Cycle taking ages

[adamlodge14]

Hi,
I have been cycling my tank for 1 month now, I have got lots of maxspect bioballs in the filtration and have been adding special blend bacteria twice weekly.
I have upped my ghost feeding to a decent amount everyday but my ammonia has only gone up to 0.25 and I still don’t have a nitrate or nitrite reading?
I don’t know why this is

 

[brandon429]

You are done see this thread

Your tests are misreading. Placing any feed in a reef for 30 days cycles it, even if your tests can't tell.

 

[brandon429]

Build Thread - My SPS Waterbox Peninsula Mini 15

Beautiful build and scape!

www.reef2reef.com

Feed and 30 days wait= cycled always

 

[hds4216]

What test kits are you using?

 

[adamlodge14]

You are done see this thread

Your tests are misreading.

But I have never had a nitrite or nitrate reading, I thought you have to have a nitrate reading and 0ammonia 0niitrite and then the cycle is finished?

 

[brandon429]

No that's not the case. Only feed and timing matters, and attachment points like rock and sand, check out the link

Those are being generated but your dilution and or tests don't allow you to see trace levels

You could use liquid ammonia to boost readings much better but it's not needed per the link since you've waited 30 days w feed

 

[adamlodge14]

No that's not the case. Only feed and timing matters, and attachment points like rock and sand, check out the link

Those are being generated but your dilution and or tests don't allow you to see trace levels

You could use liquid ammonia to boost readings much better but it's not needed per the link since you've waited 30 days w feed

What test kits are you using?

Aquaforest and api

 

[adamlodge14]

No that's not the case. Only feed and timing matters, and attachment points like rock and sand, check out the link

Those are being generated but your dilution and or tests don't allow you to see trace levels

You could use liquid ammonia to boost readings much better but it's not needed per the link since you've waited 30 days w feed

Ok, I’ll check out the link, thanks

 

[brandon429]

We have seen a change in cycling within the hobby if this helps to know, it explains why my posts go against literally all written material for reefing


we know nowadays that water and feed will always cycle, it’s too contaminated not to.

add to that known powerful concentrated bottle bac people often add (but not always per above) and we have guaranteed cycles, even with no testing.


really all the new rules do is reinforce the reliability of the old cycling charts we can pull up. The old rules used to say a cycle would take longer, that somehow we’ve insulted water bac established for millennia, we now know that any non digital test kit, and even some digital ones, are prone to misreading.

and the way we catch em misreading is when they violate a cycling charts timeline, sick trick eh


the new rules of cycling take into account the context of the reading, especially the wait times related to those timing charts


the old rules believed the test kit, always, every time and assigned bacteria a weakness so the readings would line up. all fed cycles are done in thirty days or less

 

[brandon429]

Change out some or all your water so the nutrients are back to clean and low algae supporting

can begin reefing, the animals will stay alive now.

 

[adamlodge14]

We have seen a change in cycling within the hobby if this helps to know, it explains why my posts go against literally all written material for reefing


we know nowadays that water and feed will always cycle, it’s too contaminated not to.

add to that known powerful concentrated bottle bac people often add (but not always per above) and we have guaranteed cycles, even with no testing.


really all the new rules do is reinforce the reliability of the old cycling charts we can pull up. The old rules used to say a cycle would take longer, that somehow we’ve insulted water bac established for millennia, we now know that any non digital test kit, and even some digital ones, are prone to misreading.

and the way we catch em misreading is when they violate a cycling charts timeline, sick trick eh


the new rules of cycling take into account the context of the reading, especially the wait times related to those timing charts


the old rules believed the test kit, always, every time and assigned bacteria a weakness so the readings would line up. all fed cycles are done in thirty days or less

Ok this is extremely helpful and clarifies a lot. Thank you very much

 

[Bobby1993]

Change out some or all your water so the nutrients are back to clean and low algae supporting

can begin reefing, the animals will stay alive now.

Hey Brandon, fantastic reads tonight and came across this which you had posted in the “sps water box cycle” thread that you recommended.
Am I right and thinking that your saying change out all the water after cycles complete For the reason you’ve stated ?

if so, this would be frightening to me before coming across reeftoreef as I thought that all goodness came from water and media filtration!

loving the old school way. Also I’m happy to wait for a more stable/ no chemical aquarium!

 

[brandon429]

Hey you’re scoping out the pertinent threads good job. this build here differs from your tank in that he used bottle bac along with feed, yours is feed only, but the two cycles match in the detail of being at least ghost fed and in your setup we determined a one month wait will attach bacteria to any surface that sat in the stew for that one month.

the water change comes at the end of the cycle after bacteria from a bottle or in your case, sourced naturally, have had time to implant onto surfaces


the big water change is just to start clean, some folks over feed during the wait, or dose 2 ppm ammonia etc and the big change is a clean start. **a big water change cannot unstick cycling bacteria from the rocks ** this is a firm rule for all cycles, even freshwater systems.


it’s absolutely true that circulating reef water crashing over live rock is full of little microscopic rafts that carry filtration bacteria to seed around the system, and that a full water change removes those.

but they just dont matter, the ones stuck to the live rock surfaces remain so as reefers that makes us free to do big cleaning scrubs or big water changes and never run short on bacteria that we gave time to attach.


side note: I clicked Adams profile, selected find all threads, and found this as the next coming post from him after I told him his lead up wait time was sufficient

Good corals?

My tank has been cycling for almost 2 months now, I have some softies in the tank already (zoas, Xenia, sinularia, mushroom) I am going to make another coral purchase soon including some LPS. I was thinking of getting a Duncan coral, torch, acan, alveopora and lobophyllia. Thoughts on these corals?

www.reef2reef.com

see how he was able to feed corals and use the cycle, they all work that way. 30 days with or without bottle bac, but at least with feed given, will cycle anyone’s system. Notice again I didn’t ask for his test params, in fact I ignore them when people post because they aren’t measures from reliable kits in most posts. What mattered was that he fed, and was at a months wait time when we chatted.

 

[Bobby1993]

Hey you’re scoping out the pertinent threads good job. this build here differs from your tank in that he used bottle bac along with feed, yours is feed only, but the two cycles match in the detail of being at least ghost fed and in your setup we determined a one month wait will attach bacteria to any surface that sat in the stew for that one month.

the water change comes at the end of the cycle after bacteria from a bottle or in your case, sourced naturally, have had time to implant onto surfaces


the big water change is just to start clean, some folks over feed during the wait, or dose 2 ppm ammonia etc and the big change is a clean start. **a big water change cannot unstick cycling bacteria from the rocks ** this is a firm rule for all cycles, even freshwater systems.


it’s absolutely true that circulating reef water crashing over live rock is full of little microscopic rafts that carry filtration bacteria to seed around the system, and that a full water change removes those.

but they just dont matter, the ones stuck to the live rock surfaces remain so as reefers that makes us free to do big cleaning scrubs or big water changes and never run short on bacteria that we gave time to attach.


side note: I clicked Adams profile, selected find all threads, and found this as the next coming post from him after I told him his lead up wait time was sufficient

Good corals?

My tank has been cycling for almost 2 months now, I have some softies in the tank already (zoas, Xenia, sinularia, mushroom) I am going to make another coral purchase soon including some LPS. I was thinking of getting a Duncan coral, torch, acan, alveopora and lobophyllia. Thoughts on these corals?

www.reef2reef.com

see how he was able to feed corals and use the cycle, they all work that way. 30 days with or without bottle bac, but at least with feed given, will cycle anyone’s system. Notice again I didn’t ask for his test params, in fact I ignore them when people post because they aren’t measures from reliable kits in most posts. What mattered was that he fed, and was at a months wait time when we chatted.

Crystal

Hey you’re scoping out the pertinent threads good job. this build here differs from your tank in that he used bottle bac along with feed, yours is feed only, but the two cycles match in the detail of being at least ghost fed and in your setup we determined a one month wait will attach bacteria to any surface that sat in the stew for that one month.

the water change comes at the end of the cycle after bacteria from a bottle or in your case, sourced naturally, have had time to implant onto surfaces


the big water change is just to start clean, some folks over feed during the wait, or dose 2 ppm ammonia etc and the big change is a clean start. **a big water change cannot unstick cycling bacteria from the rocks ** this is a firm rule for all cycles, even freshwater systems.


it’s absolutely true that circulating reef water crashing over live rock is full of little microscopic rafts that carry filtration bacteria to seed around the system, and that a full water change removes those.

but they just dont matter, the ones stuck to the live rock surfaces remain so as reefers that makes us free to do big cleaning scrubs or big water changes and never run short on bacteria that we gave time to attach.


side note: I clicked Adams profile, selected find all threads, and found this as the next coming post from him after I told him his lead up wait time was sufficient

Good corals?

My tank has been cycling for almost 2 months now, I have some softies in the tank already (zoas, Xenia, sinularia, mushroom) I am going to make another coral purchase soon including some LPS. I was thinking of getting a Duncan coral, torch, acan, alveopora and lobophyllia. Thoughts on these corals?

www.reef2reef.com

see how he was able to feed corals and use the cycle, they all work that way. 30 days with or without bottle bac, but at least with feed given, will cycle anyone’s system. Notice again I didn’t ask for his test params, in fact I ignore them when people post because they aren’t measures from reliable kits in most posts. What mattered was that he fed, and was at a months wait time when we chatted.

crystal clear! Thanks for the info mate!