How a noob is cycling tank

GenericReefer · Oct 8, 2017

Hey guys! I set up my saltwater 10g tank, using live sand, Bio Spira, and Dr. Tim's Ammonium Chloride to start. I put a way too much of ammonia, but it's hard to tell the exact ppm. My question is, will I need to do a partial water change after cycling? All of this excess ammonia will be converted into nitrite, which I presume will not be safe to fish at these levels. I don't know exactly what I'm saying and asking, so I'd like your input on this. Thanks!

Jason mack · Oct 8, 2017

Firstly read this ! By @Brew12
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/cycling-an-aquarium.306554/

Jason mack · Oct 8, 2017

You said you started with live sand but n ver mentioned your rock .. was it live rock or dry rock ? Second only do a water change at the End of the cycle when your nitrites are at 0 and your nitrates are high ..looking at your test results your ph is high I’d test again .. your ammonia is between 4-5 ppm so you have a while too go before it’s cycled depending on how much rock and wether it’s dry or live ..

Ty Hamatake · Oct 8, 2017

First off, welcome to R2R! This is a great place with great people

Your tank is well into cycling, with the next step being nitrate production! Ammonia - nitrite - nitrate is the nitrogen cycle so you are not quite ready for fish yet. Once your ammonia and nitrite zero out, along with readable (usually higher) levels of nitrate, youll be ready. Doing a large-ish partial water change is usually recommended to bring the nitrate levels down, but not until your tank is done cycling. Hope that answers your question.

Also, with having a new tank setup, you should start a build thread! We love seeing and hearing about the progression of a tank. Make sure you include a lot of pictures

Idoc · Oct 8, 2017

I'd do a water change now and bring the ammonia down to 2ppm max and let it cycle. From what I've read, going too high on ammonia st the beginning can stall the cycle.

Ty Hamatake · Oct 8, 2017

Oh, how long has this tank been set up?

GenericReefer · Oct 8, 2017

Haha didn't expect this much feedback

I am using dry rock, and just set this up yesterday!
I still have a bit more to get.
For the light, I'm planning to use an orbit marine 18" (I'm only doing soft corals)
For the ATO, I'm using a hamster bottle with tubing going down.

How long do y'all think the cycling will be (-ish) ?

GenericReefer · Oct 8, 2017

Idoc said:
I'd do a water change now and bring the ammonia down to 2ppm max and let it cycle. From what I've read, going too high on ammonia st the beginning can stall the cycle.

How much should I change?

Jason mack · Oct 8, 2017

Well if you did 50% your ammonia would be halved .. that’s a good start .. also your using dry rock so this tank is gonna take anything from 6-12 weeks too cycle .. so sit back be patient... enjoy watching it cycle and do as much research as you can on the fish and corals you wanna keep .. just take it slow ... nothing good happens fast in a reef aquarium .. happy Reefing .. looks great by the way !

Ty Hamatake · Oct 8, 2017

GenericReefer said:
Haha didn't expect this much feedback
I am using dry rock, and just set this up yesterday!
I still have a bit more to get.
For the light, I'm planning to use an orbit marine 18" (I'm only doing soft corals)
For the ATO, I'm using a hamster bottle with tubing going down.

How long do y'all think the cycling will be (-ish) ?

Ha ha, that's one thing I love about this place. So many people that are so willing to help.

Having just set it up yesterday, I would honestly expect at least a few weeks. The live sand and bio spira were a good "kick start", but you'll stop want/need time for things to stabilize. Once your ammonia and nitrite zero out (whenever that may be), you can always test to see if your tank has cycled by dosing ammonia again. If you can dose your tank to 1-2 ppm and it is back to zero in 24 hours, you're good to go.

glb · Oct 8, 2017

Too high ammonia can cause a cycle to stall. That happened to me once. When I cycled mine I didn't let it get above 3ppm. Yours looks like 8ppm so a 50% water change would bring it down. Or you could just let it continue the cycle and do the water change at the end if it doesn't stall. It doesn't look like a big tank so the water change shouldn't be too bad. Good luck!

GenericReefer · Oct 8, 2017

I put in a full bottle of Bio spira (the one meant for up to 30 gal).
Would that affect the ammonia amount?
Also what would be a sign of there being no stall?

Jason mack · Oct 8, 2017

If there was no stall the cycle continues your ammonia levels drop your nitrites go up then your nitrates.. you can always add more dr Tim’s bacteria in a week or so then repeat again after a couple of weeks ..

Jason mack · Oct 8, 2017

Your tank needs too build up the bacteria (that colonizes the rock )needed too consume the Ammonia available.. this takes times .. it’s a natural process .. but it just takes time and evey tank is different .. you Will know when it’s ready ...you have lots of time too research cycling a tank on here or YouTube while your tank cycles .. learn the different phases of the cycle .. try and understand the chemistry of your water .. there are lots of threads on here .. and keep asking questions when you don’t understand ...

reeferfoxx · Oct 8, 2017

Like other said, just perform a 50% water change then let your ammonia and nitrite convert to nitrate. With adding live sand and biospira, technically wasn't necessary to dump more ammonia in. Though, it is good route to take to build bacteria colony. Once your nitrite converts to nitrate, you'll have a high amount of nitrate. At that point I would do a 90% water change to remove excess nutrients. Then I would wait for a diatom bloom. At this point its safe to add a fish and clean up crew. I wouldnt start adding coral though. There is a good chance you'll get some unwanted algae and its much easier to remove without coral.

IslandLifeReef · Oct 8, 2017

I agree that you could do a 50% water change to bring the ammonia down a bit, but you could also wait a few days and do another water test and see if the ammonia comes down on its own. Though the ammonia is a little high, I think it may still be ok to continue the cycle. Neither are bad options, and because you added some bacteria, you should see some changes in a few days. Like was said earlier, nitrite will continue to go up. After ammonia goes down and nitrites peak, you are well on your way. Once nitrites and ammonia are 0, test for nitrate and then definitely do a water change to reduce the nitrates.

GenericReefer · Oct 8, 2017

I think I'll wait a bit to see if the ammonia reduces on its own. Would doing the water change improve bacterial colonization and lessen cycling time? Also, these cycling products say they're "instant." What is up with that?

Jason mack · Oct 8, 2017

GenericReefer said:
I think I'll wait a bit to see if the ammonia reduces on its own. Would doing the water change improve bacterial colonization and lessen cycling time? Also, these cycling products say they're "instant." What is up with that?

I think you’ll find that if you’d set it up with live rock then added ammonia to 2ppm added bacteria .. and then tested in 24 hrs the ammonia would read 0 probably and your tank would be ready

reeferfoxx · Oct 8, 2017

GenericReefer said:
Also, these cycling products say they're "instant."

If your adding a bottle of bacteria, it goes into the water column. You would have to wait about 24-48 hours for the bacteria to settle onto the rocks or sand. This is where water flow comes into play. We add powerheads so that water can rush or move over the rocks and sand and provide the food or ammonia to the bacteria.

GenericReefer said:
I think I'll wait a bit to see if the ammonia reduces on its own.

You can most certainly wait. It might take time. If you don't see a reduction in a couple weeks, I would perform the 50% water change. Again, after the cycle has completed, remember to do the 90% water change or 100%(doesn't matter). Ultimately to reduce the excess nutrients which includes silicates and whatever else the rocks are leeching into the water column.