Cycling Confusion

[fernalfer]

Ok i have a 120 gallon tank i'm cycling with Marco Completely Dry Rock and CaribSea Live sand. I'm doing the fishless cycle method dosing pure ammonia. Now i initially dosed 4 ppm ammonia and Fritzyme 9 Nitrifying bacteria it took about 3 days to bring that to 0. At that point i tested for Nitrites and they were through the roof. I have the Red Sea Test kit and it was darker then the darkest color. Not sure the number because the Red sea kits only go to 1.

I have dosed 3.5ppm ammonia a second time and it took 36 hours to get to 0. Nitrites still through the roof. Nitrates thru the roof

Now i get mixed opinions on how to proceed. Some say stop dosing ammonia because it will make my nitrates higher in the end and let it cycle naturally from here on out. **Problem i see with that is how i'm supposed to see when my bacteria has built up enough to convert my ammonia in under 12hrs? Also don't you have to keep bacteria fed with some kind of ammonia source?

And some say to continually dose up to 4ppm until it can convert it in under 12hrs. then scale back on the ammonia dosage.

I'm at 0 for ammonia right now and unsure which route to take.

 

[tankstudy]

http://www.drtimsaquatics.com/resources/fishless-cycling

This is the process for fishless cycling. It explains what you need to do when certain parameters are met. The days will be off because your bacteria population is much higher and you also have live sand.

If you have any further questions, just ask

 

[fernalfer]

Still unsure whether i should halt adding more ammonia or just let it run its course now until nitrites come down.

 

[tankstudy]

Per the instructions, if your ammonia and nitrites are below 1 ppm, add up to 2 ppm ammonia. In your case you have been adding 4 ppm. As the instructions state, do not add until you can detect 4 ppm. If you are using a known concentration of ammonia, dose what would produce 4 ppm based on the amount of water you have.

If you are dosing till you can detect 4 ppm, you have more than likely overdosed the ammonia and have cause your cycle to stop.

Tips and Troubleshooting:

• IMPORTANT – Do not let the ammonia OR nitrite concentration get above 5 ppm.
• If either ammonia or nitrite concentration get above 5 ppm, do water changes to lower the concentration.
• Do not let the pH drop below 7. If it does, do a partial water change to bring the pH back up.
• Do not add ammonia removers to bind the ammonia – overdosing with these products will just increase the cycling time.
• You do not have to add ammonia everyday – the bacteria do not have to be fed every day. Adding ammonia everyday will results in a sky-high nitrite reading and slow the cycling process.

Did you let nitrites come down to zero before redosing?

 

[brandon429]

http://reef2reef.com/threads/new-ta...d-cocktail-shrimp-live-rock-no-shrimp.214618/

 

[fernalfer]

Per the instructions, if your ammonia and nitrites are below 1 ppm, add up to 2 ppm ammonia. In your case you have been adding 4 ppm. As the instructions state, do not add until you can detect 4 ppm. If you are using a known concentration of ammonia, dose what would produce 4 ppm based on the amount of water you have.

If you are dosing till you can detect 4 ppm, you have more than likely overdosed the ammonia and have cause your cycle to stop.

Tips and Troubleshooting:

• IMPORTANT – Do not let the ammonia OR nitrite concentration get above 5 ppm.
• If either ammonia or nitrite concentration get above 5 ppm, do water changes to lower the concentration.
• Do not let the pH drop below 7. If it does, do a partial water change to bring the pH back up.
• Do not add ammonia removers to bind the ammonia – overdosing with these products will just increase the cycling time.
• You do not have to add ammonia everyday – the bacteria do not have to be fed every day. Adding ammonia everyday will results in a sky-high nitrite reading and slow the cycling process.

Did you let nitrites come down to zero before redosing?

Yes i was dosing with a calculator online the exact amount to get it to 3.5 per my concentration. I only dosed it to 3.5 ppm twice. This last time it took 36 hours to bring ammonia to 0. So basically i should not add any more ammonia now that i'm at 0 and wait for my Nitrites to come down to 0 Correct?

 

[tankstudy]

Yes, wait for the nitrites to measure 0.

Remember to monitor the nitrites because if they exceed 5 ppm, from my own trials and experimentation, your cycle will slow to a turtles pace or completely stop altogether. Once you can get your tank to consume 4 ppm ammonia & nitrites in 24 hours your good to go.

 

[fernalfer]

Yes, wait for the nitrites to measure 0.

Remember to monitor the nitrites because if they exceed 5 ppm, from my own trials and experimentation, your cycle will slow to a turtles pace or completely stop altogether. Once you can get your tank to consume 4 ppm ammonia & nitrites in 24 hours your good to go.

I wish i could see how high my nitrites are. My Red Sea Kit only goes to 1 and my color in the vial was a little darker then the highest reading.

 

[tankstudy]

A cheap API nitrite test kit will read up to 5 ppm.

 

[fernalfer]

What would you guys read this as. Is it somewhere inbetween 2ppm and 5ppm?

 

[tankstudy]

Hard to tell but its definitely high.

Instead of filling the vial with 5 mL of your tank water, fill it with 2.5 mL only. Fill the other 2.5 mL with new saltwater to make it 5 mL. This will dilute the sample by 50% and will make it easier to identify against the card. We will just multiply that by 2 to figure out the overall number.

 

[SantaMonica]

Also remember that when the first bacteria die they just make ammonia again. So it self-feeds.