Cycling first tank question

[BBReef14]

12/30 = Added 4 0z Tims one and only bacteria, waited hour, and added 4 drops per gallon for 40 gallons of Tims ammonia.

Day 2 test results

my question is do I need to keep adding ammonia every day and if so how much?

 

[Matty Ice]

No. Only add enough ammonia the first time according to your tank size. Just let the cycle do its thing. You’re looking for nitrites to raise next

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

12/30 = Added 4 0z Tims one and only bacteria, waited hour, and added 4 drops per gallon for 40 gallons of Tims ammonia.

Day 2 test results

my question is do I need to keep adding ammonia every day and if so how much?

Off topic a little bit what tester is that?

 

[Matty Ice]

Off topic a little bit what tester is that?

lol I was wondering the same. Looks like Water Link Spin Touch…googled it

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Agree with above, don't add more ammonia, just wait for ammonia to drop to zero.

 

[brandon429]

Do this:

Stop testing, that spin test above misleads people in eighty threads for false stuck cycles, we're working one now in the chemistry forum

Add in one ground up pinch of fish food to the tank

Wait ten days, do a large water change and you're cycled and can't not be cycled.

If you continue to use that test kit, expect one month of headaches vs ten day exact start date due to adding carbon above.

 

[brandon429]

Must read stickies in the disease forum

Cycling isn't going to harm your fish, biosecurity issues and acclimation errors will. Testless cycling works better than test- based cycling that's for sure/i have a hundred pages of examples. Fish food into your mix + ten more days+ all new water at the end = you're fully cycled. No testing required, the ten day wait is the factor.

 

[BBReef14]

Off topic a little bit what tester is that?

LFS - I think water spin touch or something like that

 

[vetteguy53081]

12/30 = Added 4 0z Tims one and only bacteria, waited hour, and added 4 drops per gallon for 40 gallons of Tims ammonia.

Day 2 test results

my question is do I need to keep adding ammonia every day and if so how much?

No= now that you added ammonia initially, you want to monitor ammonia , When your ammonia is steady for 5 days and Nitrate is steady at 20 or below- You are cycled. Ignore nitrIte Unless sky high
The tank will go through two phases in which ammonia will rise then fall and nitrate will rise and fall which is normal. When fish are added, the bacteria population will increase with the new bio load, converting waste to nitrate.
A typical cycle period is 14-21 days and you want to stock very slowly to allow denitrifying bacteria to keep up with new bioload as tank matures

 

[vetteguy53081]

LFS - I think water spin touch or something like that

The spin machine is a rapid test by API also notorious for false readings. Owning an LFS, I was offered one and it came down to multi-testing as a time saver opposed to doing time consuming individual tests.
I would suggest taking a water sample to a trusted LFS that does NOT use Api anything and see what numbers they come up with and to compare with yours then you will know where your readings are at.

 

[brandon429]

It doesn't matter what your ammonia is at, the above process works/ saves you being dependent on test kits we already have trouble with in many cycling threads.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

LFS - I think water spin touch or something like that

Do you have your own test kits?

 

[BBReef14]

Do you have your own test kits?

just ammonia right now...

 

[BBReef14]

The spin machine is a rapid test by API also notorious for false readings. Owning an LFS, I was offered one and it came down to multi-testing as a time saver opposed to doing time consuming individual tests.
I would suggest taking a water sample to a trusted LFS that does NOT use Api anything and see what numbers they come up with and to compare with yours then you will know where your readings are at.

gotcha! Thanls

 

[BBReef14]

No= now that you added ammonia initially, you want to monitor ammonia , When your ammonia is steady for 5 days and Nitrate is steady at 20 or below- You are cycled. Ignore nitrIte Unless sky high
The tank will go through two phases in which ammonia will rise then fall and nitrate will rise and fall which is normal. When fish are added, the bacteria population will increase with the new bio load, converting waste to nitrate.
A typical cycle period is 14-21 days and you want to stock very slowly to allow denitrifying bacteria to keep up with new bioload as tank matures

Thanks! Much appreciated!