Cycle question

[Simonsen]

I have started my system with Dr Tim’s one and only and have dosed Ammonium Chloride and measured along the way. The Nitrates is pretty high so I did a 10% water change to see if it would get a little bit lower but still high.

Should I just leave it to work this out or do another change?

I haven’t done this kind of cycling before so was wondering if someone could give me some pointers what to do further?

attached a picture of the Nitrate and ammonia test.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

How large a water change is feasible? If you can do 50% and test nitrates again, that will help guide what the next step is.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

With ammonia, was it ever higher?

 

[Simonsen]

With ammonia, was it ever higher?

Yes, before WC it was like this.

 

[PotatoPig]

If you still have ammonia then you may also still have significant nitrites produced in the first step of ammonia metabolism. These interfere with most (all?) nitrate tests and cause artificially high results to show.

If you don’t have a nitrite test available then wait for ammonia to zero out then give it a day or so and the nitrites will follow so you’ll have an accurate nitrate test.

Note that under realistic conditions in a saltwater tank neither nitrites nor nitrates are harmful like they are in freshwater. Ammonia is the main concern for fish health.

 

[brandon429]

Contact time is what matters most, not the test kit readings

Unstated: how long the setup has been running

They're known to complete within ten days from bottle bac sources, regardless of what your tests say interestingly. That's the new way, to base readiness on # of days running vs color reference cards. It allows you a very specific start date in fast vs open ended wait, so you can focus on fish disease preps instead

A clue mentioned (detects nitrate) implies you're at or near day ten, is that correct?

 

[Simonsen]

If you still have ammonia then you may also still have significant nitrites produced in the first step of ammonia metabolism. These interfere with most (all?) nitrate tests and cause artificially high results to show.

If you don’t have a nitrite test available then wait for ammonia to zero out then give it a day or so and the nitrites will follow so you’ll have an accurate nitrate test.

Note that under realistic conditions in a saltwater tank neither nitrites nor nitrates are harmful like they are in freshwater. Ammonia is the main concern for fish health.

Thanks for the reply. I have tested NO2 also and this is pretty high so bet I just wait it out. Is it necessary to dose more Ammonium chloride?

 

[Simonsen]

Contact time is what matters most, not the test kit readings

Unstated: how long the setup has been running

They're known to complete within ten days from bottle bac sources, regardless of what your tests say interestingly. That's the new way, to base readiness on # of days running vs color reference cards. It allows you a very specific start date in fast vs open ended wait, so you can focus on fish disease preps instead

A clue mentioned (detects nitrate) implies you're at or near day ten, is that correct?

Thanks for reply. I am at day 9 to be precise. Day ten in some hours here in Norway.

So what i am focusing on is to get Ammonia to zero? I am consider add fish in two weeks to get the cycle further but don’t want to add fish if the values is not correct.

 

[Dan_P]

Thanks for the reply. I have tested NO2 also and this is pretty high so bet I just wait it out. Is it necessary to dose more Ammonium chloride?

No need to add ammonia.

 

[Garf]

Thanks for reply. I am at day 9 to be precise. Day ten in some hours here in Norway.

So what i am focusing on is to get Ammonia to zero? I am consider add fish in two weeks to get the cycle further but don’t want to add fish if the values is not correct.

Ammonia has dropped, nitrites have gone up, all is good.

 

[Poshangcun]

If you’re not in a hurry, you can just let it work on its own—that’s been my personal experience.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

No

Thanks for the reply. I have tested NO2 also and this is pretty high so bet I just wait it out. Is it necessary to dose more Ammonium chloride?

No, don't add more ammonia until/unless you get an ammonia reading of zero and want to do a final test run to see if the system can process 2ppm in 24 hours.*I would say at this point once ammo is zero, you're good to go and the extra test is unnecessary.

Disregard my suggestion to do a large water change - won't hurt anything but with nitrite high, your nitrate test is probably wrong... thanks to potato pig for that reminder.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Thanks for reply. I am at day 9 to be precise. Day ten in some hours here in Norway.

So what i am focusing on is to get Ammonia to zero? I am consider add fish in two weeks to get the cycle further but don’t want to add fish if the values is not correct.

Just let things continue for 2 weeks and the fish will be fine (assuming it's just 1 or 2?)

 

[Garf]

It's done, now to get disease free livestock, that's the key.

 

[Simonsen]

Thanks a lot for the answers! Makes me much more vise on the topic.

 

[brandon429]

It's amazing how much stuff revolves around day ten in cycling it's such a neat pattern. Truly if you'll read up on disease controls, those alone set more additional time and they stagger your additions just right so as not to overdo your bioloading

No more concern needs to be given over the cycle, even if you skip it and add fish they'll be fine: with this bacteria people add fish on day one and it carries them, this is plus ten days all set. The low levels present don't harm anything and those levels are what reefs run at when stocked pretty much. Further testing or cycle concerns can't help prep the system any better, it's all in the disease preps now. Bottle bac had all the hard stuff figured out and timed already.

 

[Garf]

Bottle bac had all the hard stuff figured out and timed already.

I think you'll find most of these bacs you are fond of these promoting are riddled with pathogens.