Newbie foolish mistake

[fromdiscustoreef]

Hello all,

im new to reef tanks so please bear with me. Ive made the change from Discus to reef and need as much help in laymans terms until i get my head round anything.
So ive a 60litre tank in my apartment. Biggest im allowed for now . Ai prime hd 16 light with live rock and sand. Set up about 3 weeks ago.

I went to my lfs yesterday and tested my water and the ammonia and nitires were through the roof. Now this makes sense as the cycle is still on going? Correct?

foolishly i forgot to mention this to them and they suggested water change and 1ml bacto blend everyday for 3 days.

came home did 10L water change to realise ive probly just restarted my cycle?

so today i just added 1 ml of bactoblend and leaving it too it.
tank seems to have some algae starting to grow on back wall also

tank has 2 clowns and a G/B chromis

any advice guys

D

 

[PeterC99]

Welcome to R2R!

Probably worthwhile investment to get testing kits so that you can monitor cycle real time.

 

[ReefRusty]

Fish in cycle.. @brandon429 have you tested for ammonia and Nitrates? What test kits do you have?

 

[brandon429]

This will be easy to fix, easy.

Were the rocks you brought home wet or dry, when this tank was set up

To discern ammonia status we need a tank pic, not a test reading, as the entry level test kits produce false readings at the rate of a hundred instances per day lol I bet nothing is wrong, or was wrong, as no dead fish are reported

If you brought home wet rocks, skip cycle rocks from a pet store, let us know and post pics. If they're dry when you brought home that's not live rock.

 

[fromdiscustoreef]

I have phos, nitrites and kh test kits at home. LFS tested yesterday and said ammonia was off the charts. Would this be part of the cycle through.
Im using an external cannister filter with bioballs, micromec, carbon and floss. I also have a internal tank filter containing the same bar carbon. Lfs gave me polyfilter water purifier to add to my filter to bring nitiries down.

 

[fromdiscustoreef]

This will be easy to fix, easy.

Were the rocks you brought home wet or dry, when this tank was set up

Dry rocks. Thanks im glad of your confidence

 

[brandon429]

Key terms:

3 weeks

Algae

Living animals

This reef is 100% cycled even before pics. If you used dry rock alone they couldn't be alive at three weeks, either bottle bac or true wet rock was used. Where's my ammonia hogtying meme this one took forty seconds

Stop dosing anything in response to the mis testing. Can't wait for pics

When this is cleared up with tank pics I'll need you to email this thread to your lfs for reaction training. We have a study where false ammonia testing spurns bottle bac purchase falsely.


What is the name of the lfs employee who sold you bottle bac i want their name, address and pin and the high school they went to

 

[fromdiscustoreef]

Key terms:

3 weeks

Algae

Living animals

This reef is 100% cycled even before pics. If you used dry rock alone they couldn't be alive at three weeks, either bottle bac or true wet rock was used. Where's my ammonia hogtying meme this one took forty seconds

Stop dosing anything in response to the mis testing. Can't wait for pics

When this is cleared up with tank pics I'll need you to email this thread to your lfs for reaction training. We have a study where false ammonia testing spurns bottle bac purchase falsely.


What is the name of the lfs employee who sold you bottle bac i want their name, address and pin and the high school they went to

Thanks for the reply so quickly dude!

the rock was dry when i brought it home but ive been adding bactoblend so this would be the the bottle bac?

So you reckon that the tank is cycled?
My fish are swimming eating and thriving fine.
Wasnt sure about the false ammonia but makes sense now.
Ill take pics shortly and upload

 

[fromdiscustoreef]

Thanks for the reply so quickly dude!

the rock was dry when i brought it home but ive been adding bactoblend so this would be the the bottle bac?

So you reckon that the tank is cycled?
My fish are swimming eating and thriving fine.
Wasnt sure about the false ammonia but makes sense now.
Ill take pics shortly and upload

I was seriously considering reverting back to FW

 

[123]

You did not restart your cycle also bacteria lives on rocks and sand not in the water column

 

[fromdiscustoreef]

White and blue light attached

 

[ReefRusty]

Fish are happy looks good to me. Nice scape too

 

[fromdiscustoreef]

thanks man. Very happy with the scape.
Fish are doing great so far. Eating away too which is always a good sign!!

 

[ClownSchool]

Hello all,

im new to reef tanks so please bear with me. Ive made the change from Discus to reef and need as much help in laymans terms until i get my head round anything.
So ive a 60litre tank in my apartment. Biggest im allowed for now . Ai prime hd 16 light with live rock and sand. Set up about 3 weeks ago.

I went to my lfs yesterday and tested my water and the ammonia and nitires were through the roof. Now this makes sense as the cycle is still on going? Correct?

foolishly i forgot to mention this to them and they suggested water change and 1ml bacto blend everyday for 3 days.

came home did 10L water change to realise ive probly just restarted my cycle?

so today i just added 1 ml of bactoblend and leaving it too it.
tank seems to have some algae starting to grow on back wall also

tank has 2 clowns and a G/B chromis

any advice guys

D

Easiest ammonia stabilizer is actually white distilled vinegar (1ml = 8 drops per 38 liter, daily).
Water changes are never a bad thing. Yes, they slow down the cycle a little, but as long as the balance and temperature is right, you’ll be fine.
Nitrate spikes most often come from overfeeding. Rule of thumb to news aquarists is to only put 20% of the amount you think you should, but feed twice a day.
definitely get a test kit. Also, using Chemical-pure Blue Nano filter packets are a game-changer for water stability. It will combat diatom, algae and purple slime, maybe prevent it entirely.
Go to Bulk Reef Supply’s website and check out their 5 Minute tank series. I haven’t found a better resource, though they tend to promote the most expensive products, so once you see something you may want/need, don’t be afraid to look up other brands as alternatives.

...I hope this helps.

 

[fromdiscustoreef]

Easiest ammonia stabilizer is actually white distilled vinegar (1ml per 38 liter).
Water changes are never a bad thing. Yes, they slow down the cycle a little, but as long as the balance and temperature is right, you’ll be fine.
Nitrate spikes most often come from overfeeding. Rule of thumb to news aquarists is to only put 20% of the amount you think you should, but feed twice a day.
definitely get a test kit. Also, using Chemical-pure Blue Nano filter packets are a game-changer for water stability.
Go to Bulk Reef Supply’s website and check out their 5 Minute tank series. I haven’t found a better resource, though they tend to promote the most expensive products, so once you see something you may want/need, don’t be afraid to look up other brands as alternatives.

...I hope this helps.

Thatsbeen a great help. Thank you. Started watching BRS this afternoon and will def try the vinegar also.
Good idea on the food. Ive been cutting frozen cube food into 1/4s and using that much.
Thanks for your reply!!

 

[brandon429]

100% cycled. a lysmata shrimp wont make 24 hours in an uncycled tank thats been fed. weakest animal we could keep as an invert in reefing. You will not need to test for ammonia, or nitrite for the rest of the life of this tank. no more bac needed.

even nitrate will mis read wildly, Id kick that out too unless you want to buy a $200 digital nitrate meter.

 

[brandon429]

Hey is it cool if I add this thread to the false stuck cycle thread, we want other readers to be able to head off the concern before they get to it

I cant fault the lfs too bad since it was dry setup, they mean well and want the best safety for the tank agreed.

 

[fromdiscustoreef]

100% cycled. a lysmata shrimp wont make 24 hours in an uncycled tank thats been fed. weakest animal we could keep as an invert in reefing. You will not need to test for ammonia, or nitrite for the rest of the life of this tank. no more bac needed.

even nitrate will mis read wildly, Id kick that out too unless you want to buy a $200 digital nitrate meter.

Wahoo!! So just water changes as normal. Is there a rule of thumb for reef water changes?
Jesus no. 200$ readers are safe in the shop.
Thanks so much for all your help. Its a great relief.

now to get my first GSP coral!!

yep happy to move thread whereever its best suited

 

[brandon429]

the nice part about a cycle is any degree of water changes cant hurt the cycle


there's actually millions of cells of filter bac cast off in all reef water, all freshwater tank water, but they're expendable and those on the surfaces stick behind. if you continue ammonia testing you'll see rises after water changes due to organics stirred up affecting the accuracy of the test, which is why its better to not test for ammonia and nitrite any further, as long as this reef stays wet they can't drift out of spec. nitrite is neutral we dont even care about it in any stage, the ammonia control stays locked in as long as the tank stays wet.

 

[fromdiscustoreef]

Wealth of knowlege. Thanks a million!!