Day 6 fishless cycle question

[tmartin412]

I'm currently fishless cycling a 15 gallon AIO. Caribsea live reef sand and caribsea dry rock substrate. Here are my parameters and question. Using API test strips (sorry new to salt and I have plenty to use up!)

Day 1 Ph 8 Nitrite 0 Nitrate 0 Ammonia 2

Day 2 PH 7.5 Nitrite 0.5 Nitrate 0 Ammonia 2

Day 3 PH 7.8 Nitrite 0.5 Nitrate 0 Ammonia 2

Day 4 PH 7.8 Nitrite 1.0 Nitrate 20 Ammonia 1

Day 5 PH 7.8 Nitrite 1.0 Nitrate 40 Ammonia 1

So my question is on day 6 and the following from the cycling site: "IF ammonia AND nitrite are below 1.0 re-dose 2.0 ppm ammonia.
I don't think I will hit either of these values but am I correct in reading that BOTH need to be below 1.0 to re-dose ammonia? I'm betting that nitrite goes above 1.0 and ammonia comes down below 1.0 and I do not need to add amonia back into the system. Just wait for both to go below .5 ppm.

 

[brandon429]

you dont need to dose ammonia again. what you're using is the old rule set, there's new ones to replace those

what you've dosed is plenty/fine so far no more ammonia needed.

what brand of bottle bac did you use

we can tie up your close date with that info...the new rules state an exact date your system is ready and testing with those strips has nothing to do with the ready date, it's based on # of days underwater with a given mix.

 

[tmartin412]

Thank you! Used Fritz Fishless Fuel and Dr. Tims.

 

[brandon429]

the specific means to be ready by 7/26/23:

take one ground up pinch of fish food, grind it into powder a small pinch, add it into the mix. wait till 7/26/23

change out most of the water for new

any rocks you had sitting in the system have bacteria attached such that you can begin reefing without testing. the fish food provides carbon which boosts the quickness of the bacteria provided, that particular strain is well-studied to arrive at the stated ready date/testless cycling date. carbon gets into reef tanks anyway even if we dont add it (take a piece of clear tape and stick/pull up along the baseboards and tops of any fans in the home, hold up to light=a lot of that mess is carbon)

boosting the carbon by fish food is the perfect speed boost for this strain used. simply wait 8 more days after adding fish food. nothing your test strips has to say factors, if anything they'll cause doubt about being ready and make you stumble in hesitation.

what your system really needs is for you read the disease forum, see how to prep reefs for fish with quarantine and fallow. if you don't do that part, the reading in the disease forum will show what happens in a few months after skipping prep. the best thread you can read at this point isn't about cycling, its this about order of stocking to avoid disease issues:

Has anyone done coral/inverts only and no fish at first?

Fish seem to be the main cause of disruption in a display tank, given the current circumstances in the hobby with pests (ich, velvet, parasites, etc.). I have been in this hobby for 18 years, and the amount of pests that are showing up lately is much more (could also be the fact that we have...

www.reef2reef.com

*can you please update us after the 26th with a pic of living things in your tank/whichever ones you select-I want to use this system in examples we build for testless cycles. what the test strips show won't factor, they're the worst misreadings kits you can run in reefing: what factors is the pic of your tank carrying life just fine after the stated ready date if you will.
B

 

[tmartin412]

I love a good semi structured citizen science project! I'll circle back with the livestock list on 7/27. Likely a snail or two and some soft corals. Going slow.

Will add a small amount of food. For the following "boosting the carbon by fish food is the perfect speed boost for this strain used." I was planning to run activated charcoal, should I start running this now or wait until 7/26.
I'll be sure to check out the other thread/forum because stocking "order" was definitely something I was thinking about.

Many thanks!

Picture from setup 7/14

 

[Uncle99]

The light from the window is not ideal.
That spectrum favors the ugly stage.
Keep light low, fish don’t care.

I don’t measure nitrite and ammonia.
Salt water rock bottle of bacteria, 2 days, add first 2 fish.
Gone are the days of lengthy cycle periods.
Enjoy.

 

[tmartin412]

The light from the window is not ideal.
That spectrum favors the ugly stage.
Keep light low, fish don’t care.

I don’t measure nitrite and ammonia.
Salt water rock bottle of bacteria, 2 days, add first 2 fish.
Gone are the days of lengthy cycle periods.
Enjoy.

I know the room lighting is not "ideal". It does get some morning light but has no indirect from 9:00 am on. My 55 fresh is just to the left of this.

 

[brandon429]

its ok to run charcoal at any time agreed

 

[BigMonkeyBrain]

I'm currently fishless cycling a 15 gallon AIO. Caribsea live reef sand and caribsea dry rock substrate. Here are my parameters and question. Using API test strips (sorry new to salt and I have plenty to use up!)

Day 1 Ph 8 Nitrite 0 Nitrate 0 Ammonia 2

Day 2 PH 7.5 Nitrite 0.5 Nitrate 0 Ammonia 2

Day 3 PH 7.8 Nitrite 0.5 Nitrate 0 Ammonia 2

Day 4 PH 7.8 Nitrite 1.0 Nitrate 20 Ammonia 1

Day 5 PH 7.8 Nitrite 1.0 Nitrate 40 Ammonia 1

So my question is on day 6 and the following from the cycling site: "IF ammonia AND nitrite are below 1.0 re-dose 2.0 ppm ammonia.
I don't think I will hit either of these values but am I correct in reading that BOTH need to be below 1.0 to re-dose ammonia? I'm betting that nitrite goes above 1.0 and ammonia comes down below 1.0 and I do not need to add amonia back into the system. Just wait for both to go below .5 ppm.

Bacteria in a bottle is not exactly the same as the bacteria that will eventually populate your tank. The bacteria in your 55 fresh may not be the same bacteria either but it works in a salt tank. Throw a used filter pad / GAC from your 55 in there - I do this all the time.

You are looking for the ammonia to decline - test strips are fine. Fish = new cycle - fish + food = new cycle - faster yes - still takes time to adjust.

Dose or add fish - your choice.


Probably happens !

 

[tmartin412]

All,

Just circling back on this thread. I tested today and nitrate/nitrite were low. Stocked with a GSP frag, 2 damsel fish, one certih snail, and 4 or so astros. I also stocked a red hermit crab but I think the cerith snail immediately attached the crab. He's out of his shell at the moment.