I am cycling a 120 reef tank with Dr. Tim’s one and only. My ammonia is at 1.0 but my nitrites have been zero for 5 days. I tried to get information from Dr. Tim’s but they don’t respond. Is there anything I need to do to get my ammonia down?
Cycle issues
- Thread starter Chuck Elmore
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Its probably just a reading error or precipitation in the test vial. Unless you drastically overdosed ammonia, I doubt its truly present given you have 0 nitrite. Have you tested brand new salt water?
I took a sample to my LFS Sunday and theirs showed the same thing.
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10K Club member
Same type of test kit? How much ammonia did you dose (assuming you dosed ammonia)?
Chuck can you post a pic of your tank and the actual ammonia reading as nh4 that you are seeing, we want to see in the pic the gradient of color against the comparison card
a pic of the test you're seeing.
we study false cycle stall threads in other posts and yours here is prime for the study. I predict your cycle is fine, and api is doing to you what it does for all: not read zero. its the most expected event in reefing, for api to not read zero when anyone tests it and you can see trust is low in api readings whether from your kit or the lfs if you search out posts about the reliability of an api ammonia reading whether its yours, the pet store's or a neighbors kit.
there are other ways of discerning a cycle status, one other way is seeing how fast Dr Tims got ammonia under control in Dr. Reefs seneye bottle bac study. it was well under five days.
a second way to discern cycle status is to spend time on the web trying to find one single instance among one million posts that a bottle of dr tims couldnt carry two clownfish in a new reef tank on day one. it can, it always does. burnt fish act burnt and die, they don't act normal and swim and feed. this is what you see on all searched out Dr Tims fish on day one cycling posts...because ammonia is fine out of the gate with Dr Tims.
you just cant see it without a seneye, or some other digital meter that reads as nh3 (reefing doesnt value your nh4 reading, it must be converted to nh3 before relaying the levels to us, that's why I'm wanting to see a pic so I can estimate that)
*a third way: get a seachem badge ammonia alert from the pet store and put it in. I bet its fine (reads as nh3)
a pic of the test you're seeing.
we study false cycle stall threads in other posts and yours here is prime for the study. I predict your cycle is fine, and api is doing to you what it does for all: not read zero. its the most expected event in reefing, for api to not read zero when anyone tests it and you can see trust is low in api readings whether from your kit or the lfs if you search out posts about the reliability of an api ammonia reading whether its yours, the pet store's or a neighbors kit.
there are other ways of discerning a cycle status, one other way is seeing how fast Dr Tims got ammonia under control in Dr. Reefs seneye bottle bac study. it was well under five days.
a second way to discern cycle status is to spend time on the web trying to find one single instance among one million posts that a bottle of dr tims couldnt carry two clownfish in a new reef tank on day one. it can, it always does. burnt fish act burnt and die, they don't act normal and swim and feed. this is what you see on all searched out Dr Tims fish on day one cycling posts...because ammonia is fine out of the gate with Dr Tims.
you just cant see it without a seneye, or some other digital meter that reads as nh3 (reefing doesnt value your nh4 reading, it must be converted to nh3 before relaying the levels to us, that's why I'm wanting to see a pic so I can estimate that)
*a third way: get a seachem badge ammonia alert from the pet store and put it in. I bet its fine (reads as nh3)
Mine is api and their was a Red Sea test kit. Yes I used Dr. Tim’s Ammonia and some live rock in the sump.
Thank you so much for sharing with me. I will look more into that.
Chuck that’s a fascinating update. Live rock skip cycled you I’m now 100% sure your non digital kits are suspect, can’t wait to see pic of your test can u post one
for comparison, here’s eight pages of *full running sps reefs* using Red Sea ammonia, getting a misread, and posting a false ammonia alert at your stated levels:
www.reef2reef.com
(Lol notice none of them believe me, the panic is real, but if you read the true patterning and flow and repeat healthy tanks and fish, all posts, you’ll see ammonia alerts are false flags.)
api had ten times more entrants than that. The issue is that you are cycled, and don’t need further testing to validate it. Post a pic of your tank too so we can see the actual layout and degree of live rock component
we r about to save you money and time, and name an exact start date for your cycle once pics are in play. The bet is, ready right now based on these extra details uncovered
transferred live rock is very, very powerful at scrubbing ammonia not counting the power of the bottle bac charted against this many days in several seneye posts.
for comparison, here’s eight pages of *full running sps reefs* using Red Sea ammonia, getting a misread, and posting a false ammonia alert at your stated levels:
Sustained Ammonia spikes are misreads
The reason you think your reef tank can’t control its ammonia is due to false training from old cycling science. That and you don’t own a seneye on the tank in question: if you did, you wouldn’t ever think your ammonia was out of control...
www.reef2reef.com
(Lol notice none of them believe me, the panic is real, but if you read the true patterning and flow and repeat healthy tanks and fish, all posts, you’ll see ammonia alerts are false flags.)
api had ten times more entrants than that. The issue is that you are cycled, and don’t need further testing to validate it. Post a pic of your tank too so we can see the actual layout and degree of live rock component
we r about to save you money and time, and name an exact start date for your cycle once pics are in play. The bet is, ready right now based on these extra details uncovered
transferred live rock is very, very powerful at scrubbing ammonia not counting the power of the bottle bac charted against this many days in several seneye posts.
I agree it’s possible to dump in so much initial ammonia the system could have an excess. It sure would take a gross amount to overcome both live rock in the flow path and the bottle bac…pics are the final vote though, we can see above how pics are used to counter non digital ammonia readings. They give us a ratio of surface area and bioload and unspoken details in each case that trend towards control vs noncontrol of ammonia in bottle bac cycles. It’s possible you’re not cycled, but if you aren’t it’ll be the first example I’ve ever seen given your current details and timing.
if you didn’t add an exorbitant amount of ammonia at the start, your system is fine and non digital kits are doing what we expect them to do: always indicate fear/impending doom.
if you didn’t add an exorbitant amount of ammonia at the start, your system is fine and non digital kits are doing what we expect them to do: always indicate fear/impending doom.
As this thread unfolds we will also get to study the market influence found in cycle stall biology. its a purchase driver for bottle bac sellers, the notion that a cycle can stall and we’d better help it in some way.
the impulse here we should press against is buying new bottle bac, to replace or supplement supposed stalled or dead bacteria. That’s the game, it’s almost irresistible.
old cycling rules that teach water bacteria in water sometimes fail to set up shop in a huge display full of rock stacks are a huge, huge market driver. Tip: heated, circulated, inoculated, open-topped scum magnet reef tanks in a home where the tops of your fan blades contain a half pound of gnat wings lol do not fail to set up shop as filters. Too much bacteria is the challenge, not too few. The notion of cycle stalling sells bacteria and updated cycling science finds no evidence of anyone’s cycle stalling, now that digital meters are so commonly posted in threads.
It’s a big ploy. Hollow when poked or measured alternatively, and especially by seneye. Dr. Reefs bottle bac study using seneye is serious good science. These bottle bac mixes are cruising nicely by day five wait plus live rock.
if your tank isn’t cycled and meets any other proof beyond those two non digital tests, it’s article worthy as a real stalled cycle. I bet ten dollars right off the bat that if you change water, and carefully add two clownfish they’ll live live fine like they always do in Dr. Tims bac threads.
the impulse here we should press against is buying new bottle bac, to replace or supplement supposed stalled or dead bacteria. That’s the game, it’s almost irresistible.
old cycling rules that teach water bacteria in water sometimes fail to set up shop in a huge display full of rock stacks are a huge, huge market driver. Tip: heated, circulated, inoculated, open-topped scum magnet reef tanks in a home where the tops of your fan blades contain a half pound of gnat wings lol do not fail to set up shop as filters. Too much bacteria is the challenge, not too few. The notion of cycle stalling sells bacteria and updated cycling science finds no evidence of anyone’s cycle stalling, now that digital meters are so commonly posted in threads.
It’s a big ploy. Hollow when poked or measured alternatively, and especially by seneye. Dr. Reefs bottle bac study using seneye is serious good science. These bottle bac mixes are cruising nicely by day five wait plus live rock.
if your tank isn’t cycled and meets any other proof beyond those two non digital tests, it’s article worthy as a real stalled cycle. I bet ten dollars right off the bat that if you change water, and carefully add two clownfish they’ll live live fine like they always do in Dr. Tims bac threads.
Thank you for thatChuck that’s a fascinating update. Live rock skip cycled you I’m now 100% sure your non digital kits are suspect, can’t wait to see pic of your test can u post one
for comparison, here’s eight pages of *full running sps reefs* using Red Sea ammonia, getting a misread, and posting a false ammonia alert at your stated levels:
Sustained Ammonia spikes are misreads
The reason you think your reef tank can’t control its ammonia is due to false training from old cycling science. That and you don’t own a seneye on the tank in question: if you did, you wouldn’t ever think your ammonia was out of control...
(Lol notice none of them believe me, the panic is real, but if you read the true patterning and flow and repeat healthy tanks and fish, all posts, you’ll see ammonia alerts are false flags.)
api had ten times more entrants than that. The issue is that you are cycled, and don’t need further testing to validate it. Post a pic of your tank too so we can see the actual layout and degree of live rock component
we r about to save you money and time, and name an exact start date for your cycle once pics are in play. The bet is, ready right now based on these extra details uncovered
transferred live rock is very, very powerful at scrubbing ammonia not counting the power of the bottle bac charted against this many days in several seneye posts.
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Spare time
10K Club member
That's usually a color that would concern me. If it looks the same in new salt water then it's fine. If not, it would be pretty easy just to do a quick water change or add a tiny bottle of bacteria as a just in case (i.e. anxiety measure). The lack of nitrite would either indicate that there really is no ammonia, the ammonia removing bacteria is limited by something (apparently microbacter 7 can become limited by carbon), or you dosed a very very very large amount of ammonia and killed the bacteria off. I am leaning towards the first
Out of curiosity, do you know the alk and calcium of the water?
Out of curiosity, do you know the alk and calcium of the water?
trainbob
Active Member
To my eyes that reads 2ppm and would concern me. It never hurts to wait before adding fish. on my cycle I used Fritz turbo start and added two clownfish on day three and are still doing well one year later. Although ammonia never read more than.25ppm
EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
What is your niTRATE level? niTRITE can sometimes be converted to niTRATE very soon after the ammonia is processed making tests for niTRITE read as undetectable
Honestly, measuring niTRITES in a saltwater system is not really useful unless you are trying to figure out a high nitrate level (in a cycling tank).
Honestly, measuring niTRITES in a saltwater system is not really useful unless you are trying to figure out a high nitrate level (in a cycling tank).
EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
Be aware that brandon, despite his penchant for making numerous posts that can overwhelm the entire thread, is not as "always right" as he thinks he is... and he has an unhealthy preoccupation with Seneye.
Take his advice along with everyone else's but in the end, use your best judgement
Chuck
Right here is that exact api color, only now we see it's .04 nh3 = safe.
www.reef2reef.com
See how api literally robs you of the ability to know your cycle status but seneye restores it
That tank owner had a running nano reef to benchmark the seneye against, therefore when it tests against api in an assumed cycling tank and reads what a normal reef reads, truth is apparent
Do you see how when api says something, the masses immediately buy it
You cannot resist the urge to buy more bacteria no matter how much exact counter proof i show, if we admit this early on it'll go smoother heh
Right here is that exact api color, only now we see it's .04 nh3 = safe.
New Cycle - Seneye vs API
Hello All, Have just started to cycle a new DD ReefPro 900. Am using Fritzzyme Fishless food and Turbo Start and am 2 days in. I have dosed twice with Fishless food on the back of the seneye readings which are as follows: But the API result seems to be showing a different story. I`ve seen a...
www.reef2reef.com
See how api literally robs you of the ability to know your cycle status but seneye restores it
That tank owner had a running nano reef to benchmark the seneye against, therefore when it tests against api in an assumed cycling tank and reads what a normal reef reads, truth is apparent
Do you see how when api says something, the masses immediately buy it
You cannot resist the urge to buy more bacteria no matter how much exact counter proof i show, if we admit this early on it'll go smoother heh
Chuck can we see you tank pics. That was excellent clear api reading above.
Your tank is cycled I'll bet let's see the rock layout and degree of live rock used in pics
Your tank is cycled I'll bet
let's see the rock layout and degree of live rock used in pics
EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal
Just another girl who likes fish
I see so many posts/threads with cycle problems when adding ammonia products. I think some can be attributed to uneven drop size (i.e adding way more ammonia than intended), but I'm beginning to think bacteria plus fish like you did, or bacteria plus ghost feeding (or even a dead shrimp!) is a better option...
