Tank cycled after 12 days? Should I test with ammonia?

Badvegas

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 16, 2020
Messages
32
Reaction score
69
Location
Bay Area
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hello Reefers! I am on day 12 of cycling my 63 gallon tank. (Fishless cycle, used Dr Tim’s, Carib sea sand and Carib sea life rock)
LFS tested my water yesterday and said I’m ready for fish. Ammonia is 0, Nitrates are 30. Everything else looked fine. Salinity was a bit high at 1.027 so I added some RODI In my ATO should bring it down. Question is...I decided to wait another week to add fish, Will my new bacteria start to die without an ammonia source in there for a week? Should I dose a bit of ammonia this week to feed the bacteria and double check that it returns to zero? Leave it alone and stop worrying? Oh and should I do my first water change to bring the nitrates down prior to adding fish next week? Thank you in advance! Very excited to be getting so close to adding fish.
 

Cell

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 20, 2019
Messages
14,111
Reaction score
21,713
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
You can dose ammonia to double check or simply trust the current test and the bottled bac did its job. I'd recommend a water change before stocking but not completely necessary.
 

RobertTheNurse

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
May 3, 2020
Messages
855
Reaction score
707
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hello Reefers! I am on day 12 of cycling my 63 gallon tank. (Fishless cycle, used Dr Tim’s, Carib sea sand and Carib sea life rock)
LFS tested my water yesterday and said I’m ready for fish. Ammonia is 0, Nitrates are 30. Everything else looked fine. Salinity was a bit high at 1.027 so I added some RODI In my ATO should bring it down. Question is...I decided to wait another week to add fish, Will my new bacteria start to die without an ammonia source in there for a week? Should I dose a bit of ammonia this week to feed the bacteria and double check that it returns to zero? Leave it alone and stop worrying? Oh and should I do my first water change to bring the nitrates down prior to adding fish next week? Thank you in advance! Very excited to be getting so close to adding fish.
I literallh added snails and some hermits first. 12 days in IMO is too soon. This hobby is about patience. I waited 6 weeks before adding just snails and hermits. My live sand helped to maintain levels...

Week 6 I added crabs and snails...did a water change then...the following week added a fish...another week another fish etc...read aboht new tank syndrome.

My levels are pretty much spot on. Never had any problems. I have never added any chemicals into my tank (except bacteria)...

Again, just my opinion. There are SO MANY opinions in this hobby. Read. Read. Read. And most of all HAVE FUN!!
 

Mkkari

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 19, 2020
Messages
571
Reaction score
248
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hello Reefers! I am on day 12 of cycling my 63 gallon tank. (Fishless cycle, used Dr Tim’s, Carib sea sand and Carib sea life rock)
LFS tested my water yesterday and said I’m ready for fish. Ammonia is 0, Nitrates are 30. Everything else looked fine. Salinity was a bit high at 1.027 so I added some RODI In my ATO should bring it down. Question is...I decided to wait another week to add fish, Will my new bacteria start to die without an ammonia source in there for a week? Should I dose a bit of ammonia this week to feed the bacteria and double check that it returns to zero? Leave it alone and stop worrying? Oh and should I do my first water change to bring the nitrates down prior to adding fish next week? Thank you in advance! Very excited to be getting so close to adding fish.
Did you check your nitrites? Or did you skip it?
 

Cell

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 20, 2019
Messages
14,111
Reaction score
21,713
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Nitrites levels do not matter in reef tank cycling.
 

Cell

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 20, 2019
Messages
14,111
Reaction score
21,713
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Just to clarify, what Dr. Tim's product did you use? One and Only or Ammonium Chloride? If it's the former, then why waste your money if you aren't going to trust the product to do what it says? If it's the latter, then dose it again and see how long it takes to process.
 

Mkkari

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 19, 2020
Messages
571
Reaction score
248
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Nitrites levels do not matter in reef tank cycling.
I had a post couple of days ago about how I started my cycle and literally dumped 5 of my old fishes in the tank.

I was told not to worry about nitrites.

However any YouTube video I watch, they all say nitrites is toxic and freaks me out :(
 

Cell

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 20, 2019
Messages
14,111
Reaction score
21,713
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Nitrites are no good in freshwater, but aren't relevant in SW as, roughly, the binding sites they use are already occupied.
 

Cell

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Apr 20, 2019
Messages
14,111
Reaction score
21,713
Rating - 0%
0   0   0

Mkkari

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 19, 2020
Messages
571
Reaction score
248
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Nitrites are no good in freshwater, but aren't relevant in SW as, roughly, the binding sites they use are already occupied.
What I did yesterday, since the nitrites are f$#%#n highhhhhh, I did 50% water change and added microbacter start XLM.
 

mitch91175

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
Messages
2,831
Reaction score
2,194
Location
Rowlett, TX
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I had a post couple of days ago about how I started my cycle and literally dumped 5 of my old fishes in the tank.

I was told not to worry about nitrites.

However any YouTube video I watch, they all say nitrites is toxic and freaks me out :(


Don't believe everything you read online. I'm going through same thing and I personally am not waiting 4+ weeks to begin adding fish into a system that would only need a water change if there is something alarming. Just trying to pace adding the fish in the system.

But I take chances sometimes so take my comment with a grain of salt :D
 

Brew12

Electrical Gru
View Badges
Joined
Aug 14, 2016
Messages
22,488
Reaction score
61,020
Location
Decatur, AL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Nitrites levels do not matter in reef tank cycling.
I'm going to disagree with this, but strictly from an informational perspective. I feel one of the best ways to determine if a tank is "cycled" is to verify you have nitrates. Those nitrates had to come from somewhere, and the most likely source is ammonia. So, if you have a tank with zero ammonia and some level of nitrates then you know your tank is processing waste.
The problems is that nitrate tests work by breaking nitrate down into nitrite and measuring the resulting nitrite. So, the nitrate test is only accurate if nitrite is at 0ppm. The only way to know that is to test nitrite. This is why some people will see nitrates rise, fall and start rising again during a cycle. The first rise and fall was actually nitrites being produced and processed.
 

Mkkari

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 19, 2020
Messages
571
Reaction score
248
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I'm going to disagree with this, but strictly from an informational perspective. I feel one of the best ways to determine if a tank is "cycled" is to verify you have nitrates. Those nitrates had to come from somewhere, and the most likely source is ammonia. So, if you have a tank with zero ammonia and some level of nitrates then you know your tank is processing waste.
The problems is that nitrate tests work by breaking nitrate down into nitrite and measuring the resulting nitrite. So, the nitrate test is only accurate if nitrite is at 0ppm. The only way to know that is to test nitrite. This is why some people will see nitrates rise, fall and start rising again during a cycle. The first rise and fall was actually nitrites being produced and processed.
Its funny how 15 years ago, I added salt to the aquarium and added some damsels, some made it and dome did not. I restocked after 3 months and all of them made it.

Now days there are SOOOOOOOO many technics and gadgets. I feel the more you know, the more you get stressed out lol.

I am just thinking, it would make sense if Ammonia is 0, nitrites is 0 and nitrates is high means completed cycle in a way where all your bacteria is settled.

But hey, I am not any expert and the only reason I have issues with this particular topic is coz there are some many different views and I know that is what the hobby has always been about.
 

ChrisNH

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 21, 2019
Messages
305
Reaction score
254
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I am going to go against the grain, just a little, despite not having an awesome reef tank to prove myself with.

In the case of dosing ammonia directly, testing nitrite will let you know when you can dose more Should you wish to. Nitrite consumers reproduce more slowly and ammonia additions may slow or stall them. Source: Dr Tims MACNA presentation and data from testing my tank as it cycled. I tested every day, sometimes twice, so I could have fun playing with the data.

also, in my limited experience, nitrate tests kinda suck and it’s hard to see the increases after a point. On the other hand, the nitrite rise and fall is easy to see and I had it lying around from my daughter FW tank so why not?
 

Brew12

Electrical Gru
View Badges
Joined
Aug 14, 2016
Messages
22,488
Reaction score
61,020
Location
Decatur, AL
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Its funny how 15 years ago, I added salt to the aquarium and added some damsels, some made it and dome did not. I restocked after 3 months and all of them made it.
I know this worked, but I am glad we have mostly gotten away from this. I don't see any reason to go this route anymore.

Now days there are SOOOOOOOO many technics and gadgets. I feel the more you know, the more you get stressed out lol.
Guilty as charged! I love my gadgets, but I try to use them to make my reefkeeping easier. It is a big problem when you use gadgets in place of learning.

I am just thinking, it would make sense if Ammonia is 0, nitrites is 0 and nitrates is high means completed cycle in a way where all your bacteria is settled.
Completely agree.

But hey, I am not any expert and the only reason I have issues with this particular topic is coz there are some many different views and I know that is what the hobby has always been about.
So many different ways.
Live rock from ocean or another tank = add fish immediately
Bottled bacteria = add fish immediately
Bottled bacteria or live rock and verify using pure ammonia before adding fish
Bottled bacteria or live rock and use raw shrimp before adding fish
Dry rock + raw shrimp and add fish later

They all work, and there are more options and variations. I don't get hung up so much on which way people want to go with it as long as their method makes sense based on what we know about the bacteria involved.
 
Last edited:

92Miata

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Feb 26, 2020
Messages
1,523
Reaction score
2,485
Location
Richmond, VA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Added bottle bac (BioSpira) on day 1, added fish, cleaner shrimp, peppermints, and frags on day 3. Never had measurable ammonia. Nothing ever looked stressed.


Unless your bottle-bac was totally dead - your tank has been cycled for a week. Adding ammonia at this point is just creating a nitrate problem.
 

Mkkari

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 19, 2020
Messages
571
Reaction score
248
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Added bottle bac (BioSpira) on day 1, added fish, cleaner shrimp, peppermints, and frags on day 3. Never had measurable ammonia. Nothing ever looked stressed.


Unless your bottle-bac was totally dead - your tank has been cycled for a week. Adding ammonia at this point is just creating a nitrate problem.
As per the reviews I have been seeing, they say if the bottle is cloudy - it means they are alive.

I live in AZ, it gets 130F out here and any darn thing will die lol
 

Mkkari

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 19, 2020
Messages
571
Reaction score
248
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I know this worked, but I am glad we have mostly gotten away from this. I don't see any reason to go this route anymore.


Guilty as charged! I love my gadgets, but I try to use them to make my reefkeeping easier. It is a big problem when you use gadgets in place of learning.


Completely agree.


So many different ways.
Live rock from ocean or another tank = add fish immediately
Bottled bacteria = add fish immediately
Bottled bacteria or live rock and verify using pure ammonia before adding fish
Bottled bacteria or live rock and use raw shrimp before adding fish
Dry rock + raw shrimp and add fish later

They all work, and there are more options and variations. I don't get hung up so much on which way people want to go with it as long as their method makes sense based on what we know about the bacteria involved.

Thank you for all the advice Brew12
Btw gorgeous tank - My dream tank!!!
 
OP
OP
Badvegas

Badvegas

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 16, 2020
Messages
32
Reaction score
69
Location
Bay Area
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Just to clarify, what Dr. Tim's product did you use? One and Only or Ammonium Chloride? If it's the former, then why waste your money if you aren't going to trust the product to do what it says? If it's the latter, then dose it again and see how long it takes to process.
I used the one and only. So it should be good. Thank you!
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 64 36.8%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 59 33.9%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 14.4%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 26 14.9%
  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
Back
Top