Help explain my test

[roansdad]

So Im3 weeks into my cycle with dead rock. I added some bio booster at the start for bacteria and this foil drinking box kinda container full of green water and some cheato hoping to seed my tank. I have been advised to use ammonia and dose to with it to get my cycle actually going. So I've started this and at first added to much and put my ammonia up to 8 now I've tested twice with one day between using seachem test kit. I don't know if this is what I should see or what. But i know I need to dose ammonia again which to me tells me that something is happening in my greenish cloudy tank.

78.4
1.025

 

[GoVols]

Did you start dosing ammonia 3 weeks ago?

 

[roansdad]

Did you start dosing ammonia 3 weeks ago?

No I just started the ammonia Monday as well as any testing.

 

[GoVols]

No I just started the ammonia Monday as well as any testing.

It looks like your on the right track.
Your ammonia dropped, showing nitrites and now your seeing nitrates.

Is that correct?

 

[GoVols]

You should see:
Ammonia drop to zero, then nitrites drop to zero and only be able to detect nitrates.
Then you will be cycled and you can add things slowly. Like a pair of clownfish.
You need to wait at least 6 months before going into serious corals.

 

[KIRBLIT]

Your on the right track but now your really low on alk because you oxidized all the ammonia.

 

[roansdad]

Your on the right track but now your really low on alk because you oxidized all the ammonia.

Meaning what?

I was going to dose ammonia again tonight now as per the instructions I've been following just needed some reassurance first. I'm glad to hear that my results haven't seamed to alarm anyone. Phew.

 

[roansdad]

It looks like your on the right track.
Your ammonia dropped, showing nitrites and now your seeing nitrates.

Is that correct?

Exactly But my nitrates are so high.

 

[GoVols]

Exactly But my nitrates are so high.

You will always have some nitrates. Don't worry about them being high until your ammonia and nitrites hit zero.
It is cycling properly, just be patient and let it do it's thing. Don't try to bring down your nitrates at this time.
Your alk is very low and I'll let @KIRBLIT help you with the low alk. I have never cycled a reef by dosing ammonia.
I don't even check my big-3 until my cycle is complete.

 

[beyarbrough]

I cycled with dry rock and ammonia. It took my tank a month to see any nitrites and another five weeks to see any nitrates. By the time ammonia and nitrite were both back 0 the day after dosing ammonia, nitrates had climbed over 50, which is as high as my test kit would read, so probably much higher. I ended up using chaeto to bring it down, but I wasn't in a hurry to add livestock. Chaeto did bring it down fairly quickly though. My alk started at 14 and I didn't check again for a few months, but it dropped to 8.

 

[KIRBLIT]

Meaning what?

I was going to dose ammonia again tonight now as per the instructions I've been following just needed some reassurance first. I'm glad to hear that my results haven't seamed to alarm anyone. Phew.

You can dose it again but you may not get rid of it all again if you don't add some alkalinity. I would dose it up to 7 just to get everything more balanced. You overdosed the ammonia at first and that's why you saw the huge drop. Alkalinity is essential to oxidizing ammonia. I would add a smaller amount this time and then wait, like 3-5x less than you did on the first day daily. Your nitrite level MUST reach 0 before you are fully cycled. I would just add small amounts of ammonia every day for the next week to cycle it properly. Once your nitrates read 0 you should never see a reading for them again as long as you don't overdose ammonia. Your nitrates will just keep going up and ammonia and nitrates should stay 0. After this do a huge water change to get rid of nitrates and then you should be good.

 

[roansdad]

You can dose it again but you may not get rid of it all again if you don't add some alkalinity. I would dose it up to 7 just to get everything more balanced. You overdosed the ammonia at first and that's why you saw the huge drop. Alkalinity is essential to oxidizing ammonia. I would add a smaller amount this time and then wait, like 3-5x less than you did on the first day daily. Your nitrite level MUST reach 0 before you are fully cycled. I would just add small amounts of ammonia every day for the next week to cycle it properly. Once your nitrates read 0 you should never see a reading for them again as long as you don't overdose ammonia. Your nitrates will just keep going up and ammonia and nitrates should stay 0. After this do a huge water change to get rid of nitrates and then you should be good.

Ok so I just did some reading about using baking soda to raise alk. How long should I take to add all that I need? Since I don't have any livestock can I just raise it all at once in one big dose? 3.6tsp is what a calculator says I need to add to bring my dKH from 4 to 10.
Blonde moment.....is my seachem test reading dkh or ppm or what? My tank is 25 gallon. Maybe I'm reading the calculator wrong???

Is it at all possible that my amm dropped fast and nitrate is high that my tank was already actually cycling from one of the additives or some old dead die off on the rock? And now I'm dosing amm and actually feeding and testing? Or are these typical results for being brand new??
Thanks so much for the help.

 

[KIRBLIT]

NO don't add all at once you will turn your tank WHITE! Check your seachem test to make sure it reads dkh. Add enough alk to raise your dkh up to 7 or 8 but do it slowly over the course of the whole day. You don't need optimal alk by any means to cycle but it needs to be there in a decent quantity. Bacteria is helping it cycle faster but you need to build them up to stabilize the tank to add fish. I would add some flake food to the tank too as a source of decay to keep all bacteria going. I would cycle for a week atleast before doing the waterchange. Like I said ammonia and nitrite should read 0 before adding livestock. Do a waterchange to get your nitrates back to 10 or less and then you can move on.

 

[roansdad]

Ok so my test kit says that the alk is measured in meq/l. And that 4-6meq/l is ideal for aquarium Is am I actually where I should be for alk?

 

[KIRBLIT]

Yes you are good to go with alk. Continue with ammonia as I described for the next week or so.

 

[roansdad]

I got a blank reading on my ammonia this am!!!!!! 0 whoop!!!! So of course I added another 5ml back in but I'm pumped. Lol. The end is near. We had a party last night and everyone was searching and looking for my fish. And of course I'd have to repeat the reason my tank is barren over and over But the way things are going I should be ready to add something in next weekend I would assume???

 

[KIRBLIT]

Remember you have to have 0 nitrite as well so track that too.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Ok so my test kit says that the alk is measured in meq/l. And that 4-6meq/l is ideal for aquarium Is am I actually where I should be for alk?

Don't believe everything you read. lol

2.5-4 meq/L is more typical, and many folks strive to maintain the lower end, partly because it is more natural (the ocean is a bit below 2.5 meq/L).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Remember you have to have 0 nitrite as well so track that too.

Nitrite is no a concern in a marine system. I wouldn't even bother measuring it, except perhaps to know if your nitrate value is being impacted by the nitrite since with some kits, a little nitrite can show as a lot of nitrate.

 

[KIRBLIT]

Nitrite is no a concern in a marine system. I wouldn't even bother measuring it, except perhaps to know if your nitrate value is being impacted by the nitrite since with some kits, a little nitrite can show as a lot of nitrate.

Good to know. I always figured there was still that lag period with the bacteria growth and complete nitrification. So nitrite isn't toxic to marine organisms?