Ammonia 0, Nitrite 2.0ppm, Nitrate 0

[gapgawwd]

How late November? Has it been little over 2 weeks? My understanding is that Stability is not the best for starting a tank. But that said two weeks is about right if the only thing at the start was live sand (and Stability). Give it another week or two. It should move.

The week of thanksgiving. I think the Tuesday of.

A water-change is up to you and how you plan to manage your nutrients. It will not affect your tank's cycle.

My plan was to use 2-part dosing for Calcium and Alkalinity (after water-changes became inadequate), chaeto in refugium for phosphate and nitrate, skimmer for organics, and daily water-changes for any other trace elements (Apex DOS).

It a a 10 gallon IM Fusion tank. It has roughly 6 gallons of water in it after displacement. I plan on doing 1 gallon changes each day once I start stocking with Acropora in February. I did that method with a 30 gallon IM fusion that was acropora dominated with success.

 

[Jeffcb]

I would not do 100 percent, do a little maybe. You need Nitrite for Nitrobacteria to consume to complete the nitrogen cycle.

 

[RC Corals]

I know this is crazy Heretic thinking in this day and age of dry rock and bottle bacterias...

But you can always just get someone close to you to squeeze out a filter sock or filter floss and get all the good cooties you need to start the tank just fine. And actually help your biodiversity in the process.

 

[brandon429]

Agreed


determining allowed start dates for conventions vs forums vs tank relocation jobs vs brand new all white rock reefs is fascinating science. Like a patchwork of state laws you have to please I love it.

and the whole time we get goggles lightly smeared w jelly to aid in course challenge


conventions are like: we sell to you, of course we wont fail to open by Friday. And every reef will look and behave twenty years old. Except for the all plastic frag tanks holding a corvette’s worth of gold flow. we want you to buy products designed to unstall cycles, though we did not use the juice to begin here today we have insider stuff.

 

[gapgawwd]

I know this is crazy Heretic thinking in this day and age of dry rock and bottle bacterias...

But you can always just get someone close to you to squeeze out a filter sock or filter floss and get all the good cooties you need to start the tank just fine. And actually help your biodiversity in the process.

I will be grabbing some live rock rubble from my buddy on Sunday!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

FWIW, I don't see any reason to think a water change is desirable in this situation.

 

[gapgawwd]

FWIW, I don't see any reason to think a water change is desirable in this situation.

Any reason why you believe that nitrate has spiked and went down to 0, while I still have nitrites? From my memory Nitrites eat ammonia and then nitrates eat nitrites. I’m just confused. Only time I have seen this. Please enlighten me.

 

[schuby]

Any reason why you believe that nitrate has spiked and went down to 0, while I still have nitrites? From my memory Nitrites eat ammonia and then nitrates eat nitrites. I’m just confused. Only time I have seen this. Please enlighten me.

After your Nitrite goes to zero, test your Nitrate. If it shows zero then the test is faulty. Nitrate doesn't just disappear, unless you do a 100% water change.

I've never had a nano tank, but I've read that some manage their nutrient levels with severe/near-total water changes.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Any reason why you believe that nitrate has spiked and went down to 0, while I still have nitrites? From my memory Nitrites eat ammonia and then nitrates eat nitrites. I’m just confused. Only time I have seen this. Please enlighten me.

It is possible, and it is also possible one or more of the results are test error. I would not spend time worrying about nitrite, if ammonia depletes rapidly enough.