Help/advice needed during cycle/moving home.

1Clown · Jun 10, 2018

I'm on my 4th day of the cycle. The following is what I have done.

- Added new live sand.
- Added 2 new pieces of dry rock
- Added a few pieces of live rubble in to new filter from my old set up
- Added the recommended amount of Fritz (something which is supposedly exactly the same as ATM Colony)

Test results as of a few moments ago:

Ammonia: 0.2 (Red Sea)
Nitrite: 0.1 (Salifert)
Nitrate: 10 (Salifert)

Is this normal or does it look odd somewhere?

I really need to move my livestock over to this tank as I'm in the process of moving home and won't have the keys to the old place much longer where my old tank is still currently set up, how should I go about this?

Thanks.

Brew12 · Jun 10, 2018

1Clown said:
I'm on my 4th day of the cycle. The following is what I have done.

- Added new live sand.
- Added 2 new pieces of dry rock
- Added a few pieces of live rubble in to new filter from my old set up
- Added the recommended amount of Fritz (something which is supposedly exactly the same as ATM Colony)

Test results as of a few moments ago:

Ammonia: 0.2 (Red Sea)
Nitrite: 0.1 (Salifert)
Nitrate: 10 (Salifert)

Is this normal or does it look odd somewhere?

I really need to move my livestock over to this tank as I'm in the process of moving home and won't have the keys to the old place much longer where my old tank is still currently set up, how should I go about this?

Thanks.

I think that looks fairly normal. I would prefer no ammonia but the nitrites aren't an issue.

lion king · Jun 10, 2018

What did you use as you initial ammonia source. The nitrates could have easily come from the rubble and ammonia at .2 is pretty low for a cycle in day 4-5.

1Clown · Jun 10, 2018

lion king said:
What did you use as you initial ammonia source. The nitrates could have easily come from the rubble and ammonia at .2 is pretty low for a cycle in day 4-5.

I didn't use anything for an ammonia source, the Fritz bottle didn't say to

Sashaka · Jun 10, 2018

Can you transfer some biological from the old tank to the new tank when you transfer the fish? That's the easiest thing to jump start the cycle...unless you have uglies you want to avoid transferring such as aiptasia.

lion king · Jun 10, 2018

1Clown said:
I didn't use anything for an ammonia source, the Fritz bottle didn't say to

It appears to me you haven't cycled the tank. The Fritz is likely bacteria in a bottle right, there still needs to be an ammonia source to create the cycle. Are you moving any established rock and filter media from the old tank, either way I like to fully cycle a new tank. Or are you planning to move the whole old tank into the new tank. Even then be watchful of an ammonia spike, maybe some prime on hand and an ammonia alert badge.

1Clown · Jun 10, 2018

lion king said:
It appears to me you haven't cycled the tank. The Fritz is likely bacteria in a bottle right, there still needs to be an ammonia source to create the cycle. Are you moving any established rock and filter media from the old tank, either way I like to fully cycle a new tank. Or are you planning to move the whole old tank into the new tank. Even then be watchful of an ammonia spike, maybe some prime on hand and an ammonia alert badge.

I moved some live rock in the form of rubble from my old tank to help with this cycle from day 1. I will be moving 1 large piece of live rock from my old tank which has acans and zoas all over it.

1Clown · Jun 11, 2018

1Clown · Jun 11, 2018

Test results from just now:

Ammonia: 0.2
Nitrite: 0.4
Nitrate: 10

Brew12 · Jun 11, 2018

1Clown said:
I moved some live rock in the form of rubble from my old tank to help with this cycle from day 1. I will be moving 1 large piece of live rock from my old tank which has acans and zoas all over it.

If you do that the tank will be fine to put fish in immediately. I'm guessing the 0.2ppm reading may actually be a zero reading. Ammonia tests aren't very accurate at the bottom of the scale.

1Clown · Jun 11, 2018

Brew12 said:
If you do that the tank will be fine to put fish in immediately. I'm guessing the 0.2ppm reading may actually be a zero reading. Ammonia tests aren't very accurate at the bottom of the scale.

Okay I think I'll do a 20% water change and then start moving some livestock over.

lion king · Jun 11, 2018

Since there was no ammonia source used in the new tank, I don't think the ammonia and nitrite reading are accurate. Like I said earlier, when totally moving an established tank you will likely get an ammonia spike. Most livestock are able to ride it out, sensitive livestock may be affected. Once moved I'd do an ammonia test or just preemptively dose some prime. Just be ready if the ammonia appears to rise too high or you witness some stress.