Ammonia amd Nitrate

[Badger_Reefer]

My 125 G is showing Ammonia .25 mg/L and Nitrate 2.5ppm

I am thinking that the cycling of nitrogen has started well. Ammonia cycle is getting finished.

Will be waiting to 5 ppm Nitrate until a 25% water change. And its been 10 days since my cycle started using Microbacter 7

 

[fishywishy]

I would just wait until ammonia goes to zero and then do a water change.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

How are you cycling? Did you dose ammonia?

I see no reason to do a water change.

 

[Fish Fan]

My 125 G is showing Ammonia .25 mg/L and Nitrate 2.5ppm

I am thinking that the cycling of nitrogen has started well. Ammonia cycle is getting finished.

Will be waiting to 5 ppm Nitrate until a 25% water change. And its been 10 days since my cycle started using Microbacter 7

Hello! To cycle your tank in this way, you need to add more than just the Microbacter product, you need a source of ammonia too. Did you add anything for ammonia, such as fish food, a piece of shrimp, or bottled ammonium chloride? Did your ammonia ever rise higher than 0.25 ppm (which may be basically zero if you're using API test kits)?

You would typically want your ammonia to rise to about 2.0 ppm and then watch for it to fall, and for nitrates to begin to accumulate. After a typical fishless cycle with added ammonia, I would expect to see nitrates much higher than 5.0 ppm at the end of the cycle. Often they are very high like 20 ppm - 50 ppm, which is why many people do a water change at the end of the cycle, to lower those very high nitrates.

Hope that helps, good luck!

 

[Badger_Reefer]

How are you cycling? Did you dose ammonia?

I see no reason to do a water change.

No , i havent dosed ammonium

 

[Badger_Reefer]

Hello! To cycle your tank in this way, you need to add more than just the Microbacter product, you need a source of ammonia too. Did you add anything for ammonia, such as fish food, a piece of shrimp, or bottled ammonium chloride? Did your ammonia ever rise higher than 0.25 ppm (which may be basically zero if you're using API test kits)?

You would typically want your ammonia to rise to about 2.0 ppm and then watch for it to fall, and for nitrates to begin to accumulate. After a typical fishless cycle with added ammonia, I would expect to see nitrates much higher than 5.0 ppm at the end of the cycle. Often they are very high like 20 ppm - 50 ppm, which is why many people do a water change at the end of the cycle, to lower those very high nitrates.

Hope that helps, good luck!

I have added a piece of shrimp. Lets see how it goes !!

 

[Fish Fan]

I have added a piece of shrimp. Lets see how it goes !!

That's good, I think you need something to increase the ammonia to get your tank started. Let us know what the ammonia is after the shrimp starts to break down.

 

[Badger_Reefer]

Currently my Ammonia is 0.5mg/l and my Nitrates is 5 mg/l.. i guess there will be a ammonia spike as the shrimp starts to rot !!

 

[Fish Fan]

The shrimp does start to breakdown quickly, so this is good progress.

 

[Badger_Reefer]

The shrimp does start to breakdown quickly, so this is good progress.

I will be keeping that piece of shrimp untill it gets fully rot… !!

 

[Badger_Reefer]

And will be tracking ammonia and nitrate every other day !!