Tank cycling ammonia still at zero

[ricardomunera]

I’m currently cycling my 90 gallon tank with dry rock. I tossed in some AF life source AF life bio fil and am also dosing microbactor 7 on the lighter side so I don’t overwhelm the tank with bacteria. I’ve put in 3 mysis cubes and 4 ocean plankton cubes in as an ammonia source and it’s been 5 days with still no sign of ammonia. Should I add more cubes or will it just take longer to see a spike?

 

[rfisher3]

Have you checked nitrite and nitrate?

 

[mcarroll]

I’m currently cycling my 90 gallon tank with dry rock. I tossed in some AF life source AF life bio fil and am also dosing microbactor 7 on the lighter side so I don’t overwhelm the tank with bacteria. I’ve put in 3 mysis cubes and 4 ocean plankton cubes in as an ammonia source and it’s been 5 days with still no sign of ammonia. Should I add more cubes or will it just take longer to see a spike?

The products and food cubes should be mostly unnecessary...worth considering for next time.

Start a timer for 30-40 days from when you started the process.

Check back in with the tank after the time has expired and it will be cycled.

Between now and then, remember: A watched pot never boils. :)

30-40 is just how long it takes for the bacteria to grow in completely....products do not usually change this significantly. (I would expect them to state so explicitly in the directions if it was supposed to.)

Check out Matin Moe's books for a better understanding of fundamentals like this.....they are GREAT books for anyone in the hobby. (There are two.....you can start with the Handbook.)

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Using food as the ammonia source is one of the slower ways to cycle, but it does work. I agree, test again in 3-4 weeks, no need to test every day.

 

[ricardomunera]

Have you checked nitrite and nitrate?

I don’t have a nitrite tester but I’ll check nitrate

 

[Fish Fan]

I don’t have a nitrite tester but I’ll check nitrate

You don't need a nitrite tester, nitirite is not an issue in saltwater.

I’m currently cycling my 90 gallon tank with dry rock. I tossed in some AF life source AF life bio fil and am also dosing microbactor 7 on the lighter side so I don’t overwhelm the tank with bacteria. I’ve put in 3 mysis cubes and 4 ocean plankton cubes in as an ammonia source and it’s been 5 days with still no sign of ammonia. Should I add more cubes or will it just take longer to see a spike?

This is the issue with using food as an ammonia source, it's slow to take effect, and you don't have a great way to dose it accurately.

I'd suggest getting some ammonium chloride such as Fritz Fishless Fuel or Dr. Tim's Ammonium Chloride, or you can use Baker's Ammonia, which can be found at craft stores like Michael's. Bring the ammonia concentration up to about 2.00 ppm and then wait for it to fall to about 0.25 ppm to 0.50 ppm.
https://www.michaels.com/product/lorann-ammonium-carbonate-27oz-10695841

Good luck!

 

[Dan_P]

I’m currently cycling my 90 gallon tank with dry rock. I tossed in some AF life source AF life bio fil and am also dosing microbactor 7 on the lighter side so I don’t overwhelm the tank with bacteria. I’ve put in 3 mysis cubes and 4 ocean plankton cubes in as an ammonia source and it’s been 5 days with still no sign of ammonia. Should I add more cubes or will it just take longer to see a spike?

If I assume a cube is 3 g, you added 21 g of material. Frozen food is mostly water, something like 80-90%. Just for this exercise assume 10% of the 21 g is dehydrated biomass or 2.1 g. Half of this is protein or 1.05 or let’s say 1 g. 16% of the protein is nitrogen or 160 mg N a bit more for ammonia, 200 mg. In 90 gallons or about 360 liters, that is a maximum of about 200 mg/360 L or about 0.5 ppm. This amount is not going to show all at once nor very quickly. I suppose it’s possible you will ever see ammonia if nitrifying bacteria are present. Testing for nitrite possibly gets around this issue becsuse it is more sensitive than the ammonia test and nitrite oxidizing bacteria can be slow to start (nitrite will accumulate).

You can dose a little ammonium chloride and watch for it to disappear to prove nitrifying bacteria are present.

 

[ricardomunera]

I’m currently cycling my 90 gallon tank with dry rock. I tossed in some AF life source AF life bio fil and am also dosing microbactor 7 on the lighter side so I don’t overwhelm the tank with bacteria. I’ve put in 3 mysis cubes and 4 ocean plankton cubes in as an ammonia source and it’s been 5 days with still no sign of ammonia. Should I add more cubes or will it just take longer to see a spike?

If I assume a cube is 3 g, you added 21 g of material. Frozen food is mostly water, something like 80-90%. Just for this exercise assume 10% of the 21 g is dehydrated biomass or 2.1 g. Half of this is protein or 1.05 or let’s say 1 g. 16% of the protein is nitrogen or 160 mg N a bit more for ammonia, 200 mg. In 90 gallons or about 360 liters, that is a maximum of about 200 mg/360 L or about 0.5 ppm. This amount is not going to show all at once nor very quickly. I suppose it’s possible you will ever see ammonia if nitrifying bacteria are present. Testing for nitrite possibly gets around this issue becsuse it is more sensitive than the ammonia test and nitrite oxidizing bacteria can be slow to start (nitrite will accumulate).

You can dose a little ammonium chloride and watch for it to disappear to prove nitrifying bacteria are present.

The ammonium chloride was plan a but I couldn’t find anyone that had it on hand. Dr Tim’s was all out of stock everywhere I looked

 

[Fish Fan]

The ammonium chloride was plan a but I couldn’t find anyone that had it on hand. Dr Tim’s was all out of stock everywhere I looked

You can use Baker's Ammonia, which can be found in the baking section of many grocery stores or even craft stores like Michael's:
https://www.michaels.com/product/lorann-ammonium-carbonate-27oz-10695841

 

[ricardomunera]

The ammonium chloride was plan a but I couldn’t find anyone that had it on hand. Dr Tim’s was all out of stock everywhere I looked

You can use Baker's Ammonia, which can be found in the baking section of many grocery stores or even craft stores like Michael's:
https://www.michaels.com/product/lorann-ammonium-carbonate-27oz-10695841

Unfortunately I also live in a small town and the closest Michael’s is 3 hours away and our Walmart doesn’t stock bakers ammonia. I’ll look into ordering though

 

[Fish Fan]

Unfortunately I also live in a small town and the closest Michael’s is 3 hours away and our Walmart doesn’t stock bakers ammonia. I’ll look into ordering though

If you're going to order you should be able to order Fritz or Dr. Tim's ammonia too.