Fishless Cycle 4th day

[Zoriem]

Ok so im new to to reef aquariums , Im Cycling a red sea max 20gal tank, dry rock, live sand and filled my media basket(3D printed media filter) with Aquaforest live bio fil.
I added the right ammount of drops for my tank(80 drops) of Fritz Aquatics Fishless Fuel Ammonia to get it to 2ppm.
I then added the required ammount of MicroBacter Start XLM , I know i shouldnt but i have been testing for ammonia and nitrite daily with Salifert test kits.
this have been my readings for the past 3 days
Day 1
Nitrite: Not tested(didnt have test kit)
Ammonia: 2
Temp: 78
Day 2
Nitrite:1 looking the test kit from the side
Ammonia:1.5
PH: 8.0
Temp: 78
Day 3
Nitrite: 1
Ammonia: 1.5
Temp: 78
Day 4
Nitrite: 4 looking the vial from the side (.25 looking from the top )
Ammonia:1.5
Temp: 78
Is it normal that I've been getting the same ammonia reading?
Also for Nitrite reading should i read it from the top or the side? intructions show it can be done both ways.

 

[19Mateo83]

Ok so im new to to reef aquariums , Im Cycling a red sea max 20gal tank, dry rock, live sand and filled my media basket(3D printed media filter) with Aquaforest live bio fil.
I added the right ammount of drops for my tank(80 drops) of Fritz Aquatics Fishless Fuel Ammonia to get it to 2ppm.
I then added the required ammount of MicroBacter Start XLM , I know i shouldnt but i have been testing for ammonia and nitrite daily with Salifert test kits.
this have been my readings for the past 3 days
Day 1
Nitrite: Not tested(didnt have test kit)
Ammonia: 2
Temp: 78
Day 2
Nitrite:1 looking the test kit from the side
Ammonia:1.5
PH: 8.0
Temp: 78
Day 3
Nitrite: 1
Ammonia: 1.5
Temp: 78
Day 4
Nitrite: 4 looking the vial from the side (.25 looking from the top )
Ammonia:1.5
Temp: 78
Is it normal that I've been getting the same ammonia reading?
Also for Nitrite reading should i read it from the top or the side? intructions show it can be done both ways.

 

[19Mateo83]

Looking through the side is the “high resolution” way to read it. You have to devide the results by 10. You can use this to cross check if you having trouble differentiating the color reading it from the top down.

 

[KrisReef]

Ok so im new to to reef aquariums.

We all were once, and lots of us still like it!

, I know i shouldnt but i have been testing for ammonia and nitrite daily with Salifert test kits.

If you know you shouldn’t then why are you doing this? More importantly, why not test? I test my tank when I want to see what it is doing. My phosphorus dropped in half this afternoon so I’m going to test it again tomorrow morning and see if I should disconnect the phosphorus filter.

Day 1
Ammonia: 2
Temp: 78
Day 2
Ammonia:1.5
Day 3
Ammonia: 1.5
Is it normal that I've been getting the same ammonia reading?

Yes. Salifert is a reputable test kit manufacturer.

Also for Nitrite reading should i read it from the top or the side? intructions show it can be done both ways.

I’m not sure but I think the side view is 10x vs the top view because of the distance you are looking through.

The only reason to test is to find out what the tank is doing. I’m not sure why you are “not supposed to be testing” unless the process takes time and you have not waited for the time to pass before you test? The salifert tests are not that expensive but if you test less then maybe you will not need to buy more reagents which means that you can buy more fish and coral instead!

The cycle takes time to get the bacteria film coverage that you need to process fish waste. Some people don’t test they just add the bacteria, wait a few hours or more and then put in livestock. I did this except I used live rock and moved a cycled tank to my house and added live rock from a barrel in my garage and moved a bunch of fish I had into the tank later in the day. No tests, no issues, bacteria are more reliable than the hobby test kits.

 

[Zoriem]

Looking through the side is the “high resolution” way to read it. You have to devide the results by 10. You can use this to cross check if you having trouble differentiating the color reading it from the top down.

yea i figured, no wonder it gives different readings based on how you look at it

 

[Zoriem]

If you know you shouldn’t then why are you doing this? More importantly, why not test? I test my tank when I want to see what it is doing. My phosphorus dropped in half this afternoon so I’m going to test it again tomorrow morning and see if I should disconnect the phosphorus filter.

Yea people give different opinions, some say you shouldnt be testing daily , But i get what your saying, It doesnt hurt to be testing to see what my tank is doing.

The cycle takes time to get the bacteria film coverage that you need to process fish waste.

And I guess I just have to be patient
I was just curios because i have red post of other people that Cycle in a similar way and got it done in 6 days.

 

[Outlaw Corals]

You should have used the Fritz turbo start not the microbactor 7

 

[lmfbs]

Yea people give different opinions, some say you shouldnt be testing daily , But i get what your saying, It doesnt hurt to be testing to see what my tank is doing.

And I guess I just have to be patient
I was just curios because i have red post of other people that Cycle in a similar way and got it done in 6 days.

I cycled with Dr Tim's ammonia and Microbacter Start XLM and was cycled in 6 days (no ammonia reading, nitrites trending down, nitrate visible.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Ok so im new to to reef aquariums , Im Cycling a red sea max 20gal tank, dry rock, live sand and filled my media basket(3D printed media filter) with Aquaforest live bio fil.
I added the right ammount of drops for my tank(80 drops) of Fritz Aquatics Fishless Fuel Ammonia to get it to 2ppm.
I then added the required ammount of MicroBacter Start XLM , I know i shouldnt but i have been testing for ammonia and nitrite daily with Salifert test kits.
this have been my readings for the past 3 days
Day 1
Nitrite: Not tested(didnt have test kit)
Ammonia: 2
Temp: 78
Day 2
Nitrite:1 looking the test kit from the side
Ammonia:1.5
PH: 8.0
Temp: 78
Day 3
Nitrite: 1
Ammonia: 1.5
Temp: 78
Day 4
Nitrite: 4 looking the vial from the side (.25 looking from the top )
Ammonia:1.5
Temp: 78
Is it normal that I've been getting the same ammonia reading?
Also for Nitrite reading should i read it from the top or the side? intructions show it can be done both ways.

If you wish to save your sanity, simply close the door, ignore the tank and come back in another 21 days.

The tank will be cycled and you can throw in a couple of fish.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Agree to be more patient. Testing ammonia is important during the cycle, but no need to test every day, not till you get to the second or third week anyway. A cycle takes a few weeks to complete. It can be rushed through in a matter of days, but if you're not involved in a race then why hurry? (especially when you don't know what you're doing yet)

 

[exnisstech]

I didn't see it mentioned but I would be testing nitrate. Personally I don't even own an ammonia or nitrite test kit. Once nitrates are rising I call it cycled and add fish. Just one or two tho and see how they do. Some times I hang an ammonia badge just for piece of mine. I use them in QT also with good results.

 

[Zoriem]

I cycled with Dr Tim's ammonia and Microbacter Start XLM and was cycled in 6 days (no ammonia reading, nitrites trending down, nitrate visible.

Yea i have seen cases of people cycling their tanks in about 6 days, i guess that wont be the case for me

 

[Zoriem]

If you wish to save your sanity, simply close the door, ignore the tank and come back in another 21 days.

The tank will be cycled and you can throw in a couple of fish.

Cant wait for that day to finally arrive !!

 

[Zoriem]

Agree to be more patient. Testing ammonia is important during the cycle, but no need to test every day, not till you get to the second or third week anyway. A cycle takes a few weeks to complete. It can be rushed through in a matter of days, but if you're not involved in a race then why hurry? (especially when you don't know what you're doing yet)

I guess you are right, Patience is another thing that we learn when getting into this hobby

 

[lmfbs]

Yea i have seen cases of people cycling their tanks in about 6 days, i guess that wont be the case for me

Honestly the bacteria cycling stuff is amazing. When I was last in the hobby bacteria cycling was super unreliable and not many people trusted it.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Honestly the bacteria cycling stuff is amazing. When I was last in the hobby bacteria cycling was super unreliable and not many people trusted it.

Yep, a Pill for every ill

It's worth keeping in mind though, that if you take a batch of freshly made salt water, chuck some dead rocks in it and sit it in the open with some circulation in a month or so it will cycle itself just from what's floating around in the air.

That's how we used to cycle tanks until some folks wanted to do it faster and so chucked a prawn head in there as well.

Maybe you did it that way in the past

 

[Zoriem]

Todays water test:
Ammonia: 1.5
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate : 50
Nitrite and Nitrate went up today. Ammonia same reading

is it normal that MicroBacter Start XLM has no smell at all?

 

[n00bReefer]

Todays water test:
Ammonia: 1.5
Nitrite: 2
Nitrate : 50
Nitrite and Nitrate went up today. Ammonia same reading

is it normal that MicroBacter Start XLM has no smell at all?

From your readings it looks like your tank is cycled. I had the same thing happen to me with a API tester. API would read Ammonia at 2ppm, for what seemed like forever ... I was so confused that I purchased a Hanna tester and wouldn't you know, the Hanna tester read 0.0x. Your Nitrates are high which is good and should start coming down.

 

[BeanAnimal]

Honestly the bacteria cycling stuff is amazing. When I was last in the hobby bacteria cycling was super unreliable and not many people trusted it.

Unless I am missing something, the nitrogen cycle existed long before we did… Put water somewhere, add oxygen and some form of organic matter and bacteria colonize to consume and break down said organic material.

 

[lmfbs]

Unless I am missing something, the nitrogen cycle existed long before we did… Put water somewhere, add oxygen and some form of organic matter and bacteria colonize to consume and break down said organic material.

I was talking about bottled bacteria which has massively improved - not implying that the nitrogen cycle didn't exist until 2008!