Ammonia question

[Tippfish]

Maybe this should be in the New to hobby section...

Starting a new tank and no signs of ammonia.

- 46gal - 8 gal sump
- 40lbs live sand
- 16lbs live rock
- 3 weeks since water in
- RO/DI water
- 500 gph flow through sump
- Polyps, mini brittle stars, Kenya tree hitch hiked in on LR
- (2) Turbo snails. QT'd 48hrs. 5 days in DT.
- (20L) additional water added to system due to evaporation.
- Temp 78F
- Salinity 33
- No nitrite or nitrate testing yet. Waiting for ammonia cycle before buying test kit
- API ammonia test kit
- Ghost feeding for last week. 1x/ day

Where's the ammonia?

Just be patient?

 

[mike007]

How did you cycle tank? In order for a tank to cycle you have to have a ammonia spike somewhere during the cycle. I suspect your test results are not correct. Yes be patient and test your nitrites and nitrates before adding before adding any fish. You might want to have your lfs verify your test results.

 

[Tippfish]

I'm thinking It hasn't cycled yet???? but 3wks seems like a long time to not see a trace of ammonia... I'll try LFS for an ammonia test. I know API can be sketchy at times

 

[brandon429]

By using all live substrates fully loaded with bacteria I expect no cycle, add some corals last week. I build all my tanks like that and simply opt out of all cycling all the time.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Tank is way to big for just the substrate to handle a cycle. The tank wasnt introduced to ammonia, but when you add live stock I fear your tank will then cycle, and your corals could possibly be in trouble.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Are you adding fish foods?

 

[brandon429]

Since moving rocks between tanks nicely enough not to kill the corals was done, we know no bacterial loss occurred

Consider simon Garrats reef tank that he drains for six hours a day with full sps load...that is just like setting up a new skip cycle reef, twice a day, for the life of his tank!
http://reefbuilders.com/2010/10/19/simon-garratts-intertidal-reef-months/

The biggest shock for me here is that an API test kit isn't showing .25 when there is none. Cycling a reef tank is an option, it is not required when using fully aquarium cured live rock if we will transport it home nicely. I pile mine open air in a box and take it home and it still doesn't mini cycle. tipps tank was ready to go day 1

No ammonia is coming for this tank, or needed. It will stress the benthics who are doing just fine moving from one tank to another. The ghost feeding is being converted by tons of active surface area that doesn't need to recycle.

 

[Tippfish]

Thanks for all of the feedback.

Yes, I am putting fish food in (every other day)

Below is a pic of tank. Saving up for more live rock and T5 lighting. Planning to start with small hardy reef safe fish. Then hardy/ easy soft coral.

Don't want to rush anything though. Thus the ammonia paranoia.

 

[SeahorseKeeper]

If it were me, I would add some more rock. Also, what are you ghost feeding and how much?

 

[Tippfish]

I want more rock too, but need more $$$.

Ghost feeding just a couple pinches of flake food

 

[brandon429]

excellent clear pics. clearly some of the rock is aged, it has the purple coralline that takes months or years to get, and it wasnt killed during the transfer or it would be white, so by that we know the tank can process ammonia and its doing so. the sand confers some ability to reduce ammonia as its terribly easy to keep nitrifiers alive in wet materials, like it is to keep an earthworm alive in moist compost, its where things belong.

the rock isn't ready for high figh bioloading but it will handle some, merely the purple rock on the end and the live sand assuming it was caribsea wet pack will handle a light initial bioload, your feed, or some easy corals.

agreed, take time add rocks as needed dont do fish until some more rock. go get some candy cane corals, zoanthids, softies, put a few in and dont try and spike this ammonia it doesnt need any, its ready for light reefing. if you were to buy 8 more rocks exactly like the one on the end, all purple, that would be aging your tank with each rock added and dont expect a cycle unless you treat it really bad on the way home. if you want predictable zero cycling, keep it in a wet bucket from the pet store to your house and it will never mini cycle, it will just carry active bacteria everywhere you stick it. you could keep filling this tank up and up with purple rocks increasing your reefing ability each time.

select rocks with low sponge growth for the best control over cycling. the reason i have never cycled any reef ive ever owned, and had corals quickly, is because i dont use fish so my bioloading is already small, and i only deal in rocks like that one on the far right, everything i buy is either 1-100 years old and totally aged. when i set up my pico reefs, they are possibly already older than i am owing to the fact my lfs sells real ocean lr that was vat cured for months and is ready to go with zero ammonia during tank transfers.

conversely, the rocks on the left aren't as calcified therefore not as easily predictable, they may or may not be aged. so you plan around your known live rock thats obvious, and what test kits show. ghost feeding certainly generates some ammonia which your tank digests, showing no ammonia. nice job not rushing things.