ammonia never get to 0ppm

makokak · 10/20/2013, 06:14 PM

I'm cycling fishless (saltwater and DR/LR 70/30 inside a 20g tank) and it is on its second week now, it's been 4 days now and my ammonia level can only go down to .25 or less, no matter how much level of ammonia, 5ppm or 4ppm it can only go down to .25ppm or less. 2 days ago I skip adding ammonia to see if more than 24hrs will make the level of ammonia down to zero but still the ammonia test has still trace of ammonia. Nitrite level by the way is always 0ppm over night.

Is it supposed to be all 0ppm for both test? if nitrite level is 0ppm in just over night. how come ammonia can't be 0ppm over night as well?

any suggestion are welcome and appreciated.

gone fishin · 10/20/2013, 06:32 PM

If you are using an API test it may look like 0.25 when I used them I never could see an actual zero.

makokak · 10/20/2013, 06:36 PM

yes, I'm using API test kit. I thought API is one of the good kit.

makokak · 10/20/2013, 06:41 PM

I tried testing a newly mixed saltwater for Ammonia and its read less than 0.25ppm. the only thing this test kit read 0ppm is my RO|DI water.

krakenster · 10/21/2013, 03:05 AM

API ammonia test kits never test zero w salt water

thegrun · 10/21/2013, 06:54 AM

You are on week two, relax, have a beer and wait for the cycle to complete! You do not need to add ammonia daily, once you got to 4ppm you stop. If you want you can add a small pinch of flake fish food daily, but stop adding pure ammonia.

Salty Dog24 · 10/21/2013, 07:53 AM

+1 to thegruns advice.

brandon429 · 10/21/2013, 08:01 AM

Each time i ask this in an ammonia cycling thread the answer is yes four out of five times...but there is an occasional no...

Were you using cured live rock from a pet store, or dry rock that you had to cycle? The answer to your ammonia problem is simple if we know the origins of your live rock

thegrun · 10/21/2013, 08:04 AM

It looks like he used 70% dry, 30% live rock.

makokak · 10/21/2013, 08:29 AM

Oh, I forgot to tell you guys I added bio-spira on day 1.

Sorry guys, just got up, first thing I did was test the water and the result is attached.

This is just overnight, I brought up the ammonia to 5ppm last night around six in the evening and here is the result.

thegrun · 10/21/2013, 08:35 AM

Because you have added so much ammonia, your nitrite and nitrate levels are very high. I don't ordinarily advocate water changes during a cycle, but your tank may be the exception. I would make a 50% water change, add a dead raw shrimp and leave the tank alone after that.

KeepNitReel · 10/21/2013, 08:49 AM

The last test was only done at the 12 hour mark. Nitrite levels should be down in the 24hr mark. I would personally hold off on the water change until you see what the readings are 24hrs after yesterday's ammonia dosing, not 12hrs.

Also I would definitely not put a shrimp in there, the cycle has already began its course and the addition of Bio spira would definitely explain the quickness of your cycle.

makokak · 10/21/2013, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brandon429

Each time i ask this in an ammonia cycling thread the answer is yes four out of five times...but there is an occasional no...

Were you using cured live rock from a pet store, or dry rock that you had to cycle? The answer to your ammonia problem is simple if we know the origins of your live rock

My dry rock came from a friend that quit the hobby but before he found out that I'm thinking of starting a saltwater tank, the rock was sitting on a dirt for sometimes. the rock was covered with dark brown stuff like mud. I soaked the rock in a container with muriatic acid. at some point I'm pouring muriatic acid directly on some part of the rock just to remove the dirt and it helps a lot then give them a thorough spray with tap water and soak them again in tap water for three days. I'm not satisfied with the result after I dried them out in the sun for almost a week I soaked them again in water for three days, this time with chlorine in a 70|30 ratio. Rinse and spray them thoroughly with tap water then soaked them in a RO|DI water, the next day I added instant ocean water conditioner, water change every other day for almost a week. then dried them out naturally under the sun for two weeks, turning them over every two days.

That's how I got my DR. My LR? I bought them here cured at one of my LFS.

makokak · 10/21/2013, 08:57 AM

I intend to do a water test again at 24hrs mark and see what is the result and I will post it again here.

Bare with me guys, Thanks!

acabgd · 10/21/2013, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by makokak

I intend to do a water test again at 24hrs mark and see what is the result and I will post it again here.

Bare with me guys, Thanks!

Yeah, but don't add any more ammonia to the tank!

makokak · 10/21/2013, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acabgd

Yeah, but don't add any more ammonia to the tank!

got it.

KeepNitReel · 10/21/2013, 10:43 AM

Btw: your tank was cycled for awhile already according to your original post

makokak · 10/21/2013, 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KeepNitReel

Btw: your tank was cycled for awhile already according to your original post

yup, but im worried that how come my nitrite can come down to 0ppm in just overnight but my ammonia can't.

KeepNitReel · 10/21/2013, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by makokak

yup, but im worried that how come my nitrite can come down to 0ppm in just overnight but my ammonia can't.

Nitrite eats ammonia so I'm going to assume the reading for ammonia is a false positive. There's no way all that nitrite would show up then disappear & leave behind traces of ammonia.

makokak · 10/21/2013, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acabgd

Yeah, but don't add any more ammonia to the tank!

but im not planning to put a live stock anytime soon, i just want to cycle and seeds my dry rocks, keep it alive.

Is true also that if no live stocks inside and you don't feed your bacteria it will die and i need to cycle it again?

FTDelta · 10/21/2013, 01:37 PM

Heh - your tank is still cycling. Stop adding stuff in your tank and let it cycle!

makokak · 10/21/2013, 01:39 PM

wait till it finish cycle and then feed the bacteria from time to time?

Fizz71 · 10/21/2013, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KeepNitReel

Nitrite eats ammonia so I'm going to assume the reading for ammonia is a false positive. There's no way all that nitrite would show up then disappear & leave behind traces of ammonia.

Close..bacteria eats the ammonia and "poops" nitrite and a different bacteria eats the nitrite and "poops" nitrate but you're on the right track--it makes NO sense that ammonia would drop severely and stop just below the 0.25 mark with no new ammonia added to the system. The bacteria wouldn't just STOP.

Take your water to somebody else you trust and let them run it. I'd be willing to bet they'll tell you that you have 0 ammonia. I have the same test kits and when I had a major fish kill in my tank a few months ago (rouge cucumber) I had ammonia readings for less then a day and by the next day I'm looking at it going..."is it back to 0? It's so hard to say?!" But it was 0. It looks the same now as it did a month ago and I had somebody else test the water.

When you look at the color hold the tube right long the white side of the card so that the card is the background of the tube and then find the brightest, whitest light in your house. Even that photo you have is hard to tell because the marble behind it, it's needs a white backdrop that is right against the tube. And don't wait any longer than the instructions tell you...I believe it's 5 minutes. It will continue to get darker as time progresses.

makokak · 10/21/2013, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fizz71

Close..bacteria eats the ammonia and "poops" nitrite and a different bacteria eats the nitrite and "poops" nitrate but you're on the right track--it makes NO sense that ammonia would drop severely and stop just below the 0.25 mark with no new ammonia added to the system. The bacteria wouldn't just STOP.

Take your water to somebody else you trust and let them run it. I'd be willing to bet they'll tell you that you have 0 ammonia. I have the same test kits and when I had a major fish kill in my tank a few months ago (rouge cucumber) I had ammonia readings for less then a day and by the next day I'm looking at it going..."is it back to 0? It's so hard to say?!" But it was 0. It looks the same now as it did a month ago and I had somebody else test the water.

When you look at the color hold the tube right long the white side of the card so that the card is the background of the tube and then find the brightest, whitest light in your house. Even that photo you have is hard to tell because the marble behind it, it's needs a white backdrop that is right against the tube. And don't wait any longer than the instructions tell you...I believe it's 5 minutes. It will continue to get darker as time progresses.

Thanks

KeepNitReel · 10/21/2013, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FTDelta

Heh - your tank is still cycling. Stop adding stuff in your tank and let it cycle!

Actually his tank was cycled, he just didn't know it and added more ammonia.
the false positive ammonia reading threw him off

10/20/2013, 06:14 PM	#1
makokak Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Cerritos, CA Posts: 85	ammonia never get to 0ppm I'm cycling fishless (saltwater and DR/LR 70/30 inside a 20g tank) and it is on its second week now, it's been 4 days now and my ammonia level can only go down to .25 or less, no matter how much level of ammonia, 5ppm or 4ppm it can only go down to .25ppm or less. 2 days ago I skip adding ammonia to see if more than 24hrs will make the level of ammonia down to zero but still the ammonia test has still trace of ammonia. Nitrite level by the way is always 0ppm over night. Is it supposed to be all 0ppm for both test? if nitrite level is 0ppm in just over night. how come ammonia can't be 0ppm over night as well? any suggestion are welcome and appreciated.

10/20/2013, 06:32 PM	#2
gone fishin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Wyocena Wi Posts: 6,936	If you are using an API test it may look like 0.25 when I used them I never could see an actual zero. __________________ Tony Current Tank Info: 180gal DT, BM NAC77 skimmer,3 Maxspect razors, Maxspect Gyre 150, 30g QT

10/20/2013, 06:36 PM	#3
makokak Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Cerritos, CA Posts: 85	yes, I'm using API test kit. I thought API is one of the good kit.

10/20/2013, 06:41 PM	#4
makokak Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Cerritos, CA Posts: 85	I tried testing a newly mixed saltwater for Ammonia and its read less than 0.25ppm. the only thing this test kit read 0ppm is my RO\|DI water.

10/21/2013, 03:05 AM	#5
krakenster Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 46	API ammonia test kits never test zero w salt water

10/21/2013, 06:54 AM	#6
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	You are on week two, relax, have a beer and wait for the cycle to complete! You do not need to add ammonia daily, once you got to 4ppm you stop. If you want you can add a small pinch of flake fish food daily, but stop adding pure ammonia.

10/21/2013, 07:53 AM	#7
Salty Dog24 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Fishers, Indiana Posts: 232	+1 to thegruns advice.

10/21/2013, 08:01 AM	#8
brandon429 Registered Member. Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 3,460	Each time i ask this in an ammonia cycling thread the answer is yes four out of five times...but there is an occasional no... Were you using cured live rock from a pet store, or dry rock that you had to cycle? The answer to your ammonia problem is simple if we know the origins of your live rock

10/21/2013, 08:04 AM	#9
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	It looks like he used 70% dry, 30% live rock.

10/21/2013, 08:35 AM	#11
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	Because you have added so much ammonia, your nitrite and nitrate levels are very high. I don't ordinarily advocate water changes during a cycle, but your tank may be the exception. I would make a 50% water change, add a dead raw shrimp and leave the tank alone after that.

10/21/2013, 08:49 AM	#12
KeepNitReel Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Henrico, Virginia Posts: 490	The last test was only done at the 12 hour mark. Nitrite levels should be down in the 24hr mark. I would personally hold off on the water change until you see what the readings are 24hrs after yesterday's ammonia dosing, not 12hrs. Also I would definitely not put a shrimp in there, the cycle has already began its course and the addition of Bio spira would definitely explain the quickness of your cycle.

10/21/2013, 08:57 AM	#14
makokak Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Cerritos, CA Posts: 85	I intend to do a water test again at 24hrs mark and see what is the result and I will post it again here. Bare with me guys, Thanks!

10/21/2013, 10:43 AM	#17
KeepNitReel Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Henrico, Virginia Posts: 490	Btw: your tank was cycled for awhile already according to your original post

10/21/2013, 01:37 PM	#21
FTDelta Moved On Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Central NY Posts: 1,124	Heh - your tank is still cycling. Stop adding stuff in your tank and let it cycle!

10/21/2013, 01:39 PM	#22
makokak Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Cerritos, CA Posts: 85	wait till it finish cycle and then feed the bacteria from time to time?