Switch cycling method?

[zzanol]

Last weekend, I started a cycle using the fishLESS method (ammonia + FritzZyme TurboStart).

At one point, my heater stopped, and I think it stalled the cycle.

Could I do a big water change to get ammonia/nitrite/nitrate essentially zero, and then start again with the fish present method?

 

[TX_REEF]

You could, but I don’t recommend the fish-in method, it is cruel to an extent. I WOULD however recommend getting some true live rock, either from a clean mature system or better yet real ocean live rock such as from Tampa Bay Saltwater.

 

[TX_REEF]

And - just be happy your heater failed before you had any livestock What sort of heater do you have? That’s one piece of equipment you really don’t want to skimp on. Tell us a bit about your system!

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

cruel to cycle a tank with a fish, please be patient, this hobby is all about patience after all.

What are the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate? Cycles don't stall.

 

[jda]

The bacteria is likely fine. I don't know how anything stalls - bad word choice, IMO. I think that it was just made up as a strawman. You could kill a tank, or it progresses... I don't know how it sits in limbo. Even if you changed all that water and got those levels at zero, there would still be surface/film bacteria in the tank.

In any case, the progress should have continued and you can likely smartly and slowly add some fish if you ammonia look OK.

 

[zzanol]

Thanks for the input, new to this.

I mistakenly linked the temperature drop with nitrites not dropping. Currently, ammonia .5 ppm, nitrite 2-5+ ppm (hard to tell on the color chart), and nitrate 40 ppm.

Finnex titanium (STE?) stopped heating until "rebooted" via power cycle; replacing with 2-element IM Helio.

I'll be patient, thanks for the education.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

If you have Nitrates, then the tank is cycled (the cycle being the Nitrogen Cycle: Ammonia to Nitrite to Nitrate).

What test kit are you using to measure Ammonia? Some kits can read 0.25-0.5 ppm while actually being 0.0. Also, you can ignore Nitrite for saltwater tanks (it isn't toxic in saltwater like it is in freshwater).

Edit: Just to add, the heater failing won't kill off the Nitrifying bacteria - so the tank should still be cycled.

 

[Cell]

All we really care about is ammonia right now. The presence of nitrite indicates ammonia is being processed. Nitrate cannot be accurately measured in the presence of nitrite with our test kits, so no need to measure it until nitrite drops. False ammonia positives are common with certain test kits. Give it another 24 hrs and see if ammonia has lowered and/or nitrite risen. Fritzyme works.

 

[Cell]

If a false ammonia positive is suspected, you can test the current level and use that as your baseline, then dose a measureable amount of ammonia, wait 24 hrs and test again. If it's back to your baseline, you are good to start stocking slowly.

 

[mfinn]

I would get a new heater, skip the water change and keep going.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

All we really care about is ammonia right now. The presence of nitrite indicates ammonia is being processed. Nitrate cannot be accurately measured in the presence of nitrite with our test kits, so no need to measure it until nitrite drops. False ammonia positives are common with certain test kits. Give it another 24 hrs and see if ammonia has lowered and/or nitrite risen. Fritzyme works.

Forgot about Nitrite interference with Nitrate testing - good call.

 

[TX_REEF]

Thanks for the input, new to this.

I mistakenly linked the temperature drop with nitrites not dropping. Currently, ammonia .5 ppm, nitrite 2-5+ ppm (hard to tell on the color chart), and nitrate 40 ppm.

Finnex titanium (STE?) stopped heating until "rebooted" via power cycle; replacing with 2-element IM Helio.

I'll be patient, thanks for the education.

I hope you request a refund on the finnex.

I use a helio on my main display and I love it; the magnetic mount is excellent.

 

[zzanol]

Test kit is the API Marine Saltwater Master Test Kit.

 

[TX_REEF]

Test kit is the API Marine Saltwater Master Test Kit.

Definitely pick up a different brand, API is notorious for inaccuracy. Red Sea and Salifert are well respected

 

[Cell]

At this point I wouldn't waste money on another ammonia or nitrite test kit. If anything, pick up a Seachem Ammonia alert badge. Once you are done cycling, and I suspect your tank is probably fine to start stocking slowly, you wont need the ammonia or nitrite tests anymore.

 

[Cell]

API isn't great because of the false positive, but we can get around that by treating .25 as zero.

 

[Nano_Man]

I wouldn’t do a water change just go and buy some good mature live rock and put it in plenty of flow in the tank if you want to feed ammonia put a couple of dead shrimps or prawns in a net bag and a stone to sink it and it will cycle no problem. Test ammonia rise and fall and look for a nitrate reading and your ready to go. Or if the live rock is really good you could jump the cycle imo. But just keep testing so you know we’re you are with it