Cycling Help - Different Tests giving different results

[DarkReefer]

@brandon429 Let me know your thoughts on the Ammo Lock and if I should try it. Or if you think the Purigen is better in your opinion to use.
I know Ammo Lock doesn't remove ammonia just makes it non toxic supposedly.

 

[DarkReefer]

What is your ammonia showing now? Nitrates?

Just testing now, wanted to leave it a bit before running anything, has been about an hour since the WC completed. Will post up results shortly.

 

[DarkReefer]

Test results approx 1 hour after WC.

Gotta say the Salifert is hard to say imo. I'm thinking still 1.5ish but I feel its visibly lighter in some light but in others, so perhaps I was misreading it before thinking it was 1.5 but in actual fact it was 2+.

API kit shows Nitrate 0 imo, Nitrite 0 and Ammonia at 1 ppm.

Same test, same water, the same area but colouring looks different. Still going to go with 1.5 though.

 

[DarkReefer]

Okay, so went back out and got 2x 100ml of the Purigen. Just put the 1x bag in for now as it says 1 will do 400L.
Figure it best I use exactly what was suggested rather than something else.
Bring on tomorrow's test (and fingers crossed test subjects )

 

[CrimsonTide]

Have you ever seen any nitrite or nitrate on any of your tests? Also it says you're in Australia if that dr. Tim's bacteria ever got hotter than 100 degrees (don't know what that is celcius) there's a chance it was dead. It could have not worked. Hopefully whatever the other bacteria you added was a lot as well. I know its hot in Australia so live bacteria can definitely die in shipping. Hoping its all just weird false positives on the tests.

 

[reefviper101]

Hi all,

A couple weeks ago I started cycling my first marine tank. However after Day 2 it basically stalled and handn't done a single thing.
Here's a diary of what's happened so far.

Tank is a 70.2 Waterbox

Day 0 - Put in Dr Tims One & only + Dosed Ammonium Chloride (for memory around 180 drops)
Day 1- Ammonia 1.5 (Salifert Test)
Day 2 - Ammonia 0.5 (Salifert Test) + Dosed Ammonium Chloride after speaking to LFS and being told I should do a dose but they did not specify how much etc (200 drops this time as I thought I had done too little last time for my tank)
Day 3 to Day 13 Ammonia tested 1.5 (Salifert Test) After speaking with LFS and taking them water to test (they also used Salifert I believe) they confirmed Ammonia was up and I asked them about adding more bacteria etc. They gave me Seachem Stability to add and left me with that. Added 2x caps of Seachem Stability to the tank.
Day 14 - Ammonia tested 1.5 (Salifert Test)
Day 15 - Ammonia tested 1.5 (Salifert Test) Also went and bought an API Marine Master Saltwater Test Kit.
The test results from the API Kit are as follows;
pH 7.8
Nitrite - 0.25 ppm
Nitrate - 0 ppm
Ammonia - 8 ppm

Why on earth is Salifert test reading 1.5 and API test reading 8?! Obviously this explains the issue I've been having. I would have thought it the Salifert was reading high it would at least show 2 (as in it can't test any higher), why 1.5?!

Should I add some more Seachem Stability to increase the bacteria to take out the ammonia (and if so how much) or should I water change or do nothing ?

Would appreciate some help as I would love to get some livestock in the tank. Feels like it's taking forever at the moment.

I would dose two caps bacteria and wait it out and as far as api kit i would trust it I've used them for over 10 yrs with great results u have to be patient I've test mine with api gone to lfs who tested with salfite and got exactly same results

 

[Garf]

Purigen doesn’t remove inorganic ammonia, it just binds organic forms.

 

[ReefRusty]

I would read that ammonia test #2 as 0.25 or .5

 

[DarkReefer]

Have you ever seen any nitrite or nitrate on any of your tests?

Yesterday's test showed Nitrite at 0.25ppm. 0 Nitrates though (only started testing with API yesterday so had no means of testing anything but Ammonia until then).

I would dose two caps bacteria and wait it out and as far as api kit i would trust it I've used them for over 10 yrs with great results u have to be patient I've test mine with api gone to lfs who tested with salfite and got exactly same results

I've been using the API master kit for freshwater on my other small tank and that seems to be thriving mostly (have had a number of deaths over the past 5 months, but the plants seem to be doing okay, and guppies have been breeding ridiculously to the point I probably need to offload some or get a bigger tank, so water quality can't be too bad).

Purigen doesn’t remove inorganic ammonia, it just binds organic forms.

Well worst case I can use the Ammo Lock as well. Having the Purigen doesn't look like a bad thing anyway.

I would read that ammonia test #2 as 0.25 or .5

That #2 is actually the same test as the first picture, but slightly different angle. Pictures taken only a few seconds apart.
That's what I was saying seems hard to identify the 'correct' one. It's certainly visibly lighter than it was previously though.

 

[Garf]

Yesterday's test showed Nitrite at 0.25ppm. 0 Nitrates though (only started testing with API yesterday so had no means of testing anything but Ammonia until then).

I've been using the API master kit for freshwater on my other small tank and that seems to be thriving mostly (have had a number of deaths over the past 5 months, but the plants seem to be doing okay, and guppies have been breeding ridiculously to the point I probably need to offload some or get a bigger tank, so water quality can't be too bad).


Well worst case I can use the Ammo Lock as well. Having the Purigen doesn't look like a bad thing anyway.

That #2 is actually the same test as the first picture, but slightly different angle. Pictures taken only a few seconds apart.
That's what I was saying seems hard to identify the 'correct' one. It's certainly visibly lighter than it was previously though.

I’ve got some purigen, it’s good stuff. And you can clean/recharge it, cheap

 

[DarkReefer]

I’ve got some purigen, it’s good stuff. And you can clean/recharge it, cheap

Well that's what I figured.
I bought two packs of the stuff (was about $30AUD per 100ml) but as it can be cleaned/reused several times I don't think it'll be too bad in the long run

 

[brandon429]

Excellent tests shown above ! I love to assemble mad test conflicts in one place

the outcomes always go against the test kits, bewilderment is coming he he

two backups are built in for us: you are physically about to remove all ammonia with that media + water change, and it never smelled before hand so it’s very low anyway.

you are going to have so much dilution for a small starting bioload that even if it was day one and all dry surfaces and no bacteria it would likely not kill anything, they’d stay alive and cycle just fine having never produced enough waste to overcome dilution alone. It’s not like we are loading ten fish as the test, by design

third: cycle charts are written for Australia too and all cycle charts do not take into account us adding anything, they’re natural wait times natural seed times known on file.

admitted: yes is strange nitrite and trate shown bone zero levels and if test kits were always right, that set sure does look stalled. But this is max dilution, very easy unable to detect the change in such large volume. Re-admitted: they usually show too high, not bone zero, so the test is ON lol

 

[brandon429]

Can u post a pic of your reef, we want to assess surface area levels

 

[DarkReefer]

Can u post a pic of your reef, we want to assess surface area levels

Sure here's a pic as it sits currently.

 

[brandon429]

Hey I expected bone white rock

why is that all nicely colored up and pigmented

was that rock dry when you brought it home or wet

 

[DarkReefer]

Hey I expected bone white rock

why is that all nicely colored up and pigmented

was that rock dry when you brought it home or wet

It's Real Reef Rock, but was bone dry in the shop and when I got it home.

 

[Garf]

And it’s got what looks to be grey hard spongy stuff you only get on mega mature stuff. This rock may be curing, not cycling, caused by previously live stuff, decaying. That would certainly explain the high api ammonia result. Thank the lord for cheapo test kits

 

[DarkReefer]

And it’s got what looks to be grey hard spongy stuff you only get on mega mature stuff. This rock may be curing, not cycling, caused by previously live stuff, decaying. That would certainly explain the high api ammonia result. Thank the lord for cheapo test kits

Yeah look the grey hard stuff is Cement
I cracked the sh*ts with trying coral gum/super glue and got a bit carried away with it

 

[brandon429]

I’m highly curious to see if the api test goes to yellow after running the purigen

 

[Saltees]

Just completed my cycle with Dr Tim’s, the Ammonia stayed at 1.5mg/ with Salifert till day 10 and then it went to 0 and stayed 0 since. I even emptied my Ammonium Chloride to challenge the ammonia level, and it went back to 0 the next day. Changed 20% water on Day 13 and turned on my UV and introduced fresh water mollies to provide ammonia while I decide on the aquascape. You can check my cycling log via my build thread. Good luck!