Trouble cycling

[ThatReefLife]

Hi everyone, my tank has been cycling for about 3.5 weeks maybe 4. I used 45 pounds of uncured rock to cycle tank however it had significant die off. The ammonia rose to over 8.0ppm and slowly came down to 0.25 ppm and is hovering there. I am surprised it is not at zero. The nitrites are also very high as well. The filtration is running. Consists of aqua c remora skimmer and hob refugium.

[ThatReefLife]

Why wont the ammonia finish dropping to zero? I appreciate any replies or thoughts you guys might have.

[brandon429]

its because you are using an api test kit, good prediction eh



they show .25 usually always as lowest level

prediction retracted if you are salifert heh

[NeilFox]

If you used Florida Rock (or somthing similar) it might have alot of sponge and encrusting gorgonian. Sometimes you actually need to rip large chunks of it out and use a hard bristled boat brush. It isn't so bad if you put it in an established reef, but with that much decomposition it may be the only way. I am not sure what you have. Alot of stuff we got back in the 80's was about 30% sponge that invariably died. Not weight just mass. If thats the case make sure you wear rubber gloves. A sponge skeleton is kinda like tiny glass fibers. Very irritating and a high probability of infection. I hope that helps..

[brandon429]

it would be helpful to change out the water and see if it persists

[ThatReefLife]

Thanks for all the quick replies. It was 45 pounds of the fiji premium from liveaquaria and yes i am using an api test kit. The rock has been curing for a good 3.5 weeks and i took it out and scrubbed it. Nothing really is falling off of it anymore. However after i added the live sand (3 weeks after rock) i began to see hundreds of copepods on glass and sand. They have stayed alive despite the harsh water paramiters. One last thing to add, when i tested my ro water mixed with reed crystals it was reading 0.25. Dont know if that has anything to do with my problem.

[ThatReefLife]

*reef crystals

[NeilFox]

You may just need to give it more time. I just put about 70 kilos of Vietnamese rock in my tank about 5 months ago. I would say pretty similiar to Fiji. It took a good month to cycle, in all honesty, 5 months later it isn't really done yet. I may not have ammonia or nitrite issues, but there is alot of detritus still coming out of the pores. I would say you're on the right track just give it a couple weeks if that. Raising the water temp a bit can help speed the proccess too, bacteria loves warmth.

[ThatReefLife]

Yeah i guess im just gonna have to wait it out. Thank you for the reply i apreciate it

[ThatReefLife]

Could there be a possibility i am introducing ammonia everytime i add new saltwater if the reef crystals and ro water are reading .25??

[brandon429]

no unless the batch is bad. I used to mix up a full water change of reefcrystals and use the whole batch in 3 min to do a 100% wc on my delicate aged pico reefs, for about a decade. ammonia would kill them. transient ammonia as claimed by some in the initial chemical reaction of salt mixing in water wouldnt last that long, and again its not an issue in average batches because I was exposing 100% of my systems to it repeatedly.

if API test kits continually show .25 ammonia when there is none (google search) I dont think your cycle will ever show ended, even when it was yesterday perhaps

[SushiGirl]

I've had my API ammonia test kit read zero through several tests in 3 tanks. 4 weeks isn't a very long time for uncured live rock, especially since the ammonia got to 8.0. I'd give it more time. Our ammonia on our 55 was literally off the color chart, it took more than 6 weeks to come down.

At what point did you test your new salt water? Right after mixing or before you added it to the tank many hours later? Freshly mixed Reef Crystals will sometimes give readings of ammonia or nitrate. If you waited 24 hours before testing/adding to the tank I'd try another test kit, otherwise it could be a false reading.

[ThatReefLife]

I tested the water when it was freshly made. It had read .25. My tank water is somewhere in between .25 and 0. Not exactly one or the other. I decided to test other types of water which included tap water, plain rodi water, and even bottled water and every single one read .25. Now i am questioning my test kit.

[brandon429]

Thanks for honest feedback. Truly I do believe some test kits from them work its just there are enough that dont, repeatedly, to call it into question. I think the kit is useful for indicating rapid change in ammonia like when a fish dies, but for careful cycling I have to recommend any other kit. This thread will be useful in future discussions thanks for posting. If your tank needs a few more weeks to finish dieoff thats not surprising, in the end at least you w have your own cured rock.

[ThatReefLife]

Yeahh thanks for all the replies, i appreciate the replies and suggestions.

[SushiGirl]

Also remember that some tests made for saltwater won't necessarily work on freshwater. That's why they make separate test kits for fresh & salt. Not sure if ammonia tests are one of those or not, though.

[ThatReefLife]

Yeah i double checked that before testing the other types of water. It is for both fresh and salt

[ThatReefLife]

I do agree that some of the api test kits do work well. They have been al i used in the past with no issues. However now that i feel i need more precise test results i might look into other kits. As brandon429 said, they are good for rapid changes in ammonia.

[howaboutme]

I was paranoid during cycling and just had my water tested at the LFS to verify. It's usually free and most likely API but 0 is still 0 and you will know if you have a faulty test kit.

[SushiGirl]

Originally Posted by ThatReefLife

Yeah i double checked that before testing the other types of water. It is for both fresh and salt

That's what I figured. Try a different brand & see what happens.