Cycling RSR 525XL - High Nitrates

[Plecosam]

Hi people,

I am currently cycling a Redsea Reefer 525XL, I threw a few raw prawns in the tank for a few days until I tested for ammonia and while waiting for Dr Tims ammonia to arrive. I then dosed the tank with ammmonia and Dr Tims Bacteria, I applied three doses of ammonia, dosed to ~4ppm as per instructions. I have never seen more than 2ppm whilst testing and at week 3 Ammonia is 0, Nitrite is ~0.2ppm, but I am seeing 5ppm Nitrate with an API kit and 100+ppm with a Salifert kit.

My assumption is the API is the more accurate test due to the water column having a concentration of nitrite, the tank is cycling with Caribsea Life Rock and some Maxspect blocks in the sump. I do have some live rock in there but only a few small pieces to help seed the bacteria, I doubt the nitrate could be that high and 5ppm is much more reasonable.

Thanks,
Plecosam.

 

[MohrReefs]

Hi people,

I am currently cycling a Redsea Reefer 525XL, I threw a few raw prawns in the tank for a few days until I tested for ammonia and while waiting for Dr Tims ammonia to arrive. I then dosed the tank with ammmonia and Dr Tims Bacteria, I applied three doses of ammonia, dosed to ~4ppm as per instructions. I have never seen more than 2ppm whilst testing and at week 3 Ammonia is 0, Nitrite is ~0.2ppm, but I am seeing 5ppm Nitrate with an API kit and 100+ppm with a Salifert kit.

My assumption is the API is the more accurate test due to the water column having a concentration of nitrite, the tank is cycling with Caribsea Life Rock and some Maxspect blocks in the sump. I do have some live rock in there but only a few small pieces to help seed the bacteria, I doubt the nitrate could be that high and 5ppm is much more reasonable.

Thanks,
Plecosam.

Salifert result is divided by 10, so the card saying 100 is 10ppm. Still a big difference in results, I would test again with both and check the Salifert one right at 3 minutes (seems to get darker if you let it sit too long). Either way, tank looks like its properly cycling.

 

[Plecosam]

Hey Mohr, thanks for your reply but I do understand the kit use, have had freshwater tanks for over 20yrs. Divide by 10 for <10mg/L but the Salifert kit is 100+ppm reading from the top down view.

I have checked with Salifert every day the last 3 days, always the same result, it is definitely reading very high, I cant remember buying this API kit but I found it in the cupboard.

Worth noting that both kits are in date, but I agree yes the tank is cycling.

Cheers mate

 

[MohrReefs]

Hey Mohr, thanks for your reply but I do understand the kit use, have had freshwater tanks for over 20yrs. Divide by 10 for <10mg/L but the Salifert kit is 100+ppm reading from the top down view.

I have checked with Salifert every day the last 3 days, always the same result, it is definitely reading very high, I cant remember buying this API kit but I found it in the cupboard.

Worth noting that both kits are in date, but I agree yes the tank is cycling.

Cheers mate

You're right, now I have to retest my water.

 

[Plecosam]

Lol, sorry mate!

I usually use the side scale, but I have learnt here that nitrite affects nitrate tests, I did not know that. My question is more a sanity check, well hopefully.

 

[brandon429]

This cycle is fully complete. Reasons:

all strains of bottle bac work within a few days not any take a month.


ammonia has moved down, zero is a lucky read for the test. Even if it said .5 down from 2 ppm original, that’s still cycled.

only ammonia moving down matters in cycling not nitrate nor nitrite. Nitrate is for algae tuning, and nitrite is neutral in all phases of the tank it simply doesn’t matter whatsoever / never test for nitrite again.


those three reasons are why this cycle is done, can begin reefing. Change out the rot/ algae fuel water and begin

 

[AZMSGT]

High nitrates are because you have to much decay. You say a “Few” prawns. Anything more than 1 is to many. Also if you added ammonia you increased things to go high on nitrates.

 

[MohrReefs]

Lol, sorry mate!

I usually use the side scale, but I have learnt here that nitrite affects nitrate tests, I did not know that. My question is more a sanity check, well hopefully.

Thanks for correcting me, I now know I need a water change lol

 

[Plecosam]

This cycle is fully complete. Reasons:

all strains of bottle bac work within a few days not any take a month.


ammonia has moved down, zero is a lucky read for the test. Even if it said .5 down from 2 ppm original, that’s still cycled.

only ammonia moving down matters in cycling not nitrate nor nitrite. Nitrate is for algae tuning, and nitrite is neutral in all phases of the tank it simply doesn’t matter whatsoever / never test for nitrite again.


those three reasons are why this cycle is done, can begin reefing. Change out the rot/ algae fuel water and begin

Yes I agree, cycle is complete, zero read from a seneye.

High nitrates are because you have to much decay. You say a “Few” prawns. Anything more than 1 is to many. Also if you added ammonia you increased things to go high on nitrates.

I do not think so as the prawns were tiny hence few.

 

[brandon429]

Seneye, so rare. Ultimate cycle ref

 

[Plecosam]

Seneye, so rare. Ultimate cycle ref

I do not understand what you mean, my LFS has multiple seneye devices on the shelf, maybe they are rare but not in my neck of the woods, or you mean cycling with one is rare?

Anyway, no matter either way, I will do a couple of large water changes and call it day, false reading or high decaying matter is inconsequential at this point in time.

 

[brandon429]

Very rare to have seneye measures in a cycling thread for sure. 99.5% api

 

[Plecosam]

Oh I get you, well I have a background in Control Systems/Automation so Instrumentation is a must for me, this tank has Apex automation. I really only bought the seneye for the par meter but I thought I would use the Ammonia sensor for the tank cycle.

I have not used API test kits since the 90's I think, but agree they are popular.

You are a good kid Brandon, I will do a 150litre water change today, maybe a series of them this week. The maximum change I can do is around 180, limited to my mixing container.

 

[Phil D.]

Pictures?? I have a Red Sea E-260, (no room for anything bigger), and love to see other Red Sea owner's tanks.

 

[Plecosam]

You will have to settle for Kat, my pleco, I have to work today, perhaps after work.

 

[Plecosam]

Today Nitrites finally tested to 0ppm, without any water changes since the 4th Nitrates also dropped to ~25ppm. I have not tested Nitrate for a for a while but Nitrate concentration was off the scale with a salifert kit after the last water change.

 

[brandon429]

Can you post your cycling logs for ammonia if possible


can u attach the work sheets pls~ the reason why: we have a study thread solely using seneye during cycles and we want to compare your ammonia data.
we think it’s impossible, impossible, in reefing to have any phase of ammonia cycling where the measure holds in the tenths or hundredths ppm as ‘stuck’

meaning since reefing began, api has had the hobby thinking some cycles stick, get stuck, or hover at .5 or .25 for days and weeks on end


but we think it never happens, and that seneye proves once ammonia goes down actively, it never hovers in the tenths ppm

your logs would be gold data for that thread!

 

[Plecosam]

You can see the downward trend here from when I placed the seneye in the tank, exporting data from the website is practically impossible.

 

[brandon429]

That is fully in line with our data thank you very much. im linking to the thread in the chemistry forum.

 

[Plecosam]

Lol, no problem, I tried for ages attempting to export and transpose the data in excel, then I found the seneye tools. Glad you are happy with the data, the trend has stayed at the bottom after adding fish and feeding.