Cycling 110 Gallon Reef tank - I think I screwed up

[ZaydRossi]

Hi Guys,

i started cycling my new aquarium 40 days ago. I first used dr tims one and only but it seems that bottle was dead as i saw no reduction in ammonia 17 days. Went to my LFS and they suggested adding the Red Sea reef Mature kit as they believe the bottle of dr times could have been dead also as i had it in the fridge for a while (about 6 months), so I added that in as per the instructions that come with it. The cycle started with both dry rock (aqua-forest) and dry sand with no biological life.

I am now on day 23 of the red sea reef mature kit and i am getting these test results.
Ammonia: 0.25ppm (it did go down to 0ppm 6 days ago)
Nitrite: 5ppm
Nitrates: 160ppm (i know the Nitrite number will give a false reading of this so im not worried about this number at all)

I have hit the ugly stage of the cycle as i now how brown algae (photo attached), im assuming this is a good thing in the cycle, please advise if this is not a "good" thing in the cycle.

Can i please get some assistance on what to do now? Should i just leave it and let it do its thing or should i do a large water change? Or any other suggestions please.

 

[Rmckoy]

I believe your tank is cycled !
In order to have high nitrates such as you do means ammonia has been processed .
but I need to question . Is there any life or other source to produce ammonia ?

 

[Rmckoy]

I’d do a large water change to bring the nitrates down and slowly start adding livestock .
uglies are a normal and natural part .
it gets worse before it gets better .

 

[ZaydRossi]

I believe your tank is cycled !
In order to have high nitrates such as you do means ammonia has been processed .
but I need to question . Is there any life or other source to produce ammonia ?

thanks for your reply. I do not have any live stock in there atm as im affraid to with the high levels of nitrites

 

[ZaydRossi]

I’d do a large water change to bring the nitrates down and slowly start adding livestock .
uglies are a normal and natural part .
it gets worse before it gets better .

Exactly what i thought about the uglies. Why are my nitirites at 5ppm though im so confused about it

 

[Timfish]

I'd be adding fish and corals as well as some maricultured or wild live rock to introduce cryptic sponges. This article helps expalin how to establish healthy microbiomes. I'd also be doing water changes on a regular basis.

Establishing a Healthy Microbiome in a New Aquarium Using Live Rock

Studying the effects of live rock in a newly established aquarium shows that high-quality live rock promotes the rapid establishment of an effective biological filter and a microbial community similar to those found in mature reef tanks.

www.reef2reef.com

These refferences may help understand how complex reef ssytems are and the importance of the right microbiomes.

"Coral Reefs in the Microbial Seas" This video compliments Rohwer's book of the same title (Paper back is ~$20, Kindle is ~$10), both deal with the conflicting roles of the different types of DOC in reef ecosystems. While there is overlap bewteen his book and the video both have information not covered by the other and together give a broader view of the complex relationships found in reef ecosystems


Changing Seas - Mysterious Microbes


Nitrogen cycling in hte coral holobiont


BActeria and Sponges


Maintenance of Coral Reef Health (refferences at the end)


Optical Feedback Loop in Colorful Coral Bleaching


Richard Ross What's up with phosphate"

 

[Rmckoy]

Exactly what i thought about the uglies. Why are my nitirites at 5ppm though im so confused about it

Ignore nitrites ….
they have been proven to be irrelevant in marine systems .

what test kits are you using to get these numbers ?
I can only assume api master kit ?

most times ammonia will give a .25ppm reading . Even well established systems will test the same results .
you have high nitrates . It’s going to take a few large water changes to get them down to manageable levels .
Typical reef level to shoot for eventually 5-10ppm

fish only you can get by with higher

 

[ZaydRossi]

I'd be adding fish and corals as well as some maricultured or wild live rock to introduce cryptic sponges. This article helps expalin how to establish healthy microbiomes. I'd also be doing water changes on a regular basis.

Establishing a Healthy Microbiome in a New Aquarium Using Live Rock

Studying the effects of live rock in a newly established aquarium shows that high-quality live rock promotes the rapid establishment of an effective biological filter and a microbial community similar to those found in mature reef tanks.

www.reef2reef.com

These refferences may help understand how complex reef ssytems are and the importance of the right microbiomes.

"Coral Reefs in the Microbial Seas" This video compliments Rohwer's book of the same title (Paper back is ~$20, Kindle is ~$10), both deal with the conflicting roles of the different types of DOC in reef ecosystems. While there is overlap bewteen his book and the video both have information not covered by the other and together give a broader view of the complex relationships found in reef ecosystems


Changing Seas - Mysterious Microbes


Nitrogen cycling in hte coral holobiont


BActeria and Sponges


Maintenance of Coral Reef Health (refferences at the end)


Optical Feedback Loop in Colorful Coral Bleaching


Richard Ross What's up with phosphate"

Thank you for those resources and information ill be sure to give them a watch!

 

[ZaydRossi]

Ignore nitrites ….
they have been proven to be irrelevant in marine systems .

what test kits are you using to get these numbers ?
I can only assume api master kit ?

most times ammonia will give a .25ppm reading . Even well established systems will test the same results .
you have high nitrates . It’s going to take a few large water changes to get them down to manageable levels .
Typical reef level to shoot for eventually 5-10ppm

fish only you can get by with higher

I have enough saltwater on standby for up to a 70% water change. How much should i do in one water change? 50% or is that too much?

 

[ZaydRossi]

Also yes i am using the API masters kit. I know its ******. What test kits would you suggest?

 

[Rmckoy]

I have enough saltwater on standby for up to a 70% water change. How much should i do in one water change? 50% or is that too much?

With no livestock ….
I don’t see any issue with a large change .
50% will only lower nitrates to 80ppm at most .
But to do frequently as you go .

 

[Rmckoy]

Also yes i am using the API masters kit. I know its ******. What test kits would you suggest?

For ammonia ( it’s not really needed and I haven’t tested ammonia in many years .

nitrates I prefer salifert
Salt mix and rodi water system
A refractometer or salinity probe . Calibrated to be accurate

once you get into corals if that’s the route you’re planning .
more test kits will be required
( alk , cal , mag , ) to list the main ones

 

[Timfish]

Thank you for those resources and information ill be sure to give them a watch!

You're welcome! Forgot to add I don't think you screwed up. The nitrogen cycle is pretty much impossible to stop without adding lots of poison of some kind. The maturing process can be faster or slower depending on the animals and bugs added but it comes around sooner or later too.

 

[ZaydRossi]

With no livestock ….
I don’t see any issue with a large change .
50% will only lower nitrates to 80ppm at most .
But to do frequently as you go

would a 70% change be too much? If not ill do a 70% change to bring it all right down and then do a 50% in two days to bring it down to normal levels

 

[ZaydRossi]

For ammonia ( it’s not really needed and I haven’t tested ammonia in many years .

nitrates I prefer salifert
Salt mix and rodi water system
A refractometer or salinity probe . Calibrated to be accurate

once you get into corals if that’s the route you’re planning .
more test kits will be required
( alk , cal , mag , ) to list the main ones

Regarding Saltwater i am using salt water from a marine laboratory that has been cleaned from the ocean. I use a digital salinity meter that is accurate. And i do plan on corals as i have another DT that i have some blastos, zoes and mushrooms in that have all run well so i want to get into more LPS + Softies on a large scale and i already have ALK cal and mag salifert test kits

 

[Rmckoy]

would a 70% change be too much? If not ill do a 70% change to bring it all right down and then do a 50% in two days to bring it down to normal levels

Nothing good happens fast in this hobby .
Take your time .
but seeing as you have the water made . And no livestock yet .
I can’t see it causing any issue

I’d pick up a small fish or 2 depending on the size of tank .

 

[ZaydRossi]

You're welcome! Forgot to add I don't think you screwed up. The nitrogen cycle is pretty much impossible to stop without adding lots of poison of some kind. The maturing process can be faster or slower depending on the animals and bugs added but it comes around sooner or later too.

Cheers mate! Putting some worries to rest for me

 

[ZaydRossi]

Nothing good happens fast in this hobby .
Take your time .
but seeing as you have the water made . And no livestock yet .
I can’t see it causing any issue

I’d pick up a small fish or 2 depending on the size of tank .

Get the fish before the water change or after?

 

[ZaydRossi]

Like after i get the nitrates back to where they need to be?

 

[Pneumatic_Addict]

would a 70% change be too much? If not ill do a 70% change to bring it all right down and then do a 50% in two days to bring it down to normal levels

Think you’re doing too much too quick with that second WC. >100% in 3 days is a huge upset to your bio filter. Wait a week or two before doing the second.