Cycling Question

[Eric1493]

Hi all,
I recently started my first tank, a 20 gallon high with dry rock and dry sand and ghost fed until I saw 1.0-2.0 ppm ammonia. Then I added a bottle of bio-spira and waited. Ammonia rapidly went down from 2.0ppm to 0.5ppm, and nitrite shot up to over 5 ppm. However, its been almost a week, and nothing has changed. All measurements were taken with an API test kit. What should I do now? Is it possible that I have somehow killed the nitrifying bacteria? Thank you in advance!

 

[Webslinger]

patience is a virtue. Throw in a cheap black molly (fresh water)

 

[Eric1493]

Thank you for the quick reply! Would that not kill it? I don't plan to keep any mollies, and I also don't want to kill any fish unnecessarily with a fish-in cycle.

 

[neiltus]

keep waiting-'it's been a week'

 

[MaxxuM]

Hi all,
I recently started my first tank, a 20 gallon high with dry rock and dry sand and ghost fed until I saw 1.0-2.0 ppm ammonia. Then I added a bottle of bio-spira and waited. Ammonia rapidly went down from 2.0ppm to 0.5ppm, and nitrite shot up to over 5 ppm. However, its been almost a week, and nothing has changed. All measurements were taken with an API test kit. What should I do now? Is it possible that I have somehow killed the nitrifying bacteria? Thank you in advance!

Nitrite tends to linger a little longer with BIO-Spira. You should have a big spike in nitrates soon as well. Give it a few more days. It will go down.

 

[Eric1493]

Ok, thank you all for your input! So is 0.5ppm ammonia lingering not a concern?

 

[MaxxuM]

Na... It'll go down soon. I use the same stuff. Think it took a total of 2 weeks for everything to get to zero.

 

[Eric1493]

Na... It'll go down soon. I use the same stuff. Think it took a total of 2 weeks for everything to get to zero.

Ok, thank you so much for your help!

 

[Webslinger]

Thank you for the quick reply! Would that not kill it? I don't plan to keep any mollies, and I also don't want to kill any fish unnecessarily with a fish-in cycle.

molly's are a good fish to use for a new tank: cheap, hardy, easy to catch and algae eating monsters

 

[Bryn]

Ok, thank you all for your input! So is 0.5ppm ammonia lingering not a concern?

With an API ammonia test, which I like because they are cheap, it is often reported to show a 0.5ppm ammonia level when other tests show 0ppm. I like using the test to show color change, not the accuracy. Change of color up or down indicates to me the cycle is working.

Two things most of us either learn, or relearn is to hurry up and wait, and slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

 

[Eric1493]

With an API ammonia test, which I like because they are cheap, it is often reported to show a 0.5ppm ammonia level when other tests show 0ppm. I like using the test to show color change, not the accuracy. Change of color up or down indicates to me the cycle is working.

Two things most of us either learn, or relearn is to hurry up and wait, and slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

I see, I read somewhere that API test kits display 0.25 when ammonia is actually 0, but I didn't know that it could read 0.5. If ammonia is truly zero, is there any risk of starving the ammonia converting bacteria?

 

[Bryn]

I see, I read somewhere that API test kits display 0.25 when ammonia is actually 0, but I didn't know that it could read 0.5. If ammonia is truly zero, is there any risk of starving the ammonia converting bacteria?

No, not now it has started. The tank would have to be fallow for a considerable time, and the bacteria would just enter a resting stage. My experience is with rock that has sat in a tub for over a year with no additional ammonia from me, varying salinity, and temp that cycled in a week, taking ammonia from 5ppm to 0ppm in 24 hrs after 7 days.

 

[Eric1493]

Ok, Thank you for your help! I will just let the tank sit for a few days and test again.

 

[tankstudy]

Hi all,
I recently started my first tank, a 20 gallon high with dry rock and dry sand and ghost fed until I saw 1.0-2.0 ppm ammonia. Then I added a bottle of bio-spira and waited. Ammonia rapidly went down from 2.0ppm to 0.5ppm, and nitrite shot up to over 5 ppm. However, its been almost a week, and nothing has changed. All measurements were taken with an API test kit. What should I do now? Is it possible that I have somehow killed the nitrifying bacteria? Thank you in advance!

With biospira or any of the bacteria products you generally want to go with a known concentration of ammonia. If you were ghost feeding till you saw 1-2 ppm ammonia, more than likely you probably overkilled the amount of ammonia causing you to have the 5 ppm nitrite. Even with a known concentration of ammonia, your not suppose to dose till you can test and see it at 1-2 ppm ammonia.

Dr. Tim who has his own bacterial product line and is a microbiologist says that if the nitrite concentrations get too high, ~ 5 ppm, it really slows/stalls the cycle.

You can easily resolve this by just waiting several weeks as the bacteria slowly work in non optimal conditions to break the nitrite down or you can do a 50% water change which will bring your nitrite to 2.5 ppm which is under the 5 ppm nitrite mark.

Realistically as long as you don't add anymore ammonia, you should be fine just waiting or if you need a tank up ASAP, a 50% water change to get your nitrite under 5 ppm will get your bacteria back on track.

Now if you do go with a water change and nitrite doesn't seem to drop, that usually means you probably have a lot more ammonia than you originally thought you had.

 

[Eric1493]

With biospira or any of the bacteria products you generally want to go with a known concentration of ammonia. If you were ghost feeding till you saw 1-2 ppm ammonia, more than likely you probably overkilled the amount of ammonia causing you to have the 5 ppm nitrite. Even with a known concentration of ammonia, your not suppose to dose till you can test and see it at 1-2 ppm ammonia.

Dr. Tim who has his own bacterial product line and is a microbiologist says that if the nitrite concentrations get too high, ~ 5 ppm, it really slows/stalls the cycle.

You can easily resolve this by just waiting several weeks as the bacteria slowly work in non optimal conditions to break the nitrite down or you can do a 50% water change which will bring your nitrite to 2.5 ppm which is under the 5 ppm nitrite mark.

Realistically as long as you don't add anymore ammonia, you should be fine just waiting or if you need a tank up ASAP, a 50% water change to get your nitrite under 5 ppm will get your bacteria back on track.

Now if you do go with a water change and nitrite doesn't seem to drop, that usually means you probably have a lot more ammonia than you originally thought you had.

Thank you for your advice! I realize I overkilled the ammonia, just a bit too late lol. I'll consider doing a water change, but I'm not in a big hurry, as this is my first tank, and I'll just take it slow and let the cycle take its course.

 

[Qasimja]

usually when i cycle a tank at least for me ammonia to nitrite is really quick and its much longer going from nitrite to nitrate

 

[Eric1493]

usually when i cycle a tank at least for me ammonia to nitrite is really quick and its much longer going from nitrite to nitrate

Good to know, thanks for the advice!

 

[brandon429]

I claim your tank is fully cycled and we can prove it.

interested in proving your tank is ready, now?
what your wastewater reads doesn’t matter one iota. Change your wastewater for new clean water, the biofilm left adhered to rocks and unharmed by the water change is your filter, fully ready.

You used one day cycling products. Just so this doesn’t seem like an off the cuff baseless claim:

Bio-spira works great

I just started a new tank a little over a week ago. I started with all dry rock and new sand. I added a bottle of Bio-Spira and put fish and coral the same day. Never saw any ammonia and fish and coral seem healthy.

www.reef2reef.com

translation for your tank: unless you have digital lab ammonia gear, you don’t have a real nh3 ammonia reading. Use alternate means

a cycling chart is is dual axis...solving for time solves for params/ heart of the matter. Ammonia was 8-10 days on all *unboosted* cycle charts. Add bottle bac, that boost moves up the time axis.
Biospira=plates onto surfaces in a day or two max.

no cycle has stalled in reefing, we have been misadvised on how cycles work in my opinion. A convenient benefit of the misinformation, that we wait for zero ammonia zero nitrite and some nitrate, or the cycle is stalled, sure has sold lots of redundant bac purchases. For example, there isn’t a zero ammonia state in an active reef, find seneye users reporting zero, ever. Or mindstream users.

But if you change your wastewater for new, and add animals, they live. Ike added a three hundred dollar anemone on day one, I knew I’d found a kindred soul that day lol

Just because fish live doesn’t mean a tank is cycled / aware

thats why i always call for new water. That exports suspension bac- pre adherence- and tests solely what is an adhered filter community where water changes cannot undo... that’s the definition of a completed cycle. A cycle is complete when water changes can not undo oxidation ability to carry initial bioload, new definition.

 

[brandon429]

Considering what Ike has in that tank day 1- current, we know your tank will handle a starting bioload reasonably. Also change cycling water so you have less new reef uglies

 

[Erick Armanii]

Just wait it out.. add an uncooked cocktail shrimp into the tank to jumpstart the bacteria.

I did that, added some bacteria in a bottle, and just waited a few months... (yes a few months)

I eventually added some copepods and phytoplankton, a pair of clown fish and then waited a few more weeks with the lights off.. completely skipped the ugly phase..