72h cycle and avoiding the ugly stage

[livinlifeinBKK]

That’s cool, can you pin point why live rock worked for you but not worked for hundreds of other reefers?
aquabiomics and Brs done many testing on both and they still got the ugly stage on most of their experiment tanks even though that bacterial diversity was present and in this forum it’s not uncommon to see folks starting with live rock and still get the ugly stage.
is the answer just as simple as you can attest to that?

I would speculate that it's because the live rock was freshly collected from Indonesia meaning it was fully colonized by an enormous degree of biodiversity. I personally think there's a big difference between Indonesian live rock off a reef and the maricultured live rock used for example in the BRS study. One obvious difference is that not only is there no or a very miniscule mini cycle at most from die off that releases ammonia to spur algal growth plus the pieces i get aren't covered with other flora and fauna that won't make it in an aquarium, die and release nutrients. It's primarily covered in coralline...but from what I've seen people don't seem to struggle much with the ugly stage with TBS rock either

 

[sixty_reefer]

08:00 local time

Nh4 0.6 ish (down 1.4ppm from start)
No2 0.2
No3 10 (down 10ppm from start)

Observation:
There is no clear signs that heterotrophic bacteria affect ammonia levels. I suspect nitrifying bacteria has reach the maximum oxidising reach as ammonia reduction capacity has stalled.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Thought you weren't starting until after Christmas...

 

[Lasse]

If the ammonium oxidation has stalled - it can means that heterotrophic bacteria has outcompeted the nitrification bacteria according space. A well known fact in wastewater treatment (and fish farms with biofilters)

Sincerely Lasse

 

[sixty_reefer]

If the ammonium oxidation has stalled - it can means that heterotrophic bacteria has outcompeted the nitrification bacteria according space. A well known fact in wastewater treatment (and fish farms with biofilters)

Sincerely Lasse

I wouldn’t say fully stalled although it’s a reasonable option, nitrites we’re slightly up this morning. So far it kind of coincides with our previous nitrifying bacteria test we’re there is a good decrease in the first 12 hours and den it kind of slows down.

I was meaning to ask you, do you agree that we could interpret from this test that heterotrophic bacteria is not affecting ammonium chloride or nitrite in any way wile the system is being stimulated with DOC? Only nitrates as there is a drop in 10ppm

 

[sixty_reefer]

From tonight I will be changing a few things around, I don’t see the need to add ammonium chloride in order to find the answers I’m looking for.
from today onwards I will be adding 1/4 of a frozen fish food cube instead, everything else will remain the same including daily addition of carbohydrates.

 

[brandon429]

I’m positive you can’t derive anything about bacterial clades from this test kit, the mixed import substrates and the various things added + no control group. This isn’t a freshwater setup or a high bioload/ low surface area fish culture system, it’s a high surface area low bioload reef tank using non digital test kits: that’s what all stalled cycle threads are made up of




no digital testing= a gap in knowledge remains. You might be able to squelch or stop the uglies phase though, that would help thousands of reefers

 

[sixty_reefer]

I’m positive you can’t derive anything about bacterial clades from this test kit, the mixed import substrates and the various things added + no control group. This isn’t a freshwater setup or a high bioload/ low surface area fish culture system, it’s a high surface area low bioload reef tank using non digital test kits: that’s what all stalled cycle threads are made up of




no digital testing= a gap in knowledge remains. You might be able to squelch or stop the uglies phase though, that would help thousands of reefers

I’ve paused the main test for now, I’ve stumbled on something that I’d like to understand a bit more (not related to this) i’ll re start the thread in the new year