Hello everyone, I am in the middle of cycling my tank and I've been using the microbactor7 and I got some pure ammonia and dosed as it said on the bottle, i added 4 dropped per gallon in my 65 gallon tank, and the next day I did the same and then the day after I tested my ammonia with my API test kit and it was saying my ammonia was 8.0, nitrite was 0 and nitrate tested at 10ppm. Is this normal? I've continued to add my microbactor7 but stopped with the ammonia. Please help, any advice would be amazing.
8.0 Ammonia
- Thread starter Gavin1274
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https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/cycling-with-high-ammonia-levels.623220/#post-6228865
there we go, it'll go down given a little time. it takes massive and sustained overdoses to cause tank water to become cleaner/sterilizer. mainly it just got a huge shot of algae feed lol no harm to the bac in 99% of cases. Ive never ever ever seen any cycle stall off ammonia and nitrite variation, am aware it says on the label of bottle bac some say to watch for that but its just never mattered in any post Ive ever seen. what I have seen is ten thousand misreported test readings, though... so this call I'm making isn't off what an ammonia tester says in a few days. we got lucky above his registered a drop this fast, that's rare.
if you let your current mix just stew for 30 days, change the water out, that puts back in clean water on top of biofilms on all surfaces that built up over 30 days with a bunch of ammonia and bac in the system then it will be cycled. how the waste water reads in the interim does not matter to the ends, we've been told that matters but in the end it doesn't with that full water change out option. the type of precision cycle that shouldn't go above 2 ppm /exacting levels/ are the ones where you must bring up rocks within days/no 30 avail
there we go, it'll go down given a little time. it takes massive and sustained overdoses to cause tank water to become cleaner/sterilizer. mainly it just got a huge shot of algae feed lol no harm to the bac in 99% of cases. Ive never ever ever seen any cycle stall off ammonia and nitrite variation, am aware it says on the label of bottle bac some say to watch for that but its just never mattered in any post Ive ever seen. what I have seen is ten thousand misreported test readings, though... so this call I'm making isn't off what an ammonia tester says in a few days. we got lucky above his registered a drop this fast, that's rare.
if you let your current mix just stew for 30 days, change the water out, that puts back in clean water on top of biofilms on all surfaces that built up over 30 days with a bunch of ammonia and bac in the system then it will be cycled. how the waste water reads in the interim does not matter to the ends, we've been told that matters but in the end it doesn't with that full water change out option. the type of precision cycle that shouldn't go above 2 ppm /exacting levels/ are the ones where you must bring up rocks within days/no 30 avail
rkpetersen
walked the sand with the crustaceans
That ammonia level, if accurate, will inhibit some nitrifying bacteria.
Consider checking it with a different test. If confirmed, do not add any more ammonia for now.
Keep adding bacteria periodically and keep checking the ammonia and nitrite levels.
Also consider trying another brand of bacteria. The best imo is refrigerated Fritz Turbo Start 900.
If that's not available or too expensive, try BioSpira and/or Stability.
At some point your ammonia will start to drop and you'll see nitrite rise.
When your ammonia is less than 1, you can start adding ammonia again, but only a few drops per day.
The nitrite level typically takes much longer to drop than the ammonia level, so be patient and let it happen.
Checking the nitrate level at this point is unnecessary and will be inaccurate when nitrite is present.
ReeferReefer
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I would do 2, 50% water changes to get the ammonia down to around 2.
