Cycling advice needed

[LukeyB]

Thanks for all the replies! I really appreciate reading all the viewpoints. Here are photos of the testing I just did this morning. Note I also got hold of a salifert NH3 test which seems to roughly be in line with the API test after the conversion (4ppm total = 0.25 NH3)

I think my plan will be...

1) Perform a 50% water change today to dilute the the ammonia down (for my own piece of mind).

2) Add sand and also dose another bottle of Dr Tim's Bacteria. The sand will provide a lot more surface area for the bacteria, and another bottle of Dr. Tims just in case the first bottle was potentially impacted by some residual chlorine deep inside the rocks.

3) Wait until early next (day 21+) and then add two small fish. Then no other fish or corals for at least another month or so.

 

[brandon429]

the salifert isn't in line at all, it shows safe. the api shows green because of the searches you can run where it shows that on 3 year running tanks. fish disease prep is what you need to study, even after the next few rounds of bottle bac + wait time, gotta read up on disease preps before you skip them...seeing the rate of help posts in the disease forum from skip prep tanks will help.

 

[brandon429]

New Cycle - Seneye vs API

Hello All, Have just started to cycle a new DD ReefPro 900. Am using Fritzzyme Fishless food and Turbo Start and am 2 days in. I have dosed twice with Fishless food on the back of the seneye readings which are as follows: But the API result seems to be showing a different story. I`ve seen a...

www.reef2reef.com

here is one of fifty searchable examples for that same color api reading.

notice it reads green, same hue as your reading, but when benched on a calibrated seneye the real reading was .04 nh3...and on his matured nano reef in full health, the benched seneye was .04

the reason for posting that is so you can see an equal api color green from a fully cycled reef which in that case had a digital meter showing the cycled tank at the same ammonia level as a healthy running fully stocked nano reef.

Another false read: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/warter-parameters-help.869029/

 

[jda]

If you want to add sand, then put the sand in a 3/5g bucket, take a garden hose and move it around the bottom of the sand until it runs clean out of the top. This is the best way to get all of the dust out. Don't worry about using tap water for this.

Aragonite is better than silica. You might google search that people feared silica sand releasing silicates into the water, but this is not why and it never really was an issue. Aragonite sand can buffer pH, will bind/buffer po4 so that you never hit true zero, can house fun sand dwelling creatures and microfauna that can devour ich tomonts and it is also porous so that anoxic bacteria can colonize and turn nitrate into nitrogen gas.

 

[CoralB]

Patients and knowledge are key .

 

[jda]

Also, don't test for pH too much. If you have pH issues, then it is nearly always from high co2 levels in your home or office. You can remedy this by just exchanging air, which is good for the humans and pets too. If you are using some chemicals, then this can be different, but none of these are necessary in a new tank for quite some time, and some are never necessary. Especially do not buy any additives that claim to raise or lower pH - most of them are proven to be inaccurate in the chemistry forum.

 

[LukeyB]

For my own peace of mind, I just got a seachem ammonia alert card. Whilst it doesn't show 'safe', it at least confirms it not to be in the 'alarm' or 'toxic' categories. Plan is still to keep monitoring over next few days and add first fish next week.

 

[Troylee]

For my own peace of mind, I just got a seachem ammonia alert card. Whilst it doesn't show 'safe', it at least confirms it not to be in the 'alarm' or 'toxic' categories. Plan is still to keep monitoring over next few days and add first fish next week.

You’re good to go man… sorry it’s confusing on here sometimes as everyone has opinions and different things work different for different people haha!