Aquarium testing
Day 4
Ammonia. 25ppm
Nitrate 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
PH 8.0
Day 4
Ammonia. 25ppm
Nitrate 0ppm
Nitrite 0ppm
PH 8.0
My day 4 test results
- Thread starter PeterEde
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Randy Holmes-Farley
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Do you have a question?
Are you supplying ammonia somehow?
Are you supplying ammonia somehow?
Here’s how helpful no context api readings are for cycle troubleshoots
www.reef2reef.com
the opening post is this exact same reading set posted above, but from a fully cycled tank. Just because people list params doesn’t mean they’re correct. I bet this is a common bottle bac cycle matching fifty thousand other ones on file.
if the bottle bac used was Dr Tims, biospira, or Fritz then the stage we are at is choosing a fish disease protocol and running that based on the fish disease forum stickies.
if this was any other bottle bac then add a pinch of fish food to the water, wait for thirty days and then select a fish disease protocol from the fish disease forum. This cycle has now been wrangled
since this is the chemistry forum lets verify the bottle bac were alive. Post a pic of the current ammonia reading
Add small amount of cycling ammonia to bring up the reading to .5 not one iota higher, post that pic #2
Next day after dosing slight ammonia post pic #3 and we see if it moved back to pic one set baseline at .25
heres a direct example set of three pics proofing a cycle:
JackAlexander
pic one as the baseline from a suspected ready reef, after a full water change the lowest attainable read is .25
ammonia was dosed too high as usual but it still passes. Stop at .5 that’s enough rise.
24 hours later, cycle is proofed.
if you are on Dr Tims or biospira or Fritz, run the proofing test now. If you’re on slow alternate brands, run it in the middle of December and it’ll pass
last caveat: if you’re using already cycled live rock wet from a pet store, don’t do any of this just enjoy your skip cycle reef. These assessments are for dry starts only
Warter Parameters help
Just wanted to see what's everyone's opinion is on how these look????
www.reef2reef.com
the opening post is this exact same reading set posted above, but from a fully cycled tank. Just because people list params doesn’t mean they’re correct. I bet this is a common bottle bac cycle matching fifty thousand other ones on file.
if the bottle bac used was Dr Tims, biospira, or Fritz then the stage we are at is choosing a fish disease protocol and running that based on the fish disease forum stickies.
if this was any other bottle bac then add a pinch of fish food to the water, wait for thirty days and then select a fish disease protocol from the fish disease forum. This cycle has now been wrangled
since this is the chemistry forum lets verify the bottle bac were alive. Post a pic of the current ammonia reading
Add small amount of cycling ammonia to bring up the reading to .5 not one iota higher, post that pic #2
Next day after dosing slight ammonia post pic #3 and we see if it moved back to pic one set baseline at .25
heres a direct example set of three pics proofing a cycle:
JackAlexander
pic one as the baseline from a suspected ready reef, after a full water change the lowest attainable read is .25
ammonia was dosed too high as usual but it still passes. Stop at .5 that’s enough rise.
24 hours later, cycle is proofed.
if you are on Dr Tims or biospira or Fritz, run the proofing test now. If you’re on slow alternate brands, run it in the middle of December and it’ll pass
last caveat: if you’re using already cycled live rock wet from a pet store, don’t do any of this just enjoy your skip cycle reef. These assessments are for dry starts only
Last edited:
OP
OP
Posted in wrong area I think.
No question
Post a full tank shot of your reef / no cliffhangers allowed lol
what brand of bottle bac was chosen
if you are using one of the top three brands you should run the verification test. Those mixes carry fish the same day you add the bottle bac, waiting an extra four days isn’t really doing much for the paid speed cycle. Let’s make use of it…verify it can move ammonia, from your tank pic we can see the surface area at play, you’ll legit earn a speed cycle start date
what brand of bottle bac was chosen
if you are using one of the top three brands you should run the verification test. Those mixes carry fish the same day you add the bottle bac, waiting an extra four days isn’t really doing much for the paid speed cycle. Let’s make use of it…verify it can move ammonia, from your tank pic we can see the surface area at play, you’ll legit earn a speed cycle start date
Last edited:
OP
OP
I am using stability as what was recommended by the shop.
Was told Stability need the first week before putting in fish?
Was told Stability need the first week before putting in fish?
OP
OP
So far at least one starfish, one largish bristlestar, quite a few corals and snails and sea fleas have survived since being added 4 days ago
Peter I may have a really pronounced need for this thread based on those shocking pics, very glad you updated
The need: to show what the old rules about cycling have caused (that all running reefs should have total zero nh4)
and to show how selling bottle bac to folks who were already cycled isn’t cool.
that rock looks like real live rock from a pet store wet when you installed it, replete with coralline and life attached
dry white rock base, stacked in true skip cycle rock is that right
is that right, it wasn’t dry painted rock- the coralline portions?
The need: to show what the old rules about cycling have caused (that all running reefs should have total zero nh4)
and to show how selling bottle bac to folks who were already cycled isn’t cool.
that rock looks like real live rock from a pet store wet when you installed it, replete with coralline and life attached
dry white rock base, stacked in true skip cycle rock is that right
is that right, it wasn’t dry painted rock- the coralline portions?
the quintessential question arises again: is it possible to look at a stack of rocks and determine cycle status? We r about to find out.
it’s not that the test kits are wrong, it’s that the rule we’ve been instructed to use in determining a ready reef is wrong and designed to bulk sell us stuff irrespective of the actual activation level of the rocks in question. Old cycling science does not allow for skip cycling, it’s not in the rule book.
The rock being wet when it was installed vs all dry is key. If those spindly benthic growths and sponges are fake it’s oceans thirteen level fake live rock
it’s not that the test kits are wrong, it’s that the rule we’ve been instructed to use in determining a ready reef is wrong and designed to bulk sell us stuff irrespective of the actual activation level of the rocks in question. Old cycling science does not allow for skip cycling, it’s not in the rule book.
The rock being wet when it was installed vs all dry is key. If those spindly benthic growths and sponges are fake it’s oceans thirteen level fake live rock
Last edited:
Per this recent post this cycle is now closed
Lesson: api test kits can’t tell us much about cycle status as a standing single pic set, we thought he wasn’t cycled here at the start, he’s fully 100% cycled.
Lesson: api test kits can’t tell us much about cycle status as a standing single pic set, we thought he wasn’t cycled here at the start, he’s fully 100% cycled.
Randy Holmes-Farley
Reef Chemist
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Super Moderator
Excellence Award
Expert Contributor
Article Contributor
R2R Research
My Tank Thread
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roboshark
Active Member
You guys have really helped me out with your evidence and proofs on every step. I am cycling a Marineland 5 gallon with Biospira. I probably put too much Ammonia (using Reef Roids), but I’ll be testing in 24 hours to see how it’s doing. I expect a full cycle in at most 2 weeks.Here’s how helpful no context api readings are for cycle troubleshoots
Warter Parameters help
Just wanted to see what's everyone's opinion is on how these look????
the opening post is this exact same reading set posted above, but from a fully cycled tank. Just because people list params doesn’t mean they’re correct. I bet this is a common bottle bac cycle matching fifty thousand other ones on file.
if the bottle bac used was Dr Tims, biospira, or Fritz then the stage we are at is choosing a fish disease protocol and running that based on the fish disease forum stickies.
if this was any other bottle bac then add a pinch of fish food to the water, wait for thirty days and then select a fish disease protocol from the fish disease forum. This cycle has now been wrangled
since this is the chemistry forum lets verify the bottle bac were alive. Post a pic of the current ammonia reading
Add small amount of cycling ammonia to bring up the reading to .5 not one iota higher, post that pic #2
Next day after dosing slight ammonia post pic #3 and we see if it moved back to pic one set baseline at .25
heres a direct example set of three pics proofing a cycle:
JackAlexander
pic one as the baseline from a suspected ready reef, after a full water change the lowest attainable read is .25
ammonia was dosed too high as usual but it still passes. Stop at .5 that’s enough rise.
24 hours later, cycle is proofed.
if you are on Dr Tims or biospira or Fritz, run the proofing test now. If you’re on slow alternate brands, run it in the middle of December and it’ll pass
last caveat: if you’re using already cycled live rock wet from a pet store, don’t do any of this just enjoy your skip cycle reef. These assessments are for dry starts only
API Tests are from Thursday last week, yesterday, and today respectively.
Howdy
Your cycle is different from Peter's in that he had a significant live rock (skip cycle) component and we were discussing how api can show constant low level readings even in cycled tanks.
Based on the small snippet of pics yours looks to be an all dry setup, here's how i personally would customize that cycle- two easy options:
1. The degree of ammonia you input isn't bad it won't kill the bacteria. Biospira is so well known and tested i predict on seneye your nh3 would already be down to hundredths ppm, that fast, and api showing green when seneye shows hundredths ppm is clearly shown right here:
www.reef2reef.com
So option one is, wait a week for it to stew and then change all the water and the cycling bacteria are left behind stuck to surfaces and the typical starting bioload can be carried.
2. Wait out the two weeks planned for ammonia to drop. If that color lightens any degree before then, likely in a week or so, then that's cycled (bac adheres to surfaces change out the water for new) even if the api kit didn't move to zero yellow. Any poll on api shows the majority of testers don't get solid zero on a cycled system (the misread problem, more commonly nh3 vs nh4 interpretation error) and that thread above shows api taking around ten days longer to show the true drop that seneye would likely show right now.
* if your color doesn't drop by day ten, still change water and begin that's long enough to stew and bacteria will be on surfaces anyway, even if api doesn't agree.
Final cycle boost trick from Dr Reef: right now add one small pinch of fish flake food ground into powder into the display. That carbon will speed the whole process up.
Your cycle is different from Peter's in that he had a significant live rock (skip cycle) component and we were discussing how api can show constant low level readings even in cycled tanks.
Based on the small snippet of pics yours looks to be an all dry setup, here's how i personally would customize that cycle- two easy options:
1. The degree of ammonia you input isn't bad it won't kill the bacteria. Biospira is so well known and tested i predict on seneye your nh3 would already be down to hundredths ppm, that fast, and api showing green when seneye shows hundredths ppm is clearly shown right here:
New Cycle - Seneye vs API
Hello All, Have just started to cycle a new DD ReefPro 900. Am using Fritzzyme Fishless food and Turbo Start and am 2 days in. I have dosed twice with Fishless food on the back of the seneye readings which are as follows: But the API result seems to be showing a different story. I`ve seen a...
www.reef2reef.com
So option one is, wait a week for it to stew and then change all the water and the cycling bacteria are left behind stuck to surfaces and the typical starting bioload can be carried.
2. Wait out the two weeks planned for ammonia to drop. If that color lightens any degree before then, likely in a week or so, then that's cycled (bac adheres to surfaces change out the water for new) even if the api kit didn't move to zero yellow. Any poll on api shows the majority of testers don't get solid zero on a cycled system (the misread problem, more commonly nh3 vs nh4 interpretation error) and that thread above shows api taking around ten days longer to show the true drop that seneye would likely show right now.
* if your color doesn't drop by day ten, still change water and begin that's long enough to stew and bacteria will be on surfaces anyway, even if api doesn't agree.
Final cycle boost trick from Dr Reef: right now add one small pinch of fish flake food ground into powder into the display. That carbon will speed the whole process up.
OP
OP
I also bought all red sea test kits.
Also need to understand not all Ammonia is bad.
Also need to understand not all Ammonia is bad.
roboshark
Active Member
Thanks for your help - I thought I would do a ~16 hour later update. This is what the API tests read this morning. Ammonia is a shade lighter and Nitrite and Nitrates are a richer color.Howdy
Your cycle is different from Peter's in that he had a significant live rock (skip cycle) component and we were discussing how api can show constant low level readings even in cycled tanks.
Based on the small snippet of pics yours looks to be an all dry setup, here's how i personally would customize that cycle- two easy options:
1. The degree of ammonia you input isn't bad it won't kill the bacteria. Biospira is so well known and tested i predict on seneye your nh3 would already be down to hundredths ppm, that fast, and api showing green when seneye shows hundredths ppm is clearly shown right here:
New Cycle - Seneye vs API
Hello All, Have just started to cycle a new DD ReefPro 900. Am using Fritzzyme Fishless food and Turbo Start and am 2 days in. I have dosed twice with Fishless food on the back of the seneye readings which are as follows: But the API result seems to be showing a different story. I`ve seen a...
So option one is, wait a week for it to stew and then change all the water and the cycling bacteria are left behind stuck to surfaces and the typical starting bioload can be carried.
2. Wait out the two weeks planned for ammonia to drop. If that color lightens any degree before then, likely in a week or so, then that's cycled (bac adheres to surfaces change out the water for new) even if the api kit didn't move to zero yellow. Any poll on api shows the majority of testers don't get solid zero on a cycled system (the misread problem, more commonly nh3 vs nh4 interpretation error) and that thread above shows api taking around ten days longer to show the true drop that seneye would likely show right now.
* if your color doesn't drop by day ten, still change water and begin that's long enough to stew and bacteria will be on surfaces anyway, even if api doesn't agree.
Final cycle boost trick from Dr Reef: right now add one small pinch of fish flake food ground into powder into the display. That carbon will speed the whole process up.
Do you recommend eventually doing a 100% water change or 50-75% just to dilute everything before adding corals and an RFA?
From what I understand 0 Nitrate isn’t the best and since I have some, might as well keep a little.
Wow that is neat, the cycle is done. Biospira never lets us down Change water and what you add as initial bioload will live, look how much of a color change above that is compared to:
the whole point of updated cycling science is to know when to stop concerning over cycling and aim concerns into fish disease preps for dry start cycles. The fish disease forum stickies show ideal preps.
nice cycle, biospira handled things well as expected here. We aren’t rushing things either - you paid for a quick start cycle and one was earned. Nitrite has no factor here, it’s a concern in freshwater cycles. Not nano reef cycles.
change water so you have less algae growth challenges at the start, once the bright lighting begins with bioloading and daily feed in place. Starting with clean water is ideal; a full water change does not undo your cycle. It’s ready now.
the whole point of updated cycling science is to know when to stop concerning over cycling and aim concerns into fish disease preps for dry start cycles. The fish disease forum stickies show ideal preps.
nice cycle, biospira handled things well as expected here. We aren’t rushing things either - you paid for a quick start cycle and one was earned. Nitrite has no factor here, it’s a concern in freshwater cycles. Not nano reef cycles.
change water so you have less algae growth challenges at the start, once the bright lighting begins with bioloading and daily feed in place. Starting with clean water is ideal; a full water change does not undo your cycle. It’s ready now.
roboshark
Active Member
Hello again, API tests from this morning.
I don’t mean to hijack anyone’s thread - since I started posting updates I might as well show the process.
Ammonia is even lighter, and both Nitrite and Nitrates are lighter. I think this might have to do with false positives and nitrite is turning into true nitrate, and not a false nitrate reading of nitrite + nitrate together (it’s no longer red, but orange).
I don’t mean to hijack anyone’s thread - since I started posting updates I might as well show the process.
Ammonia is even lighter, and both Nitrite and Nitrates are lighter. I think this might have to do with false positives and nitrite is turning into true nitrate, and not a false nitrate reading of nitrite + nitrate together (it’s no longer red, but orange).
Randy Holmes-Farley
Reef Chemist
Staff member
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Excellence Award
Expert Contributor
Article Contributor
R2R Research
My Tank Thread
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Sounds good.
Thx for the update.
Thx for the update.
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