Looking for help on my new tank cycle and what to do next. Not sure if I should dose more ammonia or not.

[Leon Gorani]

So I am cycling my new tank and I have some nitrites, no ammonia and a lot of nitrates. but I need help on what to do next to make sure it is actually cycled or not. I am listing my levels for the past 10 days: I am using the Red Sea marine test kit for reference to numbers/colors.

Day2 May 21
Ammonia over 2
Nitrite 1
Nitrate 5

Day 3
Ammonia over 2
Nitrite 1
Nitrate 50

Day 4
Ammonia .1
Nitrite over 1
Nitrate over 50
PH 8.2

Day 5
Ammonia 0
Nitrite over 1 maybe 2+
Nitrate over 50
PH 8.2

Day 6
Ammonia 0
Nitrite over 1 maybe 2+
Nitrate 30-40 looks lighter than 50

Day 7
Ammonia 0
Nitrite between .5 and 1 I think, not as dark as 1
Nitrate maybe 40 not as dark as 50

Day 8
Ammonia 0
Nitrite .3, between .2 and .5
Nitrate maybe 40 not as dark as 50

Day 9
Ammonia 0
Nitrite .2
Nitrate same as day 8

Day 10 (today)
Ammonia 0
Nitrite .2
Nitrate same as day 9


so I have only dosed the ammonia on the very first day, and never dosed again. I am using dr.tims one and only and I also added fritz turbo start on day 2. not sure why I did but for extra bacteria I guess. I followed her nano reef tanks video on YouTube on the dr tims cycling, and I know you are supposed to dose more ammonia on day 3 but I didn't because mine were more than 2 ppm.

Should I wait for the nitrite to go down to 0 on their own at this point? or should I dose more ammonia and test in 24 hours to see if they go down to 0 like in her video?

I do not have any filter socks or skimmer on now and have not had them on at all during the entire cycle. I also do not have any browning or diatoms or anything on the rocks and sand. I am using a bunch of marine pure blocks, and spheres, and biolux. I also only used one carabsea arag-alive 20 lbs bag of live sand.

thank you all

 

[Spare time]

You are fine. Nitrite is only a concern at 25ppm (for clownfish). You can keep dosing the cycling bacteria with the first fish or two, but you shouldn't have any ammonia or high nitrite spikes with one or two fish at this point.

 

[lapin]

Dose 1ppm ammonia and see how fast it goes away. I think your tank is cycled. Dr Tims and Fritz is way more than enough

 

[eag]

I also think your tank is cycled. The little bit of nitrite you're still detecting could be a testing error.

 

[Garf]

Its done. Now for the interesting bit

 

[Leon Gorani]

Dose 1ppm ammonia and see how fast it goes away. I think your tank is cycled. Dr Tims and Fritz is way more than enough

okay will do! thanks!

 

[Leon Gorani]

I also think your tank is cycled. The little bit of nitrite you're still detecting could be a testing error.

gotcha, I was thinking of getting an API test kit to double check but I guess I don't really need to? also I will do a 50% water change to start getting rid of nitrates. should I add a fish from my other tank and see how it goes? or do the ammonia dosing and check to see if that goes away and then add the fish after that?

 

[brandon429]

Your cycle is done, Fritz is 48 hour bac, max time. It doesn’t matter what you feed or withhold it’s done, see the ammonia movement above

 

[Spare time]

I also think your tank is cycled. The little bit of nitrite you're still detecting could be a testing error.

+1 on that. 0.3 nitrite seems like it would be hard to actually detect on most kits available.

 

[eag]

should I add a fish from my other tank and see how it goes? or do the ammonia dosing and check to see if that goes away and then add the fish after that?

Up to you. You're probably safe to go ahead and add fish. If you want some assurance, you can do another ammonia dose and observe... if I were you, I'd probably just add fish. More ammonia will make your nitrate problem worse

 

[eag]

if I were you, I'd probably just add fish

Hopefully this is implied, but I'd also do it slowly start with one.

 

[Leon Gorani]

Up to you. You're probably safe to go ahead and add fish. If you want some assurance, you can do another ammonia dose and observe... if I were you, I'd probably just add fish. More ammonia will make your nitrate problem worse

okay I will just add fish, don't want to add more nitrates, plus i'm going to do a water change and set up the protein skimmer. and yes I will be taking it slowly with 1 fish, not going to do what I did in the past and add fish quickly lol I learned from that mistake. thanks!

 

[blasterman]

Why get an API kit? Just stick your finger in the tank and taste it. More accurate than API.

Tank is cycled as far as I'm concerned.

 

[MnFish1]

Why get an API kit? Just stick your finger in the tank and taste it. More accurate than API.

Tank is cycled as far as I'm concerned.

I would challenge you on the 'accuracy' of API tests - as compared to others. If fresh (non-expired) reagents are used and the tests are done correctly, they (to me) are just as reproducible as other test methods. They may not be as precise (in that for example you can't tell the difference between 8.5 and 8.6 alkalinity (which has always seemed like overkill to me anyway). If I use my API test - and it shows an alkalinity that changes color after adding 8 drops - I assume the alkalinity is about 8. If it changes partially after 8 drops - I assume its 8.5 or so.

As to the cycling thing - I guess I haven't used an ammonia or nitrite test (ever) - I personally think this tank is cycled as you said - and there is a lot of hand-wringing about cycling that is unnecessary in 2021.

 

[brandon429]

Hey what a neat thread to kick up

Start date accountability



@Leon Gorani did your fish live or die, was your cycle done as we said? Did your water stay clear as you added fish and feed/hallmark of a controlled cycle