Ammonia has stayed at 0.2ppm all week and hasn't been changed into nitrates or nitrites

Dominic M

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Hello fellow reefers,

Setup my first tank a few weeks ago and have been using Brightwell aquatics microbacter7 when I added my pair of clowns two weeks ago from the advice of my LFS, Brstv, and saltwateraquarium (the youtube channel). Over the last week my ammonia has stayed at 0.2ppm and theres been no change in nitrates or nitrites. What should I do, should I be worried?

Thanks, Dominic
 

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I would not be too concerned, 0.2 ppm is not much to be concerned about and bio setup takes time, esp if using sterile rock and artificial water.

What brand test kits are you using for parameters?
Get a bottle of amguard or simmilar incase your Ammonia spike gets out of control if you want your clowns to stay alive, and ensure you are feeding your fish.
It will happen in good time, 2 weeks is very young.
 

brandon429

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It’s already done. At two weeks the cycle cannot retrograde


brightwell is very slow compared to other bac we are seeing, but a common cycling chart shows ammonia is controlled by ten days, so you made it.

if the ammonia was really ever .2 they’d be dead. .2 is what that kit reads on most reefs, they over report. The dilution of the system plus the light initial ability plus time from a cycling chart is how they survived. Your cycle is done because it cannot retrograde in reverse. If the reef was very small that initial dilution might not have worked but it did and unless someone is using seneye we have literally no idea what their ammonia is anyway.
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
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Reason you don’t show nitrates: could be too dilute to measure currently


nitrites don’t factor at all, we don’t factor nitrite any longer with new cycle updates. The most current cycling info is that only ammonia control matters. Lasse has pointed out that feeding is likely more ammonia loading than the fish, assuming you’ve been feeding them daily + fish load plus wait time 14 days it’s going to be fine or it would have already crashed. If the fish were harmed they’d never eat or swim normally. Don’t add or change your pace for a month let it all stew as is. At one month safe time then you can add more life
 
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Dominic M

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I would not be too concerned, 0.2 ppm is not much to be concerned about and bio setup takes time, esp if using sterile rock and artificial water.

What brand test kits are you using for parameters?
Get a bottle of amguard or simmilar incase your Ammonia spike gets out of control if you want your clowns to stay alive, and ensure you are feeding your fish.
It will happen in good time, 2 weeks is very young.
Im using a api kit I know they are not accurate but I had already bought it and it had good reviews, whats amguard? If its a type of bacteria in a bottle I heard its not good to mix two different types, I feed mysis shrimp every other day, I also have 3 astrea snails to clean up leftovers.

Thanks, Dominic
 
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Dominic M

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It’s already done. At two weeks the cycle cannot retrograde


brightwell is very slow compared to other bac we are seeing, but a common cycling chart shows ammonia is controlled by ten days, so you made it.

if the ammonia was really ever .2 they’d be dead. .2 is what that kit reads on most reefs, they over report. The dilution of the system plus the light initial ability plus time from a cycling chart is how they survived. Your cycle is done because it cannot retrograde in reverse. If the reef was very small that initial dilution might not have worked but it did and unless someone is using seneye we have literally no idea what their ammonia is anyway.
So im good and the cycles done? Should I still add more bacteria and when and how much water should I change?

Thanks, Dominic
 
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Dominic M

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Reason you don’t show nitrates: could be too dilute to measure currently


nitrites don’t factor at all, we don’t factor nitrite any longer with new cycle updates. The most current cycling info is that only ammonia control matters. Lasse has pointed out that feeding is likely more ammonia loading than the fish, assuming you’ve been feeding them daily + fish load plus wait time 14 days it’s going to be fine or it would have already crashed. If the fish were harmed they’d never eat or swim normally. Don’t add or change your pace for a month let it all stew as is. At one month safe time then you can add more life
I did look at lasses tank cycling with fish post a bit, ive been feeding mysis shrimp every other day.
 

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Im using a api kit I know they are not accurate but I had already bought it and it had good reviews, whats amguard? If its a type of bacteria in a bottle I heard its not good to mix two different types, I feed mysis shrimp every other day, I also have 3 astrea snails to clean up leftovers.

Thanks, Dominic

Seachem amguard locks up ammonia in a spike, also choramines for a few days, so helps to safeguard your inhabitants if things go sideways
 

mindme

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Hello fellow reefers,

Setup my first tank a few weeks ago and have been using Brightwell aquatics microbacter7 when I added my pair of clowns two weeks ago from the advice of my LFS, Brstv, and saltwateraquarium (the youtube channel). Over the last week my ammonia has stayed at 0.2ppm and theres been no change in nitrates or nitrites. What should I do, should I be worried?

Thanks, Dominic

Microbacter 7 isn't their starter bacteria. Their starter bacteria is Microbacter Start XLM. 7 is what you would use after your tank is cycled.

In order to use the Start XLM, you can't use live sand. And your rocks can't have been rocks that came with starter bacteria. If you have used either of those, then you need to find something else. If you used existing live rock and things of that nature, then you can use it...but you really wouldn't need to.

I am not sure if 7 would clash with this. It says if you use live sand and/or the rocks with bacteria, it will delay the cycle.
In the event you have used one of those and need something else, personally I recommend Instant Ocean Bio-Spira. It will cycle the tank and probably remove the ammonia in 48 hours. I always keep a few bottles, although I did cycle my 180 with the Start XLM about a month ago. Dry rock and Dry Sand tank.
 
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Dominic M

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Seachem amguard locks up ammonia in a spike, also choramines for a few days, so helps to safeguard your inhabitants if things go sideways
Ill check it out, think I may have saw it at my LFS thanks for the help : )
 
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Dominic M

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Microbacter 7 isn't their starter bacteria. Their starter bacteria is Microbacter Start XLM. 7 is what you would use after your tank is cycled.

In order to use the Start XLM, you can't use live sand. And your rocks can't have been rocks that came with starter bacteria. If you have used either of those, then you need to find something else. If you used existing live rock and things of that nature, then you can use it...but you really wouldn't need to.

I am not sure if 7 would clash with this. It says if you use live sand and/or the rocks with bacteria, it will delay the cycle.
In the event you have used one of those and need something else, personally I recommend Instant Ocean Bio-Spira. It will cycle the tank and probably remove the ammonia in 48 hours. I always keep a few bottles, although I did cycle my 180 with the Start XLM about a month ago. Dry rock and Dry Sand tank.
Your right on the brightwell website it says XLM is for starting tanks but it also says bacter7 is used for starting tanks too, could there be a difference in the type of bacteria it contains and what kind of tank its specifically meant for? I have CaribSea sand with "nitrifying bacteria" in it, and dry reef rock I got from my LFS. Will Ocean Bio-Spira clash will bacter7? I've heard of cases of mixing brands of "bacteria in a bottle" and it killing their whole tank. Did the microbacter 7 do anything for my tank?

Thanks, Dominic
 

flampton

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Your right on the brightwell website it says XLM is for starting tanks but it also says bacter7 is used for starting tanks too, could there be a difference in the type of bacteria it contains and what kind of tank its specifically meant for? I have CaribSea sand with "nitrifying bacteria" in it, and dry reef rock I got from my LFS. Will Ocean Bio-Spira clash will bacter7? I've heard of cases of mixing brands of "bacteria in a bottle" and it killing their whole tank. Did the microbacter 7 do anything for my tank?

Thanks, Dominic

Don't panic you're fine! Don't do anything drastic at this point. Just make sure your salinity and temp stays constant. What happens with these reports are people blaming their fish or tank deaths on the latest thing they put in their tank.

Bacteria do compete within their niche and the winner wins. In this case this a very good thing. What it means over time is the best ammonia oxidizing bacteria strains win. Which means adding ten brands and the winner will be from one of them. Yet they will not counteract each other at all.

@brandon429 is correct the test kit of API will always look like 0.2. Now what's problematic is your lack of nitrate at this point. With two clowns after one week you should have nitrates. Make sure you're performing the test exactly as written. And if still nothing might be a bad kit. (Actually what's the lowest level the kit reads?)

Oh and please feed your fish at least once a day, and preferably more. If you're using frozen cut the chunks into small pieces.

I recommend a seachem ammonia badge for all new reefers.

Finally always be prepared for a water change. So if you use RO/DI you can't wait the hours to get the water made and then the hours to properly make the ASW
 

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Your right on the brightwell website it says XLM is for starting tanks but it also says bacter7 is used for starting tanks too, could there be a difference in the type of bacteria it contains and what kind of tank its specifically meant for? I have CaribSea sand with "nitrifying bacteria" in it, and dry reef rock I got from my LFS. Will Ocean Bio-Spira clash will bacter7? I've heard of cases of mixing brands of "bacteria in a bottle" and it killing their whole tank. Did the microbacter 7 do anything for my tank?

Thanks, Dominic

Good question. I looked it up and it does say for starting tanks on the 7. Maybe it's just not as fast? Since you used live sand with nitrifying bacteria, it's not recommended to use the Start XLM as those will clash and make the cycle take longer. But I did not see any such warnings on the 7. Start XLM claims:

3) Brightwell recommends that you not use any other type of bacteria product until your cycle with this product is complete !!! Do not even use MicrōBacter7 or MicrōBacterCLEAN until the cycle is complete (then you will want to use one of them to help through the "ugly stage". (MicrōBacterCLEAN will work best for this.) Do not use live sand and particularly DO NOT USE dry seeded artificial live rock until cycling is complete. There are no dry bacteria species that will be compatible with this nitrifying bacteria product or that are useful to cycle an aquarium at all! To use a dry bacteria will only lengthen the time it takes to cycle by many weeks and increase your work many times!

I'm really not sure about clashes. The XLM Start was the first time I've heard of clashes and it's side effect from that was just it would take longer to cycle. I bought 3 bottles of the Bio-Spira as a backup because I've never had any issues with it and it works fast. I only did the Start XLM because I was hoping for "better and more diverse" bacteria and then follow it up with 7 after a month. It worked for me.

But it says the 7 should cycle your tank. I think I would stick with it for now.
 

flampton

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Btw what are you using for filtration?
And Astrea are herbivores so won't eat leftover mysis. You'll want something else for detritus clean up at some point.
 

flampton

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Good question. I looked it up and it does say for starting tanks on the 7. Maybe it's just not as fast? Since you used live sand with nitrifying bacteria, it's not recommended to use the Start XLM as those will clash and make the cycle take longer. But I did not see any such warnings on the 7. Start XLM claims:



I'm really not sure about clashes. The XLM Start was the first time I've heard of clashes and it's side effect from that was just it would take longer to cycle. I bought 3 bottles of the Bio-Spira as a backup because I've never had any issues with it and it works fast. I only did the Start XLM because I was hoping for "better and more diverse" bacteria and then follow it up with 7 after a month. It worked for me.

But it says the 7 should cycle your tank. I think I would stick with it for now.

This is marketing not science. They will not counteract each other or slow the cycle. It's for dependence on their product and it's truly an unseemly business practice :(

I question why these companies go to these lengths. I guess the market pushes them this far...
 
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Dominic M

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Good question. I looked it up and it does say for starting tanks on the 7. Maybe it's just not as fast? Since you used live sand with nitrifying bacteria, it's not recommended to use the Start XLM as those will clash and make the cycle take longer. But I did not see any such warnings on the 7. Start XLM claims:



I'm really not sure about clashes. The XLM Start was the first time I've heard of clashes and it's side effect from that was just it would take longer to cycle. I bought 3 bottles of the Bio-Spira as a backup because I've never had any issues with it and it works fast. I only did the Start XLM because I was hoping for "better and more diverse" bacteria and then follow it up with 7 after a month. It worked for me.

But it says the 7 should cycle your tank. I think I would stick with it for now.
Thanks for your help : )
 
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Dominic M

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This is marketing not science. They will not counteract each other or slow the cycle. It's for dependence on their product and it's truly an unseemly business practice :(

I question why these companies go to these lengths. I guess the market pushes them this far...
The reason I worry about "Clashing" is ive seen cases on here where people mixed bacteria types and it did a lot of damage to there tank. But brightwell saying "Clashing" for their products could just be marketing.
 
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Dominic M

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Btw what are you using for filtration?
And Astrea are herbivores so won't eat leftover mysis. You'll want something else for detritus clean up at some point.
Im using a HOB filter its a marineland penguin 150, starting out with this and will probably make a diy sump and refugium at some point in the future. What inverts will eat leftover mysis, hermit/emerald crabs, cleaner shrimp?
 
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Dominic M

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Don't panic you're fine! Don't do anything drastic at this point. Just make sure your salinity and temp stays constant. What happens with these reports are people blaming their fish or tank deaths on the latest thing they put in their tank.

Bacteria do compete within their niche and the winner wins. In this case this a very good thing. What it means over time is the best ammonia oxidizing bacteria strains win. Which means adding ten brands and the winner will be from one of them. Yet they will not counteract each other at all.

@brandon429 is correct the test kit of API will always look like 0.2. Now what's problematic is your lack of nitrate at this point. With two clowns after one week you should have nitrates. Make sure you're performing the test exactly as written. And if still nothing might be a bad kit. (Actually what's the lowest level the kit reads?)

Oh and please feed your fish at least once a day, and preferably more. If you're using frozen cut the chunks into small pieces.

I recommend a seachem ammonia badge for all new reefers.

Finally always be prepared for a water change. So if you use RO/DI you can't wait the hours to get the water made and then the hours to properly make the ASW
Lowest level it reads is 5 ppm, thanks for the tips
 

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