Cycling: 24 gallon

[saltwatercube]

Hi all,

Lately I believe API less and less and want some advice on if you guys think my tank is cycled or not. A week ago, I put in a "seeder stick" or rock from an established and mature tank at my local and reputable fish store. Since then, I have seen my tank completely cycle, even adding ammonia in and it disappearing to that weird indistinguishable mark between 0 and .25 within 24 hours while my nitrates go up.

I have high levels of nitrates present (80) which indicates that bacteria is going all the way through the cycle and my ammonia is at 0 but the weirdest thing is that my nitrites are stuck at that weird purple color that could be a 1 or a 2 and they have been for 3 days now while the rest of my parameters have gone through the cycle. Throughout this week, I kept dosing with ammonia to feed the cycle, but now it has dropped all the way since I am letting it drop.

Honestly, I have cycled many freshwater tanks before and I feel like the presence of such high levels of nitrate show that it is cycled, I just feel like the nitrite test is off.

Attached is my parameter spreadsheet (yes the PH keeps dropping, we are going to put a skimmer and refugium in to help increase oxygen flow and decrease CO2 build up, tank is in a basement with little gas exchange).

I think that it is ready for a fish with careful monitoring and water changes as needed to monitor the cycle, but Im just wanting reassurance.

 

[TheBear78]

If ammonia is definitely being converted then it's cycled.
Ignore nitrite.

 

[jda]

The cycle is never done, hence the name of cycle or cyclical. If you are seeing ammonia go to nothing, then you are likely OK to add some fish and progress as the tank progresses. It is best to know that nothing is finished and that if you are hasty then you can still have issues along the way. The tank has not yet built an ecosystem that can handle a dynamic event or overstock, so go slow and be smart. The bacteria that you need now with grow and and die back as the tank continues it's journey/cycle so just understand each point and that nothing is ever completed or done.

Nitrite interferes with nitrate test kits. Don't even bother with nitrate for a while... like maybe a month after you don't read any more nitrite. It is just not important yet.

Skip the inverts for now. While nitrite at these levels are not toxic to MOST marine fish, they can be for inverts.

 

[KandAReefs]

Hi all,

Lately I believe API less and less and want some advice on if you guys think my tank is cycled or not. A week ago, I put in a "seeder stick" or rock from an established and mature tank at my local and reputable fish store. Since then, I have seen my tank completely cycle, even adding ammonia in and it disappearing to that weird indistinguishable mark between 0 and .25 within 24 hours while my nitrates go up.

I have high levels of nitrates present (80) which indicates that bacteria is going all the way through the cycle and my ammonia is at 0 but the weirdest thing is that my nitrites are stuck at that weird purple color that could be a 1 or a 2 and they have been for 3 days now while the rest of my parameters have gone through the cycle. Throughout this week, I kept dosing with ammonia to feed the cycle, but now it has dropped all the way since I am letting it drop.

Honestly, I have cycled many freshwater tanks before and I feel like the presence of such high levels of nitrate show that it is cycled, I just feel like the nitrite test is off.

Attached is my parameter spreadsheet (yes the PH keeps dropping, we are going to put a skimmer and refugium in to help increase oxygen flow and decrease CO2 build up, tank is in a basement with little gas exchange).

I think that it is ready for a fish with careful monitoring and water changes as needed to monitor the cycle, but Im just wanting reassurance.

Not a fan of the API test kits or any that I need to hold up to a color chart. ( My eyes are not great at tell the difference in them) I use Hanna tests to get a digital number a bit more expensive but in my opinion worth every penny.

 

[saltwatercube]

The cycle is never done, hence the name of cycle or cyclical. If you are seeing ammonia go to nothing, then you are likely OK to add some fish and progress as the tank progresses. It is best to know that nothing is finished and that if you are hasty then you can still have issues along the way. The tank has not yet built an ecosystem that can handle a dynamic event or overstock, so go slow and be smart. The bacteria that you need now with grow and and die back as the tank continues it's journey/cycle so just understand each point and that nothing is ever completed or done.

Nitrite interferes with nitrate test kits. Don't even bother with nitrate for a while... like maybe a month after you don't read any more nitrite. It is just not important yet.

Skip the inverts for now. While nitrite at these levels are not toxic to MOST marine fish, they can be for inverts.

Thanks so much for your advice! Yes, I don't plan on adding any inverts for at least 6-12 months of tank maturation, I just feel like if I wait for the API test, I will be waiting for years when it does seem safe enough to start out and monitor 1 fish closely. I would not want to put any marine life in unsafe conditions and plan on water testing daily and doing appropriate WCs once a week to ensure good water quality. Thanks so much!

 

[saltwatercube]

Not a fan of the API test kits or any that I need to hold up to a color chart. ( My eyes are not great at tell the difference in them) I use Hanna tests to get a digital number a bit more expensive but in my opinion worth every penny.

Thanks so much- I totally agree, just was easier to start at API for fishless cycle and slowly transition.

 

[saltwatercube]

If ammonia is definitely being converted then it's cycled.
Ignore nitrite.

Thanks so much!

 

[taricha]

A week ago, I put in a "seeder stick" or rock from an established and mature tank at my local and reputable fish store.

nice result. Tell me more about the "seeder stick"?

 

[brandon429]

the entire point of updated cycling science is that it's time based, not chart-based by rule.

within ten days of stew in that specific water, any surface will be coated in a beginning bioslick and have filtration ability as a collection amount of new surface area.

it doesn't matter what any chart says, that's the timing any seneye owner will know.

only seneyes can be used to make accurate charting about what home reef tanks do with ammonia, and by when. it's the only test that will report in very close ranges among 50 testers, all other test kits drift wildly

the masses don't usually have a $190 seneye, so a time-based cycling option exists. add inert surface area and within 10 days or so its coated in working bac because it's transmitted in the water.

post a tank pic, let's see how much surface area you have stewing.

I bet your charts will coincide with the day ten rule, the ammonia control portion.

common cycling charts have the day 10-12 ammonia break because that's the known timing regardless of the test kit ranges home to home. the equalizer, the umpire is the # of days in stew

that's why cycling charts from books don't differ. the cycling charts from online reports differ due to testing ability, hardly any are seneye reports

 

[saltwatercube]

nice result. Tell me more about the "seeder stick"?

It was a rock shaped like a stick, so I just call it that but I'm sure it has a technical name. My LFS has a huge tub of rock that is cycled with bacteria on it and has fish in it. But since all the rock that day was fairly new, he took the stick from his own display nano tank that had been up for about a year and gave me it. I dropped it in and "seeded" the tank, so I call it a seeder stick.

 

[saltwatercube]

the entire point of updated cycling science is that it's time based, not chart-based by rule.

within ten days of stew in that specific water, any surface will be coated in a beginning bioslick and have filtration ability as a collection amount of new surface area.

it doesn't matter what any chart says, that's the timing any seneye owner will know.

only seneyes can be used to make accurate charting about what home reef tanks do with ammonia, and by when. it's the only test that will report in very close ranges among 50 testers, all other test kits drift wildly

the masses don't usually have a $190 seneye, so a time-based cycling option exists. add inert surface area and within 10 days or so its coated in working bac because it's transmitted in the water.

post a tank pic, let's see how much surface area you have stewing.

I bet your charts will coincide with the day ten rule, the ammonia control portion.

common cycling charts have the day 10-12 ammonia break because that's the known timing regardless of the test kit ranges home to home. the equalizer, the umpire is the # of days in stew

that's why cycling charts from books don't differ. the cycling charts from online reports differ due to testing ability, hardly any are seneye reports

This is my tank currently, all my parameters stabilized, so I added two fish. I have some diatoms and it's entering the ugly phase. I have a complete tank update on my tank thread on my page.

 

[taricha]

But since all the rock that day was fairly new, he took the stick from his own display nano tank that had been up for about a year and gave me it. I dropped it in and "seeded" the tank, so I call it a seeder stick.

And it worked really well. Sounds like your LFS takes good care of their customers.

 

[brandon429]

That pic proves the cycle is done as well. Benthic growths like diatoms, cyano etc on rocks and sand set up shop on surfaces after ammonia control was in place (those items take longer than ten days to establish in dry start systems. In live rock transfers it can happen sooner)

That tank pic is a prime example of knowing a cycle is done merely by the pic and not factoring any time nor test kit. The sum total of factors in the tank is the testless cycle approach.

 

[saltwatercube]

That pic proves the cycle is done as well. Benthic growths like diatoms, cyano etc on rocks and sand set up shop on surfaces after ammonia control was in place (those items take longer than ten days to establish in dry start systems. In live rock transfers it can happen sooner)

That tank pic is a prime example of knowing a cycle is done merely by the pic and not factoring any time nor test kit. The sum total of factors in the tank is the testless cycle approach.

Thanks so much, I really appreciate your input and advice!