be your biological filter. Run the filter with just the filter pads in it. Carbon is kind of useless in this stage of your tank but the mechanical filtration of the cartriges is good to have.

With only 10lbs of live rock and one fish for your cycle you will need to be careful as to how fast you add in fish later. You don't have a lot in there to really generate a lot of beneficial bacteria and it iwll need to adjust after each additional fish is added.

Welcome to salt water!

Stop using AmQuel. You need to use a good dechlor/water conditioner like Novaqua +.

Secondly, do nothing to change the PH of your tank. It is only day two and honestly you really should have no fish in your tank at this time. Your PH will increase slowly, which is the way it is suposed to. It is on the lower side however adding items to increase the PH quickly will do more harm to your fish than good. Damsels are hearty fish and can adjust well to lower PH and readjust as it increases slowly (which it will do)

Secondly, pull the Charcoal filters out while you are cycling your tank. You really should not be running them in a salt tank.

One small fish in your 55 gallon is not going to make it cycle faster. Your tank is still going to take around 4-6 weeks to fully cycle (not mature but cycle). The store owner doesn't seem like he knows for sure what he is doing when it comes to salt water.

I would suggest you do a 40-50% water change however if you are still running the charcoal, chances are the amquel is all out of the tank or soon will be. Get a good water conditioner. NovaAqua + is made by the same company so the store should carry it.

Since you have used the Amquel your ammonia more than not is not going to show up. After doing a water change and using a good conditioner, you should see a difference.

Also remember, you cannot put inverts into your tank for a minimum of 6 months. Be very careful as well about choosing other fish. Research the fish first. If they require a MATURE tank, you cannot have them until the 6 month mark.

Also, under 6 months, you should only add 1" of fish per 5 gallons of tank water two - three weeks apart. This includes snails, crabs anemone etc. After 6 months you can double that amount.

Also, don't add too many fish at one time. Stay within the limits. And allow the biofilter to readjust after each addition.

Do your water change your tank should "kick in".

Also feel free to email me anytime

I think you need to stop using the Amquel. You need the ammonia in there to build the beneficial bacteria. I've even heard of some people dumping in small ammounts of household ammonia to help the bacteria grow.

Also, I used a product called Cycle. It contains those bacteria and will help your tank in its cycling process.

I have my 55 gal and started it with about 12 pounds live rock, and it stayed that way for the first 4 months. I also used 4 damsels from the start to increase ammonia levels from more waste.

It took about 3 weeks for the nitrate levels to come down which is the sign your tank is fully cycled. I got rid of the damsels and bought more expensive stuff. Haven't had any major problems.

As for your damsel, if he dies, tough luck! Leave his carcass in there to decompose and build some ammonia! Some dwarf hermits would be good to start out with. They should make it through the cycling process.

Good luck and patience!

Your PH is really low for a saltwater set up. Your PH level should be between 8.2-8.4 there is a product called reef buffer you can buy at almost any pet store that sells fish. Add one teaspoon to one cup fresh water and mix then add it to you tank. Your nitrate and nitrite levels are probably very high. I am not sure if your live rock is fully cured or not, if not the decay from the die off of organisms on the rock will cause a spike in nitrate and nitrite. I would suggest checking those levels. I would also suggest getting a product called purple up as this will aid in growing great purple coralline algae. I would suggest getting rid of your power filter and going to a wet dry system they cost a little more but they cycle your tank much faster. I would also suggest adding more live rock the general rule of thumb is 1-11/2 lbs per gallon and with live sand you use about 30 lbs. This will speed up cycling process. I have a 120 gallon saltwater tank and it sat for a month before it was fully cycled to allow the rock to fully cure and for the bacteria to go through its cycle before I added any fish to it. Take your time with the set up and you will be rewarded with a healthier tank.

1. is the test kit expired or crappy?

2. can the ammonia symptoms be another ilness? are the gills pumping? it could be gill flukes

3. removing small amounts of ammonia with amquell will hurt the cycling as you need ammonia for the bacteria feed on

$. if you determine the water is good and the fish doesnt have something contagous i would try to cycle with moree fish though maybe 3

You have to wait a little longer, then 3 days. Cycling can take up to a month, sometimes more