Cycling first tank with Microbacter 7. What to expect?

[Reef.]

Looks like I have 1.5ppm ammonia.
So just gonna sit tight and wait for it to drop.

I like the look of that test kit, seems to be accurate and the colours seem very easy to match, unlike some I could mention but no names...Salifert!

 

[kilnakorr]

I like the look of that test kit, seems to be accurate and the colours seem very easy to match, unlike some I could mention but no names...Salifert!

It's ok. But once opened I find it goes bad in a few months. Not a problem when cycling a tank though, and easy to spot as you will have readings of zero when it goes bad.

 

[kilnakorr]

So, new test this morning and I don't really see much difference.

 

[Reef.]

I think you will in a say or two, that is probably the first bit of real ammonia the tank has seen it won’t know what to do with it, then it’ll party on it!

 

[kilnakorr]

I think you will in a say or two, that is probably the first bit of real ammonia the tank has seen it won’t know what to do with it, then it’ll party on it!

We'll see.
I got a 'new' smaller skimmer today (skimmate 7205 - noisy as h***). While removing the other skimmer I noticed the rubbermat under it, was really slimy. I also noticed the water was a bit cloudy. I replaced the rubbermat with som filtermat, and investigated the slime-issue.
Seems to happen to several people using MB7, as it contains a carbon source.
So for now, I'm not dosing MB7, and have diverted the flow through my UV, hoping to clear up the water a bit.
My Dr.Tims one&only should artive within 10 days or so, so might not do anything until then.

 

[kilnakorr]

Might be slightly lighter in color, but sure is hard to tell. Did have around 1ppm nitrate, so something is going on in there

 

[kilnakorr]

Just thought I'd keep updating the progress.
It's not eady capturing the right color on camera, with the changing weather here. It's a little darker this morning, but shows plenty of ammonia still present.

As side by side images. 4 days of progress, or lack of it.

 

[kilnakorr]

Last picture of the ammonia test for now.
It dosn't seem to change at all, so daily testing is simply a waste. Microbacter 7 may have a use in this hobby, but doesn't seem to cycle a tank at all (at least not in my case).

 

[Reef.]

Have you tried testing fresh sea water to check it does go yellow for zero.

 

[kilnakorr]

Have you tried testing fresh sea water to check it does go yellow for zero.

I just did one to be safe. I have used this test many times, so I'm pretty confident with the results.
Here's the fresh saltwater result:

 

[Reef.]

I just did one to be safe. I have used this test many times, so I'm pretty confident with the results.
Here's the fresh saltwater result:

What brand is that, it’s the best colour change I’ve seen for ammonia.

 

[kilnakorr]

What brand is that, it’s the best colour change I’ve seen for ammonia.

Tetra test. The most common available here.

 

[Reef.]

Tetra test. The most common available here.

Thanks, found it, can’t believe it, didn’t think it would be available in the UK!

 

[kilnakorr]

An update. Been 3 days since last test, so thought I see if anything had happened:

3days ago test, vs new test.

Definitely lighter green than previous tests. Seems this cycle will take some time to complete

 

[kilnakorr]

I was going to wait till tomorrow, but after a lot of other water tests, I thought why not.
Still a little green hue, but it's coming down nicely.

I've never seen much nitrite though. Just a tiny amount:
Top and side view.

Nitrate looks surprisingly high. Hard to match the colors, but considering I dosed to around 1.5ppm ammonia It looks much higher than expected (25-50ppm):

Question is, should I redose ammonia to eg. 1ppm and see how fast it gets converted, or maybe wait a day or two before redosing?

 

[davidcalgary29]

Nice progress!

I'm not sure that I'll choose a Brightwell product to cycle my tanks in the future. I set up a Fluval Evo on December 24th and cycled using Dr. Tim's (and bottled ammonium chloride); it cycled in nine days. I also set up a Nuvo Fusion on the 26th, using XLM and QuikCykl, exactly as per the directions; the cycle still hasn't finished. For the record, I ordered the Dr. Tim's solution online, and the bacteria survived shipping in -20C weather. I bought the MIcrobacter XLM in a store.

 

[Reef.]

I was going to wait till tomorrow, but after a lot of other water tests, I thought why not.
Still a little green hue, but it's coming down nicely.

I've never seen much nitrite though. Just a tiny amount:
Top and side view.

Nitrate looks surprisingly high. Hard to match the colors, but considering I dosed to around 1.5ppm ammonia It looks much higher than expected (25-50ppm):

Question is, should I redose ammonia to eg. 1ppm and see how fast it gets converted, or maybe wait a day or two before redosing?

Depends on the nitrate test, most will show a false high reading until the nitrites are zero.


I would wait till zero before doing the ammonia test, it’s a test so not really telling you much if you do it whilst ammonia is still present.

I would still do the test just to be sure, it’ll only add a day onto the cycle.

If still unsure then, and you want to splash the cash a bit more, you could add a bottle Fritz bacteria or similar but that would be just to give you a bit of comfort, shouldn’t be needed.

 

[kilnakorr]

Depends on the nitrate test, most will show a false high reading until the nitrites are zero.


I would wait till zero before doing the ammonia test, it’s a test so not really telling you much if you do it whilst ammonia is still present.

I would still do the test just to be sure, it’ll only add a day onto the cycle.

If still unsure then, and you want to splash the cash a bit more, you could add a bottle Fritz bacteria or similar but that would be just to give you a bit of comfort, shouldn’t be needed.

I still got Dr. Tims in the mail, so might as well use it when it arrives.
I'll wait a little longer to redose.

 

[kilnakorr]

Depends on the nitrate test, most will show a false high reading until the nitrites are zero.

Why is that and does it depend on nitrite levels?

 

[Reef.]

Why is that and does it depend on nitrite levels?

it’s just the way the test is designed to work, the test reduces the nitrates into nitrite, so if there is already nitrites in the water, those will be counted as nitrates.