New tank cycle

[swerveious]

Hello, long time lurker first time poster. Cycling a new 150 tank and i think I'm getting close but I can't for the life of me read these api ammonia kits. Starters with all dead sand, rock ect. Added fritz turbo 900 at about day 7 I'm on day 12. Nitrites is thru the roof it looks like. A few questions l, first whats that ammonia and nitrite reading look like to you all? I've read that nitrites have 0 affect in a saltwater tank other then it can stall the cycle is that true? 3rd question is ammonia looks in between 1 to 2ppm too me but I had the water tests at lfs and they said it's maybe .25. Something throwing my kit off? It's brand new, no fish in just dosed ammonia a couple times. It was at about 4 or 5 ppm and I did a small water change right before the fritz. Any hel would be appreciated. Like is my high nitrites slowing the cycle, water change maybe?

 

[Tahoe61]

You are cycling just fine. If you have Nitrite you have bacteria converting that Ammonia to Nitrite. Soon bacteria will be converting that Nitrite to Nitates.
Your values look spot on, specific numbers above normal values for SW are not important. You know those ranges are above your target values, that's all you need to know.
Personally I don't trust anyone to test my water and that includes the local fish store.
If it were me I would add some Fluval Cycle just to add some more bacteria.
It's very early in the tanks cycle. Unless you use live rock and seeded media it's going to take time.

Welcome to R2R.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

The ammonia looks like a 2 to me.... I would stop dosing ammonia and just wait it out now, give it a week or two more.

 

[swerveious]

The ammonia looks like a 2 to me.... I would stop dosing ammonia and just wait it out now, give it a week or two more.

Yeah I haven't dosed ammonia again, these high nitrites couldn't be stalling the cycle? I've had no change in ammonia, nitrites and nitrates in 6 days or so. I'm on day 14 too, sorry not day 12.

 

[swerveious]

You are cycling just fine. If you have Nitrite you have bacteria converting that Ammonia to Nitrite. Soon bacteria will be converting that Nitrite to Nitates.
Your values look spot on, specific numbers above normal values for SW are not important. You know those ranges are above your target values, that's all you need to know.
Personally I don't trust anyone to test my water and that includes the local fish store.
If it were me I would add some Fluval Cycle just to add some more bacteria.
It's very early in the tanks cycle. Unless you use live rock and seeded media it's going to take time.

Welcome to R2R.

Is floral cycle a different type of nitrobacter? I mean different from fritz turbo start?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Yeah I haven't dosed ammonia again, these high nitrites couldn't be stalling the cycle? I've had no change in ammonia, nitrites and nitrates in 6 days or so. I'm on day 14 too, sorry not day 12.

The number could be off the charts, you can do a small water change to bring down the numbers. Do you have any nitrate showing? When nitrate starts increasing thats when you know your getting close to the end

 

[swerveious]

The number could be off the charts, you can do a small water change to bring down the numbers. Do you have any nitrate showing? When nitrate starts increasing thats when you know your getting close to the end

 

[swerveious]

That was a day or 2 ago.

 

[swerveious]

That was a day or 2 ago

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Your cycle is on the way, personally I would just wait cause I don't mind waiting a month, but like I said if you want you can do a small water change to lower the ammonia and nitrite and then wait for ammonia to hit zero. Once ammonia is zero the cycle is done IMO, nitrites are not harmful to saltwater fish.

The API test may not show zero ammonia, it often stalls at .25, even on mature tanks, so expect this to happen and accept .25 as good as zero.