4th day into cycling water test

[Albz]

Hey, so my biocube 14gallon is in its 4th day of cycling with live sand and two little kive rock peieces with dry rock too and these are the resualts today that i got. Am i in the right track with it??

 

[laukirk]

Yer, that's looking great!

 

[Clarksski]

Agreed.. Looks good.. Keep testing and have patience

 

[Albz]

thank you guys!!! that gives me confidence! yay!

 

[dbl]

Every tank is different, so I would say those look perfect for your tank...lol. Please just be patient and let it do its thing. Although it's exciting to "get going", this is not a step to rush.

 

[Albz]

Here is an update guys!!! its looking freaking great!!!!!! so today is 9th days cycling and these are the results i got!!!! heres the picture!!!

The only thing I'm not very happy with is my Salinity, its at .0125 ... is that okay or should i bring it down and how do i bring it down haha...
The temp of the water is at 81F. is that okay???

 

[Pg513]

Salinity is too low. Shoot for 1.024-1.026.

81 isn't bad. I try and keep mine between 78-80 but that's just personal preference.

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

I sure hope your salinity isn't .0125!

 

[Albz]

lol sorry its at 1.025

 

[Albz]

What you guys think, I'm pretty sure I'm done the cycle in 9 days lol.... i want to try to spike the ammonia and see if it kills it in less than a day... what you guys advice!

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

Yes, that would be a good idea. I personally only use pure ammonia for cycling.

 

[Albz]

Yes, that would be a good idea. I personally only use pure ammonia for cycling.

What brand and where can i buy that stuff? and how much do i put it lol.

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

Grocery store or hardware store. get pure ammonia without scents, dyes, etc.

 

[Albz]

Grocery store or hardware store. get pure ammonia without scents, dyes, etc.

Is there any other ways to try and spike it???

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

Yes there are other forms of ammonia you could introduce, but they are not as controlled as manually dosing pure ammonia. I would not recommend other methods for that reason as it may not achieve your goal.

But the process would be to raise the ammonia to 4/5ppm and it should be 0 after approx 10 hours.

 

[Albz]

Yes there are other forms of ammonia you could introduce, but they are not as controlled as manually dosing pure ammonia. I would not recommend other methods for that reason as it may not achieve your goal.

But the process would be to raise the ammonia to 4/5ppm and it should be 0 after approx 10 hours.

Okay, so say i get pure ammonia,.. How many drops or table spoons do i drop in a 14gallon to get to 4/5ppm???

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

Iirc is about 5 drops per ten gallons. it can vary depending on how big your drops are.

 

[Albz]

Iirc is about 5 drops per ten gallons. it can vary depending on how big your drops are.

So step by step how should i do this lol... drop like 6 drops, test water right away and see if ammonia is spiked? or just wait after 12 hours and test if ammonia is down to zero?

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

Fill up a 5 gallon bucket with saltwater. add three drops of ammonia and test. if you're around 4-5ppm then do the math and figure out how many drops you'll need for your system. don't forget to factor the water from your sump, fuge, etc and guesstimate a subtraction for displacement.

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

Yes it's some work, but way more accurate than throwing a couple raw shrimp in there.

I use the ammonia method on all new tank setups for myself, friends and clients. it's never failed me because I'm the one controlling the ammonia.