Cycle Question

[jramy123]

Hey all,

Question about my current cycle. I used about 20-23 lbs live rock from lfs and ghost fed a few pellets last 2 days. If I understand what I read on here, should go Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate correct? Well tested again today and Ammonia is up around 4ppm while no nitrite and nitrate is up around 10-20ppm. What would this mean? Should I stop ghost feeding for now? PH is at 8.3-4 salinity is 1.025 if that adds anything

 

[rimlessreefer954]

Yes stop ghost feeding. Your tank is already in the cycling process. adding more will add more ammonia to the system which is causing your ammonia levels to stay elevated. There isn't enough bacteria to break down all the ammonia. I wouldn't worry about nitrite. As long as you have nitrates the means the nitrites were elevated at one point.Not every time you'll get a nitrite reading because it happens so fast. Hope this helps and good luck

 

[Quietman]

Yes....watch how long it takes ammonia to drop. I like the 2 ppm in 24 hours rule means it's largely past that initial phase (if I'm testing ammonia). Last time I cycled I just waited 3-4 weeks and used an ammonia strip occasionally and waited for nitrates.

 

[brandon429]

I bet your cycle is already done, and the tests are over reporting true levels.

post pics of your tank and rock. moving live rock from one tank to another is how they've started reef conventions for thirty years with skip cycle reefs who never fail to miss a sales start date, no reason ours won't do the same move

the key is do you believe the tests vs pics of live rock, clear water, doesn't stink, can keep animals alive (common live rock does all this)

moving live rocks to another tank specifically does not kill the bacteria, they're fine with the move, so are the worms. we've invented a LOT of things to justify a test misread in the hobby, for sure.

pics will tell

 

[jramy123]

I bet your cycle is already done, and the tests are over reporting true levels.

post pics of your tank and rock. moving live rock from one tank to another is how they've started reef conventions for thirty years with skip cycle reefs who never fail to miss a sales start date, no reason ours won't do the same move

the key is do you believe the tests vs pics of live rock, clear water, doesn't stink, can keep animals alive (common live rock does all this)

moving live rocks to another tank specifically does not kill the bacteria, they're fine with the move, so are the worms. we've invented a LOT of things to justify a test misread in the hobby, for sure.

pics will tell

Well the rock did sit in sw buckets for few hours as I transported and mixed salt. But here are some pics

 

[brandon429]

The microbiology of reef tank cycling.

You can skip your cycle. Ive been reefing online for twenty years and have never waited one second for a tank to cycle, because I buy rocks that are already cycled and move them home. Here's two: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/octo-high-end-sps-skip-cycle-build.713256/...

www.reef2reef.com

theres a large thread with tanks just like yours, skip cycle reefs. no matter what your tests say its cycled, they have a delay in reporting accurate ups/downs for ammonia species, but digital meters like mindstream (now out of biz) and currently seneye show how fast ammonia really changes, which is by the minute in slight increments up and down in a post cycle reef. your kits report these natural variations by slight overreporting.

this is why testing non reef water shows real zero, and has no application in ammonia test kit troubleshooting.

your water would smell and be cloudy if the rocks were leaking ammonia from marked dieoff.

what you did is specifically how they manage macna reef conventions to start on time, and nobody misses the start date when money is on the line. the known history of the rock matters greatly here, you already know where it came from and that was a vat of already truly live rock.

that it set a while isn't harm, it could have been out of the water the whole time and still be cycled lol

(yes we have a 30 day out of tank but kept damp work in the thread above, kept damp kept rocks cycled the tests showed)

the thread above introduces an interesting concept in cycling: skipping it totally, without a nano second's delay in usefulness when rocks are set in new tank. just like the conventions--> nobody shows up early to cycle...their reefs are ready as soon as the rocks get lowered into the saltwater. its no foul, its how the conventions are ran (using skip cycle biology)

 

[jramy123]

Well thanks for your help guys. I will let it run a bit longer add in the chaeto and pods and hopefully a fish soon

 

[jramy123]

Is there any downside to just letting tank sit for month or two with nothing in it?

 

[brandon429]

no, it will wait three years if you want, sitting in water unfed

one sec getting link, these things seem like crazy claims wo a work thread showing it happening

 

[nereefpat]

Is there any downside to just letting tank sit for month or two with nothing in it?

I would let it run at least until your ammonia reads zero. 4ppm is a lot.

 

[jramy123]

I would let it run at least until your ammonia reads zero. 4ppm is a lot.

well i meant after that goes down lol but thanks for input. Not like any online store seems to have any chaeto right now anyway

 

[jramy123]

no, it will wait three years if you want, sitting in water unfed

one sec getting link, these things seem like crazy claims wo a work thread showing it happening

When ammonia does show 0, what % water change do you recommend?

 

[nereefpat]

well i meant after that goes down lol but thanks for input. Not like any online store seems to have any chaeto right now anyway

Sounds good. Brandon seemed to be saying that your tank is cycled, and I just wanted to clarify to not add anything to a tank that has 4 ppm ammonia.

When ammonia does show 0, what % water change do you recommend?

That's a bit of a philosophical question. I would just start with weekly 10% water changes, but some people do like to do a big water change after the cycle to get the nitrates down.

 

[Garf]

How long has it been cycling? A massive error made by some is assuming that live rock means it’s fully populated and ready to rock and roll. This rock has no history as far as we are concerned. We don’t know where it’s from, where it’s been kept, how it’s been stored, nowt, zilch, zip. Therefore we must rely on tests and common sense. You are wise to let it sit, keep testing and keep posting. Happy reefin.

 

[brandon429]

I wanted to clarify that true 4 ppm will stink, and have cloudy water.



its not 4, but Im aware its not popular to disregard test kits. proceed as you will. we have a claimed 8 ppm reading, in a running normal tank, linked in our big work thread. 4 is common actually


all misreadings. cycled live rock commands 4 ppm an hour in uptake its not leaking that rate daily, by the hour...all false reads. it would have to be leaking above 4-5 ppm to overcome and still provide the known uptake rates that precycled rocks uptake.

the thread above shows that clear visual and smell cues are associated with elevated and sustained ammonia.

the bacteria on the rocks + the surface area from rocks kept wet transferred just fine, there's no source for sustained multi day free ammonia.

no worms died, we always try and justify the readings. seneye owners know how fast free ammonia is used up.

Im very interested to know if the system smells bad

I have only seen uncured rock leak ammonia

 

[brandon429]

in our thread above we put the rocks into new water before beginning, that's a nice secondary backup to be working with clean water vs wastewater.

 

[jramy123]

Well it get weirder lol. Today after stopping the ghost feeding yesterday, my ammonia is down to 1ppm, nitrates down to 10ppm, but now I have nitrites at .25 ppm. Did my cycle just reset or is it just starting lol.

 

[nereefpat]

I would lean towards *almost there.

 

[brandon429]

no cycle ever starves or undoes, ever, its not possible, so you are set.

tests misread, and you aren't posting seneye data.

living animals is the test, the say so, the ref, the closer.


dead animals = not cycled

live animals past 48 hours=cycled.

can't fail.

 

[brandon429]

Question about my current cycle. I used about 20-23 lbs live rock from lfs and ghost fed a few pellets last 2 days.


that's key.