Question about dosing ammonia during cycle.

[Lurch72]

Thirteen days ago I started cycling my tank. Added Fritz Turbostart 900 and ammonia to 2ppm. I've probably dosed to 1ppm four times since then. The latest time I dosed to 1ppm its back to zero in about 36 hours. I know I want it to go to zero in 24 or less. My question though is about Nitrites. From the first day I tested nitrites(probably 6 days in) its always read at least 5ppm on my API test kit. So, should I wait till nitrites drop to zero to dose again or keep dosing till ammonia is 0ppm within 24 hours and then let nitrite drop?

 

[lapin]

You can do either.
Nitrites will take longer to drop than ammonia.
The more you feed the bacteria ammonia, the more they will grow and the more nitrite you should have.
The more nitrite in your tank, the more nitrate you will have in the end.
If you stop feeding the ammonia eating bacteria, the colony willl stay the same size but will not die for a long period of time.

 

[ScottieB]

Sounds like your doing a lot of stuff right, those API kits though are tough to read Nitrite but I would prob just start testing Nitrate. Just ignore the nitrite since its only half the story. Once the Ammonia goes from 2ppm and converts all the way to Nitrate you are good.

edit: just realized you were asking about dosing, and yes I would keep dosing to 2ppm until Nitrate goes up.


https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/cycle-process-and-stages.284898/

image via @rusticgirls

 

[brandon429]

also we need to know if you are cycling live rock from a pet store w animals/coralline on it, or just dry base rock

 

[Lurch72]

also we need to know if you are cycling live rock from a pet store w animals/coralline on it, or just dry base rock

Dry base rock.

 

[brandon429]

its handy to know you can kick out the nitrite portion of all measurement if you want. Its ok to also wait the variable time until the testers indicate nitrite is ok (which may be before or after the actual time its ok)
lots of people quit using nitrite in cycle factoring because its inert in our tanks/harmless and because testers for it range so badly I have some examples of 7 mos of continual nitrite (in a tank that was cycled)

there is a cool trick though if your tank was small, not sure of size. wont work for large tanks. but for any nano, you have a way to prove the cycle is done: change all the water, dose back to 1 ppm once more. if that ammonia goes down after a full water change, no more bac in suspension, even if it takes 36 hours you are cycled.

Dr Reef has extensive testing with Fritz, it cycles aquariums such they can pass this change/redose test within 2 days of the first dose of bac~

that cycle chart above is for natural seeding and feed of bac. what you put in was 2 day cycle juice lol neat

use of the water conditioner Prime or any other conditioners cause false nitrite readings, its another reason we like to kick it out of the process. too many confounds.

 

[Lurch72]

its handy to know you can kick out the nitrite portion of all measurement if you want. Its ok to also wait the variable time until the testers indicate nitrite is ok (which may be before or after the actual time its ok)
lots of people quit using nitrite in cycle factoring because its inert in our tanks/harmless and because testers for it range so badly I have some examples of 7 mos of continual nitrite (in a tank that was cycled)

there is a cool trick though if your tank was small, not sure of size. wont work for large tanks. but for any nano, you have a way to prove the cycle is done: change all the water, dose back to 1 ppm once more. if that ammonia goes down after a full water change, no more bac in suspension, even if it takes 36 hours you are cycled.

Dr Reef has extensive testing with Fritz, it cycles aquariums such they can pass this change/redose test within 2 days of the first dose of bac~

that cycle chart above is for natural seeding and feed of bac. what you put in was 2 day cycle juice lol neat

use of the water conditioner Prime or any other conditioners cause false nitrite readings, its another reason we like to kick it out of the process. too many confounds.

Thank you. I just read your post on cycling. Great read.

 

[lordraptor1]

well i will say this on the topic, 1. api test kits are only hard to read for SOME people, second and no offense to the lovers of fritz out there but my xp with turbostart has been one disaster after another and readings make absolutley 0 sense I.E. ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate off the chart within a couple days ( no ammonia of any kind added) i added dr tims one and only and now tank isnt high on everythign anymore but it is pretty much stuck with some wierd tests ammonia 1.0ppm in the morning, .5 ppm in the afternoon, nitrites purple ( closest to the lowest purple color on chart), nitrates are 160+ ( i say + because i have already done a 60 gallon waterchange in the 150 and it didnt make a dent). im doing a 100 gallon waterchange today to try and drop the tirites and trates but at this point im not very optimistic it will do anything and will require further water changes however i will be out of salt and no way to get anymore till the first adn i have to say buying fritz rpm is getting expensive.

 

[brandon429]

Any bioload you add will live, and your sole assessment context is non seneye data, solved. The first dose of bottle bac worked, subsequents are misread impulse buys, the first dose of fritz worked relative to the surface area you gave it to attach, if you were using seneye.


non seneye users have always dug in heels that they can tell what ammonia does, and by extension filter bac. very glad to have seneye on scene now, to see how ammonia and bac really behave. It’s impossible with api. The op’s tank is cycled. Any tank claiming non working cycle is non seneye, always.

I know it’s possible for dead bottle bac to be added, the reason I don’t think it applies here is because if you add bioload it will live, and uncycled tanks can’t keep life alive.