Is this normal cycle activity?

ibrat82 · 01/14/2016, 08:29 PM

So I've got a reefer 450. Has been cycling for a week. Cycling with ammonia and did add a nitrifying bacteria additive on day 1. My ammonia was reading .50 ppm as of 10am today and My nitrite has been at 12ppm. Added enough ammonia to bring it to 3ppm. Did another test just now and ammonia is now at .50ppm and nitrite at 12 ppm. My nitrates are just start to show at roughly 3-5ppm. Is it normal for the ammonia to be reduced to almost 0ppm in 12 hours and nitrites still sky high?

DavidGraves · 01/14/2016, 08:48 PM

Let nitrites go down to zero before adding more ammonia. Then dose to 4ppm and measure that consumption.

Most nitrate tests give false positive readings in the presence of nitrite. No sense in wasting the test until nitrite are zero.

jrr98002 · 01/14/2016, 08:49 PM

That's not an unheard of scenario. What day are you on now? If it's been several days since day 1, your ammonia-eating bacteria will have really taken off, and will reduce ammonia very fast. Your nitrite-eating bacteria will lag behind, so you'll get sky high readings for another several days to a week (sometimes more) until they populate, then it'll crash to almost zero, too. Then your nitrates will raise sky high probably.

Edit: Yeah, what the above guy said about the nitrates, too. Nitrites will give a false positive for nitrates a lot of the time.

ibrat82 · 01/14/2016, 09:12 PM

So should I hold off on adding more ammonia and let nitrite goto 0ppm before adding more?
Or continue on with the current route which is to add ammonia when it drops closer to 0? Until nitrites drop to 0?

ibrat82 · 01/14/2016, 09:32 PM

Anyone?

thegrun · 01/14/2016, 09:35 PM

Do not add any more ammonia, there is no need to feed the ammonia eating bacteria, they will live up to a year without food. By continuing to add ammonia you end up with higher nitrites than you want witch will slow down the cycle and in the end you will have very high nitrates.

ibrat82 · 01/14/2016, 09:42 PM

Thanks thegrun

So now just sit back and wait till ammonia and nitrites hit 0 right?

Then test it before adding fish by putting in ammonia 3-4ppm and making sure it turns it to 0ppm, nitrites, 0ppm in 24 hours?

Quote:

Originally Posted by thegrun

Do not add any more ammonia, there is no need to feed the ammonia eating bacteria, they will live up to a year without food. By continuing to add ammonia you end up with higher nitrites than you want witch will slow down the cycle and in the end you will have very high nitrates.

thegrun · 01/15/2016, 12:14 AM

Sit back and wait! I really don't see a need to boost the ammonia back up once your nitrites have dropped to zero to prove that the tank has cycled, the cycle is complete when the nitrites zero out. As long as you are willing to make a substantial water change to bring down your nitrates I don't see that you would be doing any long term harm to add ammonia one more time if you just have to know! I would only take it up to 2ppm however, not 3-4ppm.

ibrat82 · 01/15/2016, 09:39 AM

I have to mention that I'm not using any live rock or sand. So this morning my ammonia is now at .25 ppm and nitrite still high. I won't be adding anymore ammonia to keep feeding the bacteria. However with not using any live rock or sand will I have created a strong enough bio filter to handle this tank? I don't plant to keep anymore than maybe 10 fish and maybe 10 corals.

Quote:

Originally Posted by thegrun

Sit back and wait! I really don't see a need to boost the ammonia back up once your nitrites have dropped to zero to prove that the tank has cycled, the cycle is complete when the nitrites zero out. As long as you are willing to make a substantial water change to bring down your nitrates I don't see that you would be doing any long term harm to add ammonia one more time if you just have to know! I would only take it up to 2ppm however, not 3-4ppm.

ibrat82 · 01/15/2016, 11:50 AM

so i did a nitrite test on a hanna checker and its at 16ppm as of this morning. Should i do water change or just leave it alone and hope that they come down?

bat21 · 01/15/2016, 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibrat82

I have to mention that I'm not using any live rock or sand. So this morning my ammonia is now at .25 ppm and nitrite still high. I won't be adding anymore ammonia to keep feeding the bacteria. However with not using any live rock or sand will I have created a strong enough bio filter to handle this tank? I don't plant to keep anymore than maybe 10 fish and maybe 10 corals.

No live rock, meaning you have dry rock, right? If it's just a tank full of water, this isn't going to go well.

Assuming you have dry rock, then your cycle will take longer than with live rock. I started with dry rock, and it took a while for my nitrite to fall back to zero, like 3-4 weeks. But it did, and I was cycled. You just gotta wait it out.

ibrat82 · 01/15/2016, 04:16 PM

I have dry rock and aragonite sand.

I guess I'll just wait to see if nitrites drop and nitrates star showing before doing a water change. Assuming my nitrates show up really high I'll have to do a water change then. Right?

Quote:

Originally Posted by bat21

No live rock, meaning you have dry rock, right? If it's just a tank full of water, this isn't going to go well.

Assuming you have dry rock, then your cycle will take longer than with live rock. I started with dry rock, and it took a while for my nitrite to fall back to zero, like 3-4 weeks. But it did, and I was cycled. You just gotta wait it out.

01/14/2016, 08:29 PM	#1
ibrat82 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 292	Is this normal cycle activity? So I've got a reefer 450. Has been cycling for a week. Cycling with ammonia and did add a nitrifying bacteria additive on day 1. My ammonia was reading .50 ppm as of 10am today and My nitrite has been at 12ppm. Added enough ammonia to bring it to 3ppm. Did another test just now and ammonia is now at .50ppm and nitrite at 12 ppm. My nitrates are just start to show at roughly 3-5ppm. Is it normal for the ammonia to be reduced to almost 0ppm in 12 hours and nitrites still sky high?

01/14/2016, 08:48 PM	#2
DavidGraves Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: St. Louis MO Posts: 125	Let nitrites go down to zero before adding more ammonia. Then dose to 4ppm and measure that consumption. Most nitrate tests give false positive readings in the presence of nitrite. No sense in wasting the test until nitrite are zero.

01/14/2016, 08:49 PM	#3
jrr98002 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Little Rock Posts: 235	That's not an unheard of scenario. What day are you on now? If it's been several days since day 1, your ammonia-eating bacteria will have really taken off, and will reduce ammonia very fast. Your nitrite-eating bacteria will lag behind, so you'll get sky high readings for another several days to a week (sometimes more) until they populate, then it'll crash to almost zero, too. Then your nitrates will raise sky high probably. Edit: Yeah, what the above guy said about the nitrates, too. Nitrites will give a false positive for nitrates a lot of the time.

01/14/2016, 09:12 PM	#4
ibrat82 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 292	So should I hold off on adding more ammonia and let nitrite goto 0ppm before adding more? Or continue on with the current route which is to add ammonia when it drops closer to 0? Until nitrites drop to 0?

01/14/2016, 09:32 PM	#5
ibrat82 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 292	Anyone?

01/14/2016, 09:35 PM	#6
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	Do not add any more ammonia, there is no need to feed the ammonia eating bacteria, they will live up to a year without food. By continuing to add ammonia you end up with higher nitrites than you want witch will slow down the cycle and in the end you will have very high nitrates.

01/15/2016, 12:14 AM	#8
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	Sit back and wait! I really don't see a need to boost the ammonia back up once your nitrites have dropped to zero to prove that the tank has cycled, the cycle is complete when the nitrites zero out. As long as you are willing to make a substantial water change to bring down your nitrates I don't see that you would be doing any long term harm to add ammonia one more time if you just have to know! I would only take it up to 2ppm however, not 3-4ppm.

01/15/2016, 11:50 AM	#10
ibrat82 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 292	so i did a nitrite test on a hanna checker and its at 16ppm as of this morning. Should i do water change or just leave it alone and hope that they come down?