Dr. Tim's one and only question

[Xclusive Reef]

No, No, No! If you are seeing ammonia in the water, then you don't have a good bio filter established. You have it backwards with ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. You can use water changes to get rid of nitrate, but something is wrong if you are showing ammonia and or nitrite. Ammonia gets changed to nitrite. Nitrite gets changed to nitrate. If the ammonia isn't going down, then you don't have any bacteria changing the ammonia to nitrite. That is the reason for the 0 nitrite reading. Without any nitrite, you don't have anything to be converted to nitrate. That's the reason for the 0 nitrate reading. The bottle that you used was bad! You need a new bottle of bacteria, or just wait and the bacteria will come from the air and eventually cycle your tank. This will take several weeks to well over 1 month.

Thanks.. thats what I was afraid off. I guess I will have to get another bottle. Should I empty tank out and start all over? or can I add new bacteria to the existing water?

 

[tankstudy]

If it's a bad bottle, you can just add another bottle.

At 2ppm ammonia you should see nitrates once the bacteria convert it unless you have something in your tank to consume nitrate which most tanks wont. Dr.tim gave me the conversion formula a few years back. I'd have to dig for it but I'm pretty sure at 2ppm ammonia at the initial start will produce a visible amount of nitrates with your test kit. I use the same test kit. It should be somewhere in or around the 10ppm nitrates with your test kit.

Yes if you dose a ton of bacteria, you can actually have 2ppm ammonia converted extremely fast but the end product of the cycle should be nitrate.

 

[kinetic]

I'm on week 3 and my Ammonia hasn't changed from 2ppm, and I haven't dosed anymore ammonium chloride since I got it to 2ppm. I'm on my second bottle of Dr. Tim's One and Only. So... I'm like you. Maybe I have two bad bottles.

 

[Hitman]

I see you have a API test kit like I did when I started my tank. I found it to be no where ear accurate so you me also want to take a water sample to your local fish store and have it checked. I now use Salifert test kits and they are leaps and bounds better than API.

 

[Xclusive Reef]

So I went to a LFS 4 days ago and I started seachem stability as that what they had. LFS said it will take about 2 weeks to cycle as it is slower than dr. tims. I have not added any ammonia since I started either. now its just a waiting game. Kinetic kep me post when you start seeing any changes. Do you see any nitrates or nitrites? I am still at 0 for both.

 

[Shon]

By chance, what media/filter do you have in/on the QT?

 

[Xclusive Reef]

By chance, what media/filter do you have in/on the QT?

not sure who you asking but i have a aquaclear filter with the biomax and sponge, heater, 2 peaces of pvc and airstone .

 

[Xclusive Reef]

I see you have a API test kit like I did when I started my tank. I found it to be no where ear accurate so you me also want to take a water sample to your local fish store and have it checked. I now use Salifert test kits and they are leaps and bounds better than API.

Yes I agree but I ammnot gonna spend the money on salifert to test a qt tank lol I will get salifert tests with Hanna when it comes time to the dt.