How long for Ammonia to start dropping?

[Kershaw]

Hello, quick question.
Tank 140gal
Dry rock
Testing with API.
This is my first tank I have started with dry rock.

I added a small bottle of MicroBacter Start XLM. Then used dr Tim’s ammonia and brought tank up to 2ppm. After the second day. Friend gave my live rock from his tank about 20lbs. So I put that in there to help speed things up. It’s been about 5 days since ammonia added and 3 with live rock. I’m not expecting it to be ready for fish but it has not dropped at all. Is this normal?

 

[TX_REEF]

Hello, quick question.
Tank 140gal
Dry rock
Testing with API.
This is my first tank I have started with dry rock.

I added a small bottle of MicroBacter Start XLM. Then used dr Tim’s ammonia and brought tank up to 2ppm. After the second day. Friend gave my live rock from his tank about 20lbs. So I put that in there to help speed things up. It’s been about 5 days since ammonia added and 3 with live rock. I’m not expecting it to be ready for fish but it has not dropped at all. Is this normal?

Maybe not enough bacteria? Not how small a “small” bottle is. I did a dry rock cycle with fritz, fishless and my cycle took 6 weeks

 

[Kershaw]

Maybe not enough bacteria? Not how small a “small” bottle is. I did a dry rock cycle with fritz, fishless and my cycle took 6 weeks

I expected it to take about 6 weeks. But thought by dropping in some live rock it would have done something. Just been rock solid at 2ppm, No nitrates yet. It was a 4 oz bottle. I’ll just continue to monitor. Thanks.

 

[Nano_Man]

All about bacteria growth. That’s why like Rock is quicker because the live bacteria is all over the rock . Dry rock cycling is slower

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Hello, quick question.
Tank 140gal
Dry rock
Testing with API.
This is my first tank I have started with dry rock.

I added a small bottle of MicroBacter Start XLM. Then used dr Tim’s ammonia and brought tank up to 2ppm. After the second day. Friend gave my live rock from his tank about 20lbs. So I put that in there to help speed things up. It’s been about 5 days since ammonia added and 3 with live rock. I’m not expecting it to be ready for fish but it has not dropped at all. Is this normal?

Not all Cycling Bacteria are created equal. Who's who, and what do they need?

My hypothesis is that there are very different types of Bacteria that are being used to "cycle" tanks to prevent ammonia accumulation, and it's not entirely clear which products contain which group, and it's also poorly understood what the requirements are for one of these groups to do their...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[brandon429]

these posts are always addressed as mis-testing: not possible. its so possible there must be four hundred thousand searchable examples on the matter. there is no way 20 pounds of cured live rock hasn't processed ammonia. lets see the tank pic

I have threads available (anyone can search using key terms: help my ammonia is 8 ppm) where API read eight ppm in someone's year-old fully running reef tank (which was a misread)

post a full tank pic so we can see ratios, placement etc.

 

[Cell]

Tank became ready after 20lbs of live rock was added. Maybe the day after for any excess ammonia to process.

 

[brandon429]

Api results have caused this exact same post to be repeated 400K times no joke that's how many stalled cycle returns i get off searches. Another clue was bottle bac didn't move. Soon I'll be adding this thread to my ten page collection of cheap ammonia test kit misreads

We can see yet again bottle bac was bought based on old cycling science rules (believe api despite the search returns)

Need em pics of the tank so we can see placement and ratios and other live rock clues

 

[Kershaw]

Will add pictures when I am off work. I don’t believe cycle is stalled. I was just wondering how long before I should see change. @brandon429 I did search and did not see any threads where a dry rock cycle was started then live rock added after, but I could be an idiot and didn’t see it or understand it. I also don’t understand how bacteria can live in a bottle with out a food source. API is what I have on hand, but I’ll order a different kit. My friend dropped of a 10 gallon tank full to top of rock, I put all but two pieces in because of snails, crabs and an anemone. I suppose I can add a snail or crab to main tank and see what happens but I’d rather not.

 

[brandon429]

old cycling science and new cycling science are mutually exclusive ventures

using non digital test kits to know when a cycle is done is old cycling science, even if you buy new kits-expect a headache

your cycle is already done, it's just not apparent because we've never been given any testless options.

How to unstick any seemingly stuck cycle

non digital ammonia test kit readings (api, Red Sea, nyos, seachem badges) make you think you aren’t cycled when indeed you are if you owned a $200 expensive seneye meter, you’d never be doubting your cycle status. since .01% of the reefing population owns these, we need a way to help the...

www.reef2reef.com

that's forty pages/4 years/ of fixing cycles without any testing. people still post test readings because old cycling science was all anyone has ever been given, but I ignore those readings and assign a ready date using the number of days their system has been running. when 20 pounds of cured live rock are in place/cycle is done one day one.

per the thread, if you're concerned all u have to do is a full water change and you can begin reefing. if you had a seneye, this thread wouldn't exist BUT you don't need one either because new cycling science is testless. seneye is just the ultimate way to participate in old cycling science and not get ripped off with doubt

skipping disease preps is your fish's issue, not the cycle. skipping any fallow and qt = what you see daily in the disease forum. if you truly had 20 pounds of cured live rock from another tank and those rocks are in your display, then your cycle was skipped.

 

[brandon429]

an additional handy way to see your cycle is that at no time has a calibrated seneye nh3 meter shown 2 ppm in any cycle after day ten wait. where live rock transfers took place, I've never seen a single example showing 2 ppm past day 1.

that helps to position your cycle in a new way, it's not likely at all that your ammonia is 2 ppm true.

 

[Kershaw]

an additional handy way to see your cycle is that at no time has a calibrated seneye nh3 meter shown 2 ppm in any cycle after day ten wait. where live rock transfers took place, I've never seen a single example showing 2 ppm past day 1.

that helps to position your cycle in a new way, it's not likely at all that your ammonia is 2 ppm true.

Thank you, ill read over this. And still add pictures when home. I honestly didn’t want to spend $50 for a Hannah checker when I never test ammonia on previous tanks, but those were all real live rock. I double check nitrates as well with Hannah checker. Just want to be sure before putting live stock in.

 

[Nano_Man]

Thank you, ill read over this. And still add pictures when home. I honestly didn’t want to spend $50 for a Hannah checker when I never test ammonia on previous tanks, but those were all real live rock. I double check nitrates as well with Hannah checker. Just want to be sure before putting live stock in.

Salfert test kit is a reliable test kit without spending a load of money on hanna . I would buy a ammonia and a nitrate when you get a nitrate reading your there stock very slowly . You can buy other test kits at your leisure

 

[Kershaw]

Salfert test kit is a reliable test kit without spending a load of money on hanna . I would buy an ammonia and a nitrate when you get a nitrate reading your there stock very slowly . You can buy other test kits at your leisure

I have a Hannah nitrate on hand. But I got a 0 reading on it two days ago, so I figured I messed something up. Will try again though. I’m color blind and salfert kits have always been a struggle for me.

 

[brandon429]

There must be 100+ reef tanks on here who register zero nitrate and have to dose to get levels up. Has no bearing on the cycle, the tanks showing zero nitrate are cycled tanks. That param is subject to wide variance among cycled tanks.

 

[Kershaw]

old cycling science and new cycling science are mutually exclusive ventures

using non digital test kits to know when a cycle is done is old cycling science, even if you buy new kits-expect a headache

your cycle is already done, it's just not apparent because we've never been given any testless options.

How to unstick any seemingly stuck cycle

non digital ammonia test kit readings (api, Red Sea, nyos, seachem badges) make you think you aren’t cycled when indeed you are if you owned a $200 expensive seneye meter, you’d never be doubting your cycle status. since .01% of the reefing population owns these, we need a way to help the...

www.reef2reef.com

that's forty pages/4 years/ of fixing cycles without any testing. people still post test readings because old cycling science was all anyone has ever been given, but I ignore those readings and assign a ready date using the number of days their system has been running. when 20 pounds of cured live rock are in place/cycle is done one day one.

per the thread, if you're concerned all u have to do is a full water change and you can begin reefing. if you had a seneye, this thread wouldn't exist BUT you don't need one either because new cycling science is testless. seneye is just the ultimate way to participate in old cycling science and not get ripped off with doubt

skipping disease preps is your fish's issue, not the cycle. skipping any fallow and qt = what you see daily in the disease forum. if you truly had 20 pounds of cured live rock from another tank and those rocks are in your display, then your cycle was skipped.

The live rock is actully from some one who had fish disease wipe out his fish. Tank has only had crabs, snails and an anemone for 90+ days. The 10 gal is going to be my QT so hopefully you won’t see me posting in disease threads soon.

 

[Nano_Man]

I have a Hannah nitrate on hand. But I got a 0 reading on it two days ago, so I figured I messed something up. Will try again though. I’m color blind and salfert kits have always been a struggle for me.

Well I understand the hanna for your self

 

[Nano_Man]

There must be 100+ reef tanks on here who register zero nitrate and have to dose to get levels up. Has no bearing on the cycle, the tanks showing zero nitrate are cycled tanks. That param is subject to wide variance among cycled tanks.

So is your tank running 0 now Brandon

 

[Cell]

There must be 100+ reef tanks on here who register zero nitrate and have to dose to get levels up. Has no bearing on the cycle, the tanks showing zero nitrate are cycled tanks. That param is subject to wide variance among cycled tanks.

I may be wrong, but I would argue most newly cycled tanks by inexperienced reefers are not going to have the kind of nutrient control required to maintain zero nitrates.

 

[brandon429]

And the leap requires again we believe a non digital test kit, that's always the case with old cycling approaches

When I search out nitrate test kit comparison threads, I see results on a given sample ranging 50+ ppm difference among brands

And here we're accepting literally anything api had to say as correct. I find these recurring themes in 100% of stalled cycle threads for sure

He may have positive nitrate and not be able to know that

Or, twenty pounds of live rock is certainly able to provide a source for denitrification if that's happening which is rare

Testing for cycling params using the old rules always causes problems, we avoid those problems in the link above by using newer means.