I have recently switched from Brackish water over to complete saltwater. I have traded in my brackish water fish for a few damsels and a clown to start. Here's my question: I have a 55 gal aquarium. I used the same water that my brackish fish were in. (around 1.0 salinity) I added salt and raised the PH to the correct levels. My damsels and clown are doing well. The question is will my tank go through the traditional cycling process? My ammonia levels are very low, almost 0. My PH is 8.2, my nitrites are high at 5.0 and my nitrates are high at 160. Substrate is sand and decorative corals. The salt tank has been going for almost a week. Will my tank go through the "normal" cycling process or have a skipped the steps and should address the high nitrite and nitrate levels since I already had brackish water? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Brackish water to Saltwater- cycling?
- Thread starter joterson
- Start date
It sounds like you are already in the cycle. You might have jump started the system since some of the bacteria "probably" survived the change, you might even end up with a shortened cycle.
One thing, if it was me, I'd do a water change to get the levels down so your fish will survive. It might slow down the cycle by a couple of days, but to me it would be worth it.
One thing, if it was me, I'd do a water change to get the levels down so your fish will survive. It might slow down the cycle by a couple of days, but to me it would be worth it.