What’s going on with my nitrates!

[peterneish]

Hi all.
I’m in the process of cycling a new tank. My first. It’s a Waterbox 20 cube and I’m cycling using Dr.Tims fishless method.

Ive been dosing the ammonium nitrate as per the guidelines and ammonia has been in the 1-2 ppm range with nitrites around 0.1 to 0.25 mg/l.

I’m on day 8 of the cycle and according to the ‘recipe for success’ I should be able to add fish tomorrow if ammonia and nitrites are near 0. That’s not the case so I’ve a little to go yet I think, but just tested my nitrates and they’re over 100mg/l!!!!!!!!!!

Am I doing something wrong! Should I carry out a few large water changes over the next week? thanks in advance. P

 

[DC Reefer]

is your ammonia down to 0 yet?

 

[peterneish]

It’s not. It tested at around 1.5 today on a salifert test kit.

 

[Garf]

It’s not. It tested at around 1.5 today on a salifert test kit.

Did you use RODI water to make your salt mix?

 

[peterneish]

Did you use RODI water to make your salt mix?

I did. I got it from my lfs and tested with a tds meter.

 

[HuduVudu]

It is not scientfic but my experience with really high nitrates like you have, verify those numbers it is rare that the nitrate gets that high that quickly, is that the nitrates seem to back up the ammonia break down.

Best way to deal with this is to water change it out, to dilute the nitrate.

 

[peterneish]

It is not scientfic but my experience with really high nitrates like you have, verify those numbers it is rare that the nitrate gets that high that quickly, is that the nitrates seem to back up the ammonia break down.

Best way to deal with this is to water change it out, to dilute the nitrate.

Thanks

 

[Pkunk35]

@brandon429 can figure this out
Did you start with dry rock I assume? I believe there is probably a known time that dr. Tim’s and submerged rock need in order to fully coloniZe, there’s a giant thread on cycling, I would link but sorry I’m working and sneaking in a post haha

 

[peterneish]

@brandon429 can figure this out
Did you start with dry rock I assume? I believe there is probably a known time that dr. Tim’s and submerged rock need in order to fully coloniZe, there’s a giant thread on cycling, I would link but sorry I’m working and sneaking in a post haha

I started with caribsea Arag alive and life rock. Thanks for the reply

 

[SMSREEF]

No need to test nitrate at this point.

Nitrite will mess up the nitrate test. Wait till nitrite is 0 and then nitrate will be accurate.

This is the cycle:
Ammonia > Nitrite > Nitrate

 

[peterneish]

No need to test nitrate at this point.

Nitrite will mess up the nitrate test. Wait till nitrite is 0 and then nitrate will be accurate.

This is the cycle:
Ammonia > Nitrite > Nitrate

Thanks very much. I’ve just seen this in a different thread as well. I have the cycle down in my head, but wasn’t aware that nitrites would mess up the test so that makes sense. Thanks for that.

 

[brandon429]

In my opinion this is why cycling rules needed updating.


Something that is actually very consistent, enough that they can write bottle instructions with the number of completion days already known, is deemed inconsistent in forum posts using old method. The old method accepts every single post of a param stated as correct. 5% of stated params will align with another kits measure...threads in chem forum as we speak on variance per name brand.



In the end, given a month it’s all going to stabilize. If the tests allow the accurate reading...

but why pay for bottle bac if going to wait the normal month, those charts were written before bottle bac was for sale. They’re wastewater treatment charts from the turn of the century. We pay for bottle bac in order to meet the days on the bottle.

new cycling rules knows test kits can mislead when they show stuck ammonia. In this case nitrate proves the bottle bac was not dead, they’re active.


that means by default the ammonia conversion is working, so this will also work: wait to day fifteen, be a rogue among speed cyclers heh

on day fifteen change all your water for new reef water.

then add your starting bioload and post an update, go easy nothing big and no big feeding, feed lighter than you will feed the system for the first week. At the end of the first week of animals plus very light feed, change half the water for new.

after that second change reef as you will. This method uses the rule that cycles don’t stick or stall. And finding any evidence for oxidation confirms the whole chain is working.

plus we meet the directions on the bottle for number of days.


plus we coincidentally have met the ten day ammonia control shown on any cycling chart ever made.

 

[peterneish]

In my opinion this is why cycling rules needed updating.


Something that is actually very consistent, enough that they can write bottle instructions with the number of completion days already known, is deemed inconsistent in forum posts using old method. The old method accepts every single post of a param stated as correct. 5% of stated params will align with another kits measure...threads in chem forum as we speak on variance per name brand.



In the end, given a month it’s all going to stabilize. If the tests allow the accurate reading...

but why pay for bottle bac if going to wait the normal month, those charts were written before bottle bac was for sale. They’re wastewater treatment charts from the turn of the century. We pay for bottle bac in order to meet the days on the bottle.

new cycling rules knows test kits can mislead when they show stuck ammonia. In this case nitrate proves the bottle bac was not dead, they’re active.


that means by default the ammonia conversion is working, so this will also work: wait to day fifteen, be a rogue among speed cyclers heh

on day fifteen change all your water for new reef water.

then add your starting bioload and post an update, go easy nothing big and no big feeding, feed lighter than you will feed the system for the first week. At the end of the first week of animals plus very light feed, change half the water for new.

after that second change reef as you will. This method uses the rule that cycles don’t stick or stall. And finding any evidence for oxidation confirms the whole chain is working.

plus we meet the directions on the bottle for number of days.


plus we coincidentally have met the ten day ammonia control shown on any cycling chart ever made.

Thanks for the in depth answer. I’ll give that a go.

 

[SMSREEF]

Thanks very much. I’ve just seen this in a different thread as well. I have the cycle down in my head, but wasn’t aware that nitrites would mess up the test so that makes sense. Thanks for that.

You’re welcome. Just be patient. The cycle takes time. Don’t rush things and let nature do it’s thing.


Randy writes about false high nitrate levels when nitrite is present.

The nitrate value is not real. It is a false reading due to nitrite that can read as 100x the nitrite amount in nitrate.

 

[brandon429]

That will contribute to audits of new science.

there’s accountability in the claim, I’ll quit writing it if someone bombs out. We r just looking to harness the mystery convention cycle ability. We seek no reef anarchy

reef conventions have been starting four hundred reefs on time for sales doors to open since the dawn of our hobby, yet we struggle. Not fair; I stole all their info and this is the wiki dump heh:

How to unstick any seemingly stuck cycle

Just perfect, don’t think I don’t have stomach butterflies waiting for updates he he ace ventura pump though that tank above looks great, and your kits are calibrated against life carry truth in this case. Can’t wait to see outcomes on additional system

www.reef2reef.com

if anything fails we w update there, where the work is.

 

[peterneish]

You’re welcome. Just be patient. The cycle takes time. Don’t rush things and let nature do it’s thing.


Randy writes about false high nitrate levels when nitrite is present.

Thanks very much.