So in my previous thread, I had an ammonia issue that was out of hand. As suggested, I did a 100% WC and now i’m wondering when I should start adding fish back. If anyone has suggestions, let me know!
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
I have dry macro rock, live sand and the tank is just over a week old. I have a bacteria colony starting but I messed up on the ammonia dosage so people suggested a 100% wc.What kind of rocks do you have? How old is the tank?
Will do, add the liquid cycling ammonia directly to the tank?Jack the only way you are going to get a hold of your tank is to choose one persons method and not blend it with others. Sampling for popular ideas on cycling will have you waiting weeks for something you can use to move forward because the hobby is in a new phase of cycling rules and few have a clear direction ready
which is not all bad, with weeks more wait it will be uber - ready. waiting never hurt anyone but I know it will get you honked at in the chick fil a line. where everybody is supposed to be nice.
we never heard back from you in our stuck cycle thread, I think your tank would be easy to fix up.
*we listed a way you can proof your cycle before adding the fish back, using your api kit. no guessing required. after the water change you'd take ammonia reading before adding anything else and post pic 1
then add liquid cycling ammonia a few drops at a time, wait 5 mins and test, until you drive up the color from pic one to the next bare degree you can discern up. specifically do not make the vial turn green. its your original color, up just one tiny increment of light green
then post the second pic of the slight increase sample reading.
post a third pic in 24 hours, if it matches pic 1 you are cycled and if it doesnt, wait longer before fish. the motion of the changing ammonia proves the cycle, not a zero reading. that's the right way to use api.
yes but only w no fish in it
if the fish is there, he's your confirmation and would be burned by adding more ammonia. if he's there swimming after a full water change, or even before one, you are fine and can just proceed on.
if no fish you'd add the ammonia a few drops at a time into the tank yes, then wait about 5 mins as it mixes and take a new reading for pic 2
only when it goes up just barely, snap that picture of it and we can see if it moves down tomorrow or by next day latest, allowing red sea or api 48 hours to indication motion down is also acceptable
I heard in one of Dr. Tim’s video that different bacteria will grow at high levels of ammonia than what we want in a reef tank. I’m not sure how to solve that problem or if it can fix its self?
These are my results, first time testing in 24hrs after full WC
at my local fish store for now.Where is your fish being held
So I should add just a few drops of ammonia and wait 5 minutes, test again and send a picture of the results?That appears as .5 ammonia but we know it’s not, you just changed the water. Perfect illustration of api over read. Even if fish is in the tank, you don’t have ammonia above thousandths ppm. whats keeping it from rising to lethal levels is bacteria on the rocks
The other two params aren’t helpful to know for the same reasons, accuracy
but with pics 2 and 3 and a day or two we will be able to use api to show motion or none. If your fish is in the tank then we would not do the three picture verification. The living fish is the proof the tank is fine, not the testers that give wrong readings.
if no fish is present, then the motion up/down of the ammonia alone will proof the cycle.
okay awesome, thank you for the much needed advice. I will go ahead and try to get the ammonia levels slightly up and send a picture!Send that 2nd pic once you can discern a color difference from your first pic. Your first pic is your baseline. Your 2nd pic will show known elevated levels of ammonia, because you added it yourself. 24 hrs later your 3rd pic will either look like your baseline 1st pic, meaning the ammonia from the 2nd pic has been processed or it will still look like your 2nd, elevated ammonia pic, meaning you aren't cycled quite yet.
This is simply brilliant btw. Haven't seen you post this method before Brandon, maybe I missed it or did you just figure it out?
will do, I will send the 2nd picture ASAP.we would do those steps above knowing the fish isnt in the tank from post #4 its the best way
you would only post pic #2 if it meets the change criteria from that post, it might take a couple rounds to get the tester up a bit before you take the second pic
nice thread, you are on your way to clearly discerning the cycle status. gotta get pic #2 just lightly deeper green on the ammonia kit than above but not hard green or we'll have to wait until monday to see something
by changing out your water, you removed any suspended bottle bac from the water column floating around, and are now actually testing only the bioslicks attached to your rocks, the real filter.
this will be very helpful for others to see, a clear calibrated test set. I dont recall one with such clear pics as we have so far. nice one, very helpful to see how to get API to work