Microbacter 7 & Dr. Tims - Used both - My water test results

[PigDaddyF15E]

TLDR: I got impatient after using MB7 for a while then used Dr. Tims. I just got a "zero" reading on total ammonia at day 13 on the Dr. Tims "schedule". I'm posting my test results hoping it will help someone in future. I'm not trying to change anyones opinion or help/hurt anyones "argument" over how it "should" be done. Just posting what I did.

SETUP: Innovative Marine 100 EXT with Trigger systems Platinum 39 Sump. 70+ lbs of MarcoRocks Dry Rock and 80 lbs of Carib Sea Special Grade Arag-Alive. I use an estimate (forgot to really measure) of 120 gallons of actual water in the tank...right or wrong. Filled with water on 08 Oct 2021. I use Tropic Marin Pro Reef Salt.

"TEST EQUIPMENT": Apex Temp/Salinity/PH (calibrated per instructions when setup) installed 08 Oct 2021. Total Ammonia test via Red Sea Kit. Nitrite test via Tropic Marin Kit. Sea-Chem Ammonia Alert Badge in sump. When posted...I used https://www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/FreeAmmonia.php to calculate Free Ammonia. I'm not looking to start a war on "better/worse" test kits/systems. It's what I have/did. I will say that reading the nitrite test in particular is difficult and three of us had arguments over how "deep" the purple is. Pretty much the same with the ammonia test. Sometimes I interpolate/extrapolate base on the color of green.

DISCUSSION: I'll be the first to admit that I'm impatient...which isn't good in this hobby. I watched the BRStv Four Month cycle and thought that sounded like a great idea. I put a shrimp in on 10 October and started dosing Microbacter 7 per the instructions. Then I got impatient. On 23 October I added the 120 Gallon size bottle of Dr. Tims One and Only, half the bottle of First Defense, and 200 drops of ammonia following (sorta) the instructions on the card/online. I read somewhere that Dr Tims "instructions" mentioned using half the dose of ammonia if using "live sand"...and in reading the online posts here about "stuck cycles" and "too much ammonia" I opted to only dose 2 drops per gallon and assumed 100 gallons to be safe. I know this will mean I'm "slow" compared to the daily schedule on Dr. Tims but I'm ok with that as I want to make sure ammonia didn't get really "high" and "slow" things further.

MY WATER TEST RESULTS:

13 & 17Oct: 0.0 Total Ammonia (Only MB7 and a shrimp in the system)

Data below. Here is the total ammonia and nitrites as I input into Apex:

24 Oct: (24 Hours after dosing Dr. Tims One and Only, First Defense, and 200 drops of ammonia)
Total Ammonia: 1.2ppm
Nitrite: 0.2ppm
PH: 7.78

25 Oct: Added 250 drops of ammonia

26 Oct:
Total Ammonia: 2.0ppm
Nitrite: 2.0ppm
PH: 7.87

27 Oct:
Total Ammonia: 2.0ppm
Nitrite: 2.0ppm
PH: 7.87

28 Oct: (added 300 drops of ammonia AFTER taking these measurements)
Total Ammonia: 1.6ppm
Nitrite: 2.0 ppm
PH: 7.88

29 Oct: (Day seven on the Dr. Tims schedule)
Total Ammonia: 3.0ppm
Nitrite: 5.0ppm
PH: 7.84

30 Oct:
Total Ammonia: 1.6ppm
Nitrite: 5.0ppm
PH: 7.71

31 Oct:
Total Ammonia: 1.2ppm
Free Ammonia: 0.0303
Nitrite: 5.0+ppm (looked off the scale purple to me)
PH: 7.75
Temp: 76.5F
Salinity: 33.1ppt

01 Nov:
Total Ammonia: 0.8ppm
Free Ammonia: 0.0224
Nitrite: 5ppm
PH: 7.78
Temp: 77.0F
Salinity: 33.3ppt

02 Nov:
Total Ammonia: 0.2ppm
Free Ammonia: 0.0061
Nitrite: 5ppm
PH: 7.82
Temp: 77.0F
Salinity: 33.0ppt

03 Nov: Got busy didn't test but wasn't worried as I could see my ammonia was trending down. Hoping to see nitrite come down at least so it's not "pegged" off the scale

04 Nov: Took this reading early in the day as I had gotten busy the day prior. Most other tests conducted between 5PM and 11PM
Total Ammonia: 0.0ppm
Free Ammonia: unknown? I can't measure directly as I'm using total and converting
Nitrite: 2.0ppm
PH: 7.85
Temp: 78.0
Salinity: 33.3

 

[PigDaddyF15E]

Follow On / Lessons Learned:

Total Ammonia vs. Free Ammonia: Learned a lesson here. Total ammonia is just that. Free ammonia is based on multiple factors (PH/Temp/Salinity). (generally speaking) We throw around the term "ammonia" (NH4 + NH3) and don't like it/consider it "bad". Free ammonia (NH3) is really the thing that's causing the problems. Not that either is consider "good" in this case....I'm just trying to say I learned a lesson and am now careful when I say "ammonia".

If you can test free ammonia directly then great...if not you gotta find a chart/conversion table and figure it out. Not arguing for/against a $200ish digital reading that requires reagants vs. a $50 titration kit with drops. There are multiple pro/con to each based on price / accuracy. We all have budgets/comfort levels we gotta stay within.

 

[PigDaddyF15E]

Update: GSP and Xenia in the tank. 5 hermits. single ocellaris and 2 x firefish. Just starting to notice some small brown/reddish brown spots on the sand so I'm assuming "the ugly" is on the way. UV running 24/7 now. Protein skimmer on a few days a week as not enough bioload for it consistently skim for more than a day or so.

Thought I'd post a few updates to my tests...using Hanna checkers unless otherwise noted.

I don't need to test at this point...I'm not chasing any numbers...I just wanted to get some practice in with the Hanna checkers and get a data point every couple of weeks.

07 Nov (first day using Hanna Nitrate and Phospate) changed 16 gallons of water afterwards.

Nitrate: 10.6ppm
Phosphate: 0.02

09 Nov
Nitrite: 0.75ppm (Tropic Marine Test kit...which I find hard to interpret...)
Nitrate: 7.0ppm
Phosphate: 0.02

19 Nov
Nitrite: 0.015 (Tropic Marin Test kit...last time I will likely use it)
Nitrate: 9.8ppm
Phosphate: 0.06

29 Nov (added the Hanna alkalinity and Calcium tester to my growing collection of Hanna "eggs")
Nitrate: 7.8
Phosphate: 0.03
Alkalinity: 7.3
Calcium: 468
Salinity: 35ppt
pH: Range of 7.91 - 8.12 over the last week
Temp: 77 (drops to about 76.2 then heater takes it up to 78).