Cycling - Fritz turbo start

rojees

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 25, 2021
Messages
60
Reaction score
11
Location
hong kong
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Ok guys, its me again.

A little background to my tank, I initially used fish flakes but nothing happened so I had to get ammonia solution. Had been dosing to get to 2ppm, it only ever dropped once (no idea what happened there) over 3 weeks and that's why I went out to get fritz turbo start 900 to kickstart the cycle.


So 2 days ago, I used fritz turbo start 900 in my tank. The ammonia was still around 2ppm, but the nitrites went through the roof (I used the sera nitrite test and it read 5.0ppm, red colour on the chart).

The next day, ammonia dropped to about 0.5ppm, so i dosed it back to 2ppm. Nitrites still 5.0ppm

Today, ammonia roughly 1ppm, so I added a little more, nitrites again 5ppm. I even used the sera Nitrate test, and its through the roof too (≥100 mg/l), dark red colour

1. Do I leave it as is? and continue dosing ammonia to 2ppm or
2. do a water change to lower the nitrites and nitrates now? or will that happen naturally?
4. is the cycle stalled because nitrite and nitrates too high?
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
View Badges
Joined
Dec 9, 2014
Messages
29,482
Reaction score
23,570
Location
tejas
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
This cycle is done, here’s the thread explaining test issues you’re having:
 

Spare time

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 12, 2019
Messages
12,037
Reaction score
9,671
Location
Here
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Typically, you wait for 0 ammonia and 0 nitrite, then you dose again. Follow this with a big water change to bring the nitrate down. It is normal for nitrite to be processed more slowly than ammonia.

After that, you should be fine.
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
View Badges
Joined
Dec 9, 2014
Messages
29,482
Reaction score
23,570
Location
tejas
Rating - 0%
0   0   0


that shows how your test kits are misreading at week 3


all cycles from a bottle are done, you didn’t need to drive a tenth of the degree of ammonia you dosed so any mixed test results are ok, your bacteria are well not harmed. The thread specifically shows no cycle has stalled in reefing and it specifically shows we don’t factor nitrite in updated cycle science. Your cycle is done because a digital ammonia meter wouldn’t show what your current meter shows, and because Fritz is skip cycle bottle bac, the best you can buy. Test kits that aren’t digital mislead you this badly, hard to believe but how many unstuck cycles is that above exactly like yours at the start…all of them are a match to your cycle. All are reefing happily as of today

do a water change, add life, it lives bc the surfaces are primed and fully ready, not partially ready.
 
Last edited:

Garf

5000 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 23, 2020
Messages
5,016
Reaction score
5,852
Location
BEEFINGHAM
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Ok guys, its me again.

A little background to my tank, I initially used fish flakes but nothing happened so I had to get ammonia solution. Had been dosing to get to 2ppm, it only ever dropped once (no idea what happened there) over 3 weeks and that's why I went out to get fritz turbo start 900 to kickstart the cycle.


So 2 days ago, I used fritz turbo start 900 in my tank. The ammonia was still around 2ppm, but the nitrites went through the roof (I used the sera nitrite test and it read 5.0ppm, red colour on the chart).

The next day, ammonia dropped to about 0.5ppm, so i dosed it back to 2ppm. Nitrites still 5.0ppm

Today, ammonia roughly 1ppm, so I added a little more, nitrites again 5ppm. I even used the sera Nitrate test, and its through the roof too (≥100 mg/l), dark red colour

1. Do I leave it as is? and continue dosing ammonia to 2ppm or
2. do a water change to lower the nitrites and nitrates now? or will that happen naturally?
4. is the cycle stalled because nitrite and nitrates too high?
A picture of the tank would be good. Sounds like you could start stocking. You can ignore nitrate with nitrite in the water, it just messes up the test and low nitrites are of no concern in saltwater.
 
OP
OP
R

rojees

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 25, 2021
Messages
60
Reaction score
11
Location
hong kong
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Right I'm not home so asked family to take this.

Water is hazy. You say low nitrites are no concern in saltwater but my reading seems quite high, 5.0ppm?
 

Attachments

  • rock tank.jpg
    rock tank.jpg
    82.5 KB · Views: 139

Spare time

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 12, 2019
Messages
12,037
Reaction score
9,671
Location
Here
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Right I'm not home so asked family to take this.

Water is hazy. You say low nitrites are no concern in saltwater but my reading seems quite high, 5.0ppm?


The only number I know of to be dangerous is 25ppm (for perc clownfish).

 
OP
OP
R

rojees

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 25, 2021
Messages
60
Reaction score
11
Location
hong kong
Rating - 0%
0   0   0


that shows how your test kits are misreading at week 3


all cycles from a bottle are done, you didn’t need to drive a tenth of the degree of ammonia you dosed so any mixed test results are ok, your bacteria are well not harmed. The thread specifically shows no cycle has stalled in reefing and it specifically shows we don’t factor nitrite in updated cycle science. Your cycle is done because a digital ammonia meter wouldn’t show what your current meter shows, and because Fritz is skip cycle bottle bac, the best you can buy. Test kits that aren’t digital mislead you this badly, hard to believe but how many unstuck cycles is that above exactly like yours at the start…all of them are a match to your cycle. All are reefing happily as of today

do a water change, add life, it lives bc the surfaces are primed and fully ready, not partially ready.
wow, thanks for this, I'm gonna need a bit of time to read that thread. Looks like I will need to invest in some digital kits
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
View Badges
Joined
Dec 9, 2014
Messages
29,482
Reaction score
23,570
Location
tejas
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Before you buy though/ save time reading this is the summary (pages are for proofing the claims)

- what ammonia does and what nitrite does is already known and tracked for all reefs before they're even assembled. Given the type of cycle chosen, we already know the start time (it's how they manage reef conventions to start on time)

pretty much every cycle fixed is assigned a start date as soon as we discern # of days underwater out from their overall cycling description.


After cycling closes ammonia doesn't rise again unless fish disease or hardware failure kills them first, ammonia never drifts out of spec the purpose of the thread is to have you not buy digital meters except for nitrate if you'd like


Spend no money on ammonia reading and for sure nitrite reading because we predict their every move there without expensive gear

If you had already been using seneye though, the ammonia concern wouldn't exist
 
OP
OP
R

rojees

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 25, 2021
Messages
60
Reaction score
11
Location
hong kong
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Right I'm not home so asked family to take this.

Water is hazy. You say low nitrites are no concern in saltwater but my reading seems quite high, 5.0ppm?
Is the water hazy due to bacterial bloom?
 

mike550

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 13, 2019
Messages
2,263
Reaction score
2,373
Location
Chicago
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I used Fritz Turbostart 900 and added a couple of clown fish two days later. No issues.
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
View Badges
Joined
Dec 9, 2014
Messages
29,482
Reaction score
23,570
Location
tejas
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
that haze can easily be excess feeding causing water column blooms agreed, the water change exports their mass vs degrades them within like uv will do. For larger systems not practical for big water change, run granular carbon it’ll clear

turn off lights a while too if problematic bloom but combine that with an export means, don’t just rot the mass in the tank.
 
OP
OP
R

rojees

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 25, 2021
Messages
60
Reaction score
11
Location
hong kong
Rating - 0%
0   0   0


that shows how your test kits are misreading at week 3


all cycles from a bottle are done, you didn’t need to drive a tenth of the degree of ammonia you dosed so any mixed test results are ok, your bacteria are well not harmed. The thread specifically shows no cycle has stalled in reefing and it specifically shows we don’t factor nitrite in updated cycle science. Your cycle is done because a digital ammonia meter wouldn’t show what your current meter shows, and because Fritz is skip cycle bottle bac, the best you can buy. Test kits that aren’t digital mislead you this badly, hard to believe but how many unstuck cycles is that above exactly like yours at the start…all of them are a match to your cycle. All are reefing happily as of today

do a water change, add life, it lives bc the surfaces are primed and fully ready, not partially ready.
So just do water change and get some fish? anything I need to "expect" after the water change?
(I recently got some Real Reef rock put in)
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
View Badges
Joined
Dec 9, 2014
Messages
29,482
Reaction score
23,570
Location
tejas
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
We show top link there that fish disease is the concern in all cycling threads, not the cycle. You’ll need to choose a method that doesn’t kill your fish in eight months. If skipping fish disease preps was possible the fish disease forum here wouldn’t be busy by the second


the fish about to be added will immediately violate all prep options, qt them or buy only qt fish
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
View Badges
Joined
Dec 9, 2014
Messages
29,482
Reaction score
23,570
Location
tejas
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Even the dreaded dead bottle of bacteria wouldn’t apply here, there’s no way every cell would be dead in holding anyway and giving a bottle of even that much living cells + what’s coming in naturally would still cycle in three weeks given the direct feeding that happened.
 

brandon429

why did you put a reef in that
View Badges
Joined
Dec 9, 2014
Messages
29,482
Reaction score
23,570
Location
tejas
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
You should do a large water change and start clean, without the boosting feed and it’ll work perfectly
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 66 37.3%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 59 33.3%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 14.1%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 27 15.3%
  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
Back
Top