High ammonia during fishless cycle 20g cube

[acsnanoreef]

Hey everyone! So I’m on day 5 of the Dr. Tim’s fishless cycle.

yesterday my tests read:

pH (8.15) and nitrite (0.1) seem good but my ammonia is at 0.5 (salifert test kits)

Today I tested my ammonia and now it’s showing 1.5!

is that okay? I feel like the bacteria should be bringing this down already right?

Any advice or insight helps!

 

[brandon429]

check this direct comparison out

nice to meet you

 

[brandon429]

100% Water Change

So in my previous thread, I had an ammonia issue that was out of hand. As suggested, I did a 100% WC and now i’m wondering when I should start adding fish back. If anyone has suggestions, let me know!

www.reef2reef.com

he was about six times higher there, you are fine. his latest update/a full reef.

so its not about rushing for sure...but it is about trusting the dates on the bottle bac. the truth is with Dr. Tims, posts show if you add a pinch of fish food for carbon

and then wait 15 days for bottle bac, that food, liquid ammonia to stew, then change out your water you can begin-as above. the cycle can't fail. only testing approaches can fail.

 

[Reef.]

Salifert ammonia test is hard to get a correct reading as the milky colour is hard to match to the chart, if you haven’t added any more ammonia then it hasn’t increased, sounds like you have just misread the reading.
If you added the correct amount at the start (correct number of drops) then just wait to get a 0 reading on ammonia, keep an eye on nitrite, it should go up slowly then quite fast you should get a peak then it will start to drop, when it’s also zero you can then take a nitrate reading, then do a water change to drop the nitrates to around 10.

Did you add any bacteria? Such as Dr Tim’s One and Only?

 

[acsnanoreef]

Salifert ammonia test is hard to get a correct reading as the milky colour is hard to match to the chart, if you haven’t added any more ammonia then it hasn’t increased, sounds like you have just misread the reading.
If you added the correct amount at the start (correct number of drops) then just wait to get a 0 reading on ammonia, keep an eye on nitrite, it should go up slowly then quite fast you should get a peak then it will start to drop, when it’s also zero you can then take a nitrate reading, then do a water change to drop the nitrates to around 10.

Did you add any bacteria? Such as Dr Tim’s One and Only?

Yes I started off with dry rock but live sand. I added the one & only then the correct amount of ammonia (and I was a tad conservative to be safe)

my test kit did not come until day 4 however so day 2 I have no test results, day 3 added more ammonia like the plan said, then day 4 I finally was able to do a full test.

I have not and will not add anymore ammonia but idk if I need to do anything besides wait and test?

 

[brandon429]

further testing isn't needed. it can only mislead you.

add the fish food component, wait a total of 15 days change out the water. see above/yours is a certain cycle already in motion. needs only time. waiting 15 days specifically meets the ammonia control time on a cycling chart is why its a testless method- we didn't need even the initial tests for your cycle to work. what the bottle bac does is already calculated on the directions/ten days.

fifteen days was for prudence


its because the cycle can't fail to complete, that yours will be ready by day fifteen if you just let the tank circulate and be the right temp/keep it topped off. your results will match Jack's above.

old school cycling: you have to keep doing X to drive your cycle to completion, or it will stall.

new cycling science: that is a falsehood that ends up selling lots of extra retail purchases. all cycles complete on time especially when approximation testing can show reduction of ammonia, matching a cycling chart layout (the above thread)

 

[Reef.]

Yes I started off with dry rock but live sand. I added the one & only then the correct amount of ammonia (and I was a tad conservative to be safe)

my test kit did not come until day 4 however so day 2 I have no test results, day 3 added more ammonia like the plan said, then day 4 I finally was able to do a full test.

I have not and will not add anymore ammonia but idk if I need to do anything besides wait and test?

I hope you weren’t too conservative with the ammonia as you really need the correct amount or not too much less.

I would wait to you get a 0 ammonia reading now , and 0 nitrite (good luck reading the salifert test, helps if you also get a vial of tank water along side the test vial, helps to judge the colour) then do,an ammonia test, add ammonia to get to 2 ppm, then after 24 hours it should be 0, that means your bacteria is taking care of the ammonia, then you can do a water change to reduce the nitrate.

 

[Galliente]

Is the tank out of the ammonia spike?

 

[Clownfish_Boy]

Just hang loose and wait a month; the tank will cycle.