Hanna or eXact iDip

[GainesvilleReef]

What size tank do you have and what ammonia are you using?

 

[Adamantium]

What ammonia test are you using? API is notorious for always showing a false positive small amount.

 

[canadianeh]

What size tank do you have and what ammonia are you using?

My tank is Red Sea Reefer 250. I am using Dr Tim's ammonia that I used over 3 years ago and Dr Tim's one and only nitrifying bacteria (newly bought).

What ammonia test are you using? API is notorious for always showing a false positive small amount.

I am using Salifert

 

[GainesvilleReef]

Check your bottle of ammonia. If it is an old one it may say 2 drops per gallon. The new ones say 4 drops per gallon. After dosing the correct dosage you should have close to a 2 ppm test result. If you don't raise the concentration high enough the bacteria will remain dormant.

 

[canadianeh]

Check your bottle of ammonia. If it is an old one it may say 2 drops per gallon. The new ones say 4 drops per gallon. If after dosing the correct dosage you should have close to 2 ppm test result. If you don't raise the concentration high enough the bacteria will remain dormant.

my ammonia bottle says 1 drop per gallon. I put in 65 drops so technically I put more as it should be less than 65 gallons (minus sands and rocks). I bought the ammonia over 3 years ago for my first tank. It was sitting in the storage but never frozen.

What do you think of the test results for those 11 days?

 

[GainesvilleReef]

They are telling me you are not dosing enough ammonia. You should have a number 10 times greater after the first day. In the range of 1.5, not 0.15 ppm. Something is either off with your testing or the ammonia concentration. After looking at it again I think it might be the testing. I have had old bottles of ammonia not produce the expected concentration after dosing.

 

[canadianeh]

They are telling me you are not dosing enough ammonia. You should have a number 10 times greater after the first day. In the range of 1.5, not 0.15 ppm. Something is either off with your testing or the ammonia concentration. After looking at it again I think it might be the testing. I have had old bottles of ammonia not produce the expected concentration after dosing.

I didn't mention that I am also using 1 bag of live sand and all my rocks are Caribsea purple liferock which comes with bacteria already. do you think this can cause it?

 

[GainesvilleReef]

Take a gallon of new saltwater. Add 1 drop of ammonia. Test for ammonia. Your test kit should read around 2 ppm.

I doubt the rock and sand would convert the first 2 ppm in less than 24 hours.

 

[canadianeh]

Take a gallon of new saltwater. Add 1 drop of ammonia. Test for ammonia. Your test kit should read around 2 ppm.

I doubt the rock and sand would convert the first 2 ppm in less than 24 hours.

I also dump one full bottle of new dr tims one and only nitrifying bacteria, if that counts for anything.

Can I just use regular tap water and add 1 drop of ammonia? or do I need saltwater?

 

[GainesvilleReef]

It needs to be saltwater not freshly mixed.

I had assumed you were using Dr Tim's. It still to quick for the first 24 hours.

 

[canadianeh]

It needs to be saltwater not freshly mixed.

I had assumed you were using Dr Tim's. It still to quick for the first 24 hours.

It is interesting the type of water is important just to detect ammonia. Base on the type of water it will give me different readings?

 

[GainesvilleReef]

I believe it has to do with the PH.

 

[canadianeh]

@brandon429 invited him to this

 

[brandon429]

its fun to see cycle start date threads


always benchmark against what marine aquarium conventions do, to have 500 reefs start on time, without variance. that alone is the proof that cycles do not have to range in completion date, but can be opted to begin on a Friday.

this particular current Friday.

so that being the measure, conventions with 50K in corals and fish and rocks and sand instantly set up, what have they done you didn't do, and what did you do that they did do?

lol but really we should compare your reef in that way, put down the test kits for a sec we're not dealing with a working seneye measure, we're into horseshoeing with nonseneye. Im about to make a plea to the court you can begin reefing after a certain complex step, changing out your water.

to avoid contempt of court, well I cant but your new fish are about to stay alive.

*convention cycles are not weak cycles they're done, complete cycles.

would you personally trust a twelve thousand dollar anemone to reside in a weak cycled tank>? true managers of surface area know how to be consistent.

Even those who trade in different approaches to cycling must agree on the universal measure of a completed cycle: the system can endure a full water change and upon refill of new water, still oxidize ammonia demonstrably.

that means benthic filter bacteria are doing the work where/as they should...vs dosed bottle bac in solution, that would make a lemonade pitcher process a little ammonia and cheat the lack of surface area.

post pics of your tank and the total # of days its had water in it, plus these boosters.

post pics of your setup, that's a surface area determinant/proofer

 

[brandon429]

in fact I might be able to up the ante a bit. I know you have legit intent, so Ill do the paypal insurance trick for cycle umps.
after we see pics, # days underwater, w make a can-start ruling. You change all or most of water. go buy a couple frags and a reasonable fish if foregoing fallow is your goal lol and if they die from lack of cycle it will be by Monday. and Ill paypal you for them, be reasonable but grab some life and Ill insure it.


just need to verify # of days underwater (liferock activates in about 12 days underwater) and a pic, and we'll be set for a ruling w cashola on the line. you used 3 day max bottle bac. you are non seneye testing, give me these odds in vegas pls.
if you are over ten days underwater Ill take the bet.

when I did this recently the gentleman bought a seventy dollar clown, pls don't

it lived but I had palpitations / acclimation death etc

*this isn't guessing with precious marine life on the line, its using the basis that conventions use to move tanks over and begin selling to us. ammonia doesn't exist in annoying levels in a reef; its under strict demand. ammonia is either controlled or its not, and right before death water clouding will give warning and you can jolt some prime if you think its crashing. that wont occur, however.

when people attend reef conventions its not that some have to leave and go home due to a failed start

its that 100%, all reefs, are started without variation. tap into that for awesome cycling. we aren't factoring nitrite control or nitrate as those compounds don't burn marine fish or matter at all in cycling, only ammonia control matters. testing for nitrate in the hobby is about as accurate as non seneye ammonia read testing.

 

[canadianeh]

@brandon429 picture of the tank and system are in my build thread. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/andre’s-red-sea-reefer-250-build.700928/

Day #12 The nitrate is at 50 ppm for two days now. I just tested again today. Nitrite is 1 ppm. Ammonia is 0.25. What do you think I should do now ? 10% water change to remove the nitrate? And continue to dose ammonia every two days until 2 weeks up?

 

[brandon429]

ok ill take bet solely off boosters added + time underwater, and now Ill check the thread. That's how reliable I think submersion timing is lol. ok taken. if a reasonable starting bioload dies for you after a huge water change before adding them, carefully acclimated, then I want to pay for it because that means I was dealing in bunk science; a debt was owed for the infraction. ok lemme know. they'll live.

its not that we're adding them to a partial free ammonia system, that would be doom.

Im betting on what I think a working seneye meter would show on your tank, ammonia in the thousandths not tenths ppm. that's all post-cycle reefs. change out the current cycling water and begin.

 

[Angelwolf21203]

I cannot stand using any sort of color indicator to test my water and when I build my next tank, I want things to be as easy to read and painless as possible. I don't mind the initial upfront cost of either test but I was hoping people would be able to weigh in on their experience with either checkers and their thoughts on them.

Im considering buying either:

https://sensafe.com/exact-idip-570-marine-Starter-kit/

or

HIREEF2 Professional Reef Test Kit

Easy Digital Testing with Precise Results for Reef Tanks If you ask anyone what are the most important parameters to monitor in a reef tank for good coral growth and health, pretty much everyone will answer with Calcium, Alkalinity, & Phosphates. Hanna Instruments HIREEF2 Test kit includes...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

I am slowly buying all of the checkers listed above. So far, I LOVE THEM! I just got the pH one today, and have the Alkalinity one and ULR Phosphate.