New tank but has not shown any ammonia nitrite/nitrate

[Coogzreef]

Hey guys set up a New tank around 7 weeks ago using 4 stage RODI water used ATM Colony Live bacteria and also I read up saying that some people will double up with that and Microbacter7 since Microbacter7 has different bacteria and it was safe to use both (hopefully I was not mislead). Anyways around week 2 water parameters seemed perfect so I added 2 Black clowns. Clowns were doing great so I waited about 4 more weeks and added a Scopas tang. Scopas tang seems to be doing great eats great looks very healthy and that been for about 1 week now. However still testing no ammonia and still testing no nitrite/nitrate so its made me a tad concerned as to how im not seeing a cycle happen. Tank has Caribsea live sand and about 50-60 pounds of live dry rock from Caribsea as well. Tank its about 150 gallons 6 feet wide 2 and half tall and about 20 inches deep. PH and Alk seem fine every time I test and salinity is between 1.023-1.024. Also have maybe 10-15 pounds of live dried rock in the sump which is roughly a 25 gallon sump.

Hopefully I didn't miss any info I should've added and HOPEFULLY I am not missing something as to why no levels of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate has shown.

Appreciate any info or opinions I can get Thanks for reading!

 

[fishski13]

So since you already have fish in your system and you mentioned you water looked fine when adding the clowns and scopas tang, ammonia and nitrite will always be 0. It seems like your cycle already occurred if you have been and continue to read 0 on these two parameters. As for nitrates you should have some kind of reading. What test kit are you using?

 

[Coogzreef]

So since you already have fish in your system and you mentioned you water looked fine when adding the clowns and scopas tang, ammonia and nitrite will always be 0. It seems like your cycle already occurred if you have been and continue to read 0 on these two parameters. As for nitrates you should have some kind of reading. What test kit are you using?

Red Sea test kit

 

[Coogzreef]

So since you already have fish in your system and you mentioned you water looked fine when adding the clowns and scopas tang, ammonia and nitrite will always be 0. It seems like your cycle already occurred if you have been and continue to read 0 on these two parameters. As for nitrates you should have some kind of reading. What test kit are you using?

Is it possible for the cycle to have been completed without having a reading of those two parameters?

 

[Uncle99]

Your tank was cycled many weeks ago.

 

[Coogzreef]

I may have been a little off on my details. The level of nitrate is showing 2 on the red sea test kit so that is the lowest reading it has. Sorry

 

[Coogzreef]

Your tank was cycled many weeks ago.

I was going to wait another month before adding another fish do you think this is a good plan or am I good to add another?

 

[Screwgunner]

150 gallons of water is alot so it will take longer for your nitrates to go up. How do you plan on taking care of your nitrates?

 

[Coogzreef]

150 gallons of water is alot so it will take longer for your nitrates to go up. How do you plan on taking care of your nitrates?

I was planning on a water change here soon especially before a new fish comes in. I've also got the protein skimmer cranking atm.

 

[Dan_P]

Hey guys set up a New tank around 7 weeks ago using 4 stage RODI water used ATM Colony Live bacteria and also I read up saying that some people will double up with that and Microbacter7 since Microbacter7 has different bacteria and it was safe to use both (hopefully I was not mislead). Anyways around week 2 water parameters seemed perfect so I added 2 Black clowns. Clowns were doing great so I waited about 4 more weeks and added a Scopas tang. Scopas tang seems to be doing great eats great looks very healthy and that been for about 1 week now. However still testing no ammonia and still testing no nitrite/nitrate so its made me a tad concerned as to how im not seeing a cycle happen. Tank has Caribsea live sand and about 50-60 pounds of live dry rock from Caribsea as well. Tank its about 150 gallons 6 feet wide 2 and half tall and about 20 inches deep. PH and Alk seem fine every time I test and salinity is between 1.023-1.024. Also have maybe 10-15 pounds of live dried rock in the sump which is roughly a 25 gallon sump.

Hopefully I didn't miss any info I should've added and HOPEFULLY I am not missing something as to why no levels of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate has shown.

Appreciate any info or opinions I can get Thanks for reading!

If I understand what you did, you seemed to have performed a bastardized nitrogen cycling process.

A typical modern approach is to add ammonia, add bacteria, let bacteria consume ammonia, add fish. An older method is to add food, for example, a piece of shrimp, bacteria consume the shrimp and excrete ammonia, nitrifying bacteria fall out of the air into the tank, consume ammonia, add fish. The old cruel method was to add a cheap fish, fish excretes ammonia, bacteria fall in aquarium and consume ammonia possibly before it kills fish, get rid of cheap fish, add expensive fish.

Your method seems to be add bacteria, add expensive fish, fish excretes ammonia, bacteria consume ammonia, add more expensive fish. In your process you are unlikely to see ammonia because of the presence of so many bacteria from the bottled bacteria added.

 

[Screwgunner]

I cycled my rock in a trash can for 6 months . Bare bottom . 125 . Filled my tank with fresh saltwater put my rock in 110 pounds a bottle of biospera and a bottle of Dr. Tims . Let it run a day and added 13 fish. One sick chromis got caught in my wavemaker. And 10 days latter my nasso died. 11 of the fish I have are still with me after 1.5 years have 14 now.

 

[vetteguy53081]

While not unusual, I would get a reassurance on your numbers by taking a water sample to a trusted LFS that does NOT use Api test kits and see what readings they come up with and to compare with yours

 

[Screwgunner]

water changes are expensive. Start dosing vinegar. To keep your nitrates down. Please read up on it. It will bring your phosphate down alittle but you may need a reactor and gfo or phosgaurd.

 

[Coogzreef]

While not unusual, I would get a reassurance on your numbers by taking a water sample to a trusted LFS that does NOT use Api test kits and see what readings they come up with and to compare with yours

This sounds like a good idea. I can definitely make this happen but wouldn't using different brand test kits be the same?

 

[Coogzreef]

water changes are expensive. Start dosing vinegar. To keep your nitrates down. Please read up on it. It will bring your phosphate down alittle but you may need a reactor and gfo or phosgaurd.

I have a reactor with carbon and phosguard just haven't had it hooked up because it runs through the reactor into my UV sterilizer so i've had it off until some bacteria was built up. I am assuming its probably time to get it going now though.

 

[vetteguy53081]

This sounds like a good idea. I can definitely make this happen but wouldn't using different brand test kits be the same?

No. . . you want to compare to a different test kit (other than Api)

 

[Uncle99]

I was going to wait another month before adding another fish do you think this is a good plan or am I good to add another?

Adding another fish is fine, your weeks into your system.
Good to go, you have rock, sand, bacteria and fish now, so Ok to increase that load one now.