Cycling with ammonia cloride?

[BeMoto]

I decided to cycle my tank with ammonia cloride this time around. 15 years ago I added a damsel and waited a month befor adding anything else.

I have 57 lbs of old live rock and 60lbs of live sand in my 55 gallon tank (Red Sea Reefer 250, 65 gallon total) I added a bottle of Fritz #9 to the tank and half of the recommended dose of ammonia to start. After that I watch ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate lvls. Witch to be honest nitrites has been higher than I can test for, 1PPM is max on the Red Sea kit.

So with the Red Sea Nitrate kit I can dilute the tank water with RoDi (4ml RoDi + 1ml tank water) water and multiply it ×5 to get reading. The directions doesn't say I can do this with nitrite. Is there a test kit that can read over 1ppm nitrate? Or could i dilute the nitrite test if I do the math right?

After a few days Nitrite reads 0ppm and I dosed ammonia again and got a reading of 3ppm. the nexted day ammonia read <1, nitrite >1, and nitrates about 100ppm. So i believe my tank is cycled. At this point do i worry about nitrates getting to high?

I thought i would start seeing some kind of critters/life by now but i haven't seen anything with my eyes yet. I'm slightly concerned about this, but also know patients is everything sometimes.

Should i keep doing ammonia and monitor? I feel like i could add a fish at this point but I was planning on letting the tank cycle for long period of time. My plan was 4 months total, I'm only 1 month in. At what point do i worry about Nitrates? I willing to let the tank cycle as long as possible for the better overall health of the tank, but not really sure if I'm doing this right. So if I'm doing this wrong no amount of time matters.

Any information is appreciated.

 

[naterealbig]

I decided to cycle my tank with ammonia cloride this time around. 15 years ago I added a damsel and waited a month befor adding anything else.

I have 57 lbs of old live rock and 60lbs of live sand in my 55 gallon tank (Red Sea Reefer 250, 65 gallon total) I added a bottle of Fritz #9 to the tank and half of the recommended dose of ammonia to start. After that I watch ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate lvls. Witch to be honest nitrites has been higher than I can test for, 1PPM is max on the Red Sea kit.

So with the Red Sea Nitrate kit I can dilute the tank water with RoDi (4ml RoDi + 1ml tank water) water and multiply it ×5 to get reading. The directions doesn't say I can do this with nitrite. Is there a test kit that can read over 1ppm nitrate? Or could i dilute the nitrite test if I do the math right?

After a few days Nitrite reads 0ppm and I dosed ammonia again and got a reading of 3ppm. the nexted day ammonia read <1, nitrite >1, and nitrates about 100ppm. So i believe my tank is cycled. At this point do i worry about nitrates getting to high?

I thought i would start seeing some kind of critters/life by now but i haven't seen anything with my eyes yet. I'm slightly concerned about this, but also know patients is everything sometimes.

Should i keep doing ammonia and monitor? I feel like i could add a fish at this point but I was planning on letting the tank cycle for long period of time. My plan was 4 months total, I'm only 1 month in. At what point do i worry about Nitrates? I willing to let the tank cycle as long as possible for the better overall health of the tank, but not really sure if I'm doing this right. So if I'm doing this wrong no amount of time matters.

Any information is appreciated.

All sounds good, no major issues based on your info. Sounds like your system is processing ammonia well.

As for critters you can't see - could be a couple things :

1. The old "old live rock" - had it been kept in a running system, or was it dry when you added it?

With regards to nitrates: 100 ppm is higher than you want, regardless of what you are wanting keep. So a few large water changes, maybe 20-30%, a couple days apart until your nitrates register 5-25 ppm...

I would do it in these steps :

1. Wait 1-2 weeks for bacteria populations to grow /stabilize. Continue to dose the ammonia daily, and test to ensure the ammonia is reduced to 0 within 24 hours. If this is true consistently, move to step 2.

2. Stop dosing ammonia. Perform 20-30% water change, 2 days apart. Test your nitrate 24 hours after the water change. Continue this until your nitrate reads less than 25. Decrease your water change regimen to 10-15% weekly moving forward.

3. (QT your fish is you have the setup -I recommend this - then) add a small, hearty fish, and monitor.

 

[lapin]

Stop the ammonia. Your tank is cycled
Do a large water change to get rid of the high nitrate. Ideally you want it to be 5 to 10 to start.
Stuff will grow. A watched pot will never boil.

 

[BeMoto]

1. The old "old live rock" - had it been kept in a running system, or was it dry when you added it?

The rock was live long ago, it sat dry for 15 year.

 

[naterealbig]

I understand. Until you add some media in the way of frag plugs, an established piece of live rock, rubble, macro algae, etc, the critters you can see will likely not come.

Once you start adding things that contain the worms, Amphipods, Copepods, etc, they will multiply (assuming there is food present, and parameters will support their lifecycle) and then you will start seeing them.

 

[BeMoto]

What's the point of the live sand? Thought that would bring in some critters over time.

 

[naterealbig]

You could stop ammonia dosing now , with likely a minimal effect. I fancy the idea of continuing to dose, as it will provide duel for the aerobic bacteria populations. Although, they will likely survive in sufficient amounts until you add life which secrets ammonia to sustain. Either way you do it, should be fine.

 

[naterealbig]

What's the point of the live sand? Thought that would bring in some critters over time.

Live (theoretically) with bacteria only. Nothing you will be able to see with the naked eye. The (theoretical) benefit, is it will help establish your initial bacterial population.

 

[BeMoto]

That makes sense I suppose. last time the live rock was actually live, didn't take long to see pods. I guess I was hoping for the same thing.

 

[naterealbig]

That makes sense I suppose. last time the live rock was actually live, didn't take long to see pods. I guess I was hoping for the same thing.

Even a small piece of rock from a trusted source will eventually get you where you want to be. The larger amount of "live" outside material you add the more quickly you will see them in higher numbers. Even if you don't want the macro algae in your system, you could purchase some, shake it very well under water in your display, and it would add many forms of life to the tank. (You can throw the macro away when you're done). The macro can be had pretty cheaply from the selling forum here. Just remember, you will need to be feeding the tank regularly.

 

[BeMoto]

I'll have to get something soon. I was planning on picking up a fish and start the quarantine process soon.

I'll have to look into getting a piece of LR from someone. I didn't think I would have to since the rock at one point was live. Maybe I'll have to Qt the rock as well in a separate container by itself.

 

[naterealbig]

Great idea. I QT everything that goes in the tank. Fish are easy - I use a 10 day protocol with copper, General Cure, Metronidazole, and Praziquantil. My fish have NEVER been sick or had Ich . Invertebrates are harder - 76 days in a fishless system to kill off Ich and other fish pests. Just started a 76 day round of QT for a coral haul. Long wait, but completely with it if you are planning to be in the game awhile....

 

[BeMoto]

@naterealbig looks nice. Planning Qt everything, hopefully everything goes smoothly.


Thanks for your help.

 

[naterealbig]

@naterealbig looks nice. Planning Qt everything, hopefully everything goes smoothly.


Thanks for your help.

Thank you, and you're welcome! A thousand ways to skin a cat here, and there are a lot more "right" ways than just the ones I've mentioned. Read and have fun - DM if you need help with anything or just call/text.... xxx-xxx-xxxx.
[Note, I edited out the phone number to protect you from spam calls, etc., I suggest sending the number by pm, Randy]