I think my cycle is complete?

[NoobishReefer22]

Hello All!

I am on day 10 of my cycle and my ammonia levels are zero however my Nitrite and Nitrate levels are quite high however I believe neither Nitrite or Nitrate are deadly to fish (Nitrate at EXTREMELY high levels) These are the current levels in my tank I was thinking I could do a 20% water change then start adding fish. Please let me know if my thoughts here are correct I've done just lots of research but quite the beginner.


Feedback appreciated please see my levels this is from my LFS:

Nitrite: 80ppm
Nitrate: 2ppm
Ammonia: 0ppm

 

[Fish Fan]

Can I ask, how did you start your tank and cycle? Dry rock and sand or live rock and sand? Did you use any kind of bottled bacteria product and did you provided any source of ammonia, like fish food or bottled ammonium chloride?

 

[Kade76]

Hello All!

I am on day 10 of my cycle and my ammonia levels are zero however my Nitrite and Nitrate levels are quite high however I believe neither Nitrite or Nitrate are deadly to fish (Nitrate at EXTREMELY high levels) These are the current levels in my tank I was thinking I could do a 20% water change then start adding fish. Please let me know if my thoughts here are correct I've done just lots of research but quite the beginner.


Feedback appreciated please see my levels this is from my LFS:

Nitrite: 80ppm
Nitrate: 2ppm
Ammonia: 0ppm

That nitrate is very high what have you been putting in the tank and how long has it been cycling? You also can't have any nitrite. With that high of a nitrate your fish would most likely slowly die along with any corals maybe try to get your nitrate down wait a few days to see what happens then add something cheap and small like a hermit before adding fish.

 

[stinkydavis]

Nitrite is toxic to fish and needs to be 0 before adding

 

[Jekyl]

That nitrate is very high what have you been putting in the tank and how long has it been cycling? You also can't have any nitrite. With that high of a nitrate your fish would most likely slowly die along with any corals maybe try to get your nitrate down wait a few days to see what happens then add something cheap and small like a hermit before adding fish.

My nitrate is probably over 100. Fish and coral are fine. I haven't tested it in months.

 

[Kade76]

My nitrate is probably over 100. Fish and coral are fine. I haven't tested it in months.

I guess I'm proven wrong I have always heard its toxic at those levels did I mishear or do people just get to scared.

 

[lil sumpin]

The nitrate reading is thrown off by presence of nitrite. This thread will give you some insight:

The importance of nitrite measurements in a reef aquarium

There have been a lot of threads about nitrification and cycling lately. IMO - the most important measurements tool you have in order to indicate if your cycle is done or not is the nitrite level. It is a rather stable tool and will give stable results with few interferences. One of the myths...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Jekyl]

I guess I'm proven wrong I have always heard its toxic at those levels did I mishear or do people just get to scared.

Depends on what you're keeping and the reaction of the inhabitants. I change the water when I notice that something is unhappy.

 

[NoobishReefer22]

Can I ask, how did you start your tank and cycle? Dry rock and sand or live rock and sand? Did you use any kind of bottled bacteria product and did you provided any source of ammonia, like fish food or bottled ammonium chloride?

Sorry I missed out key details but here is what I cycled with.

Dry rock
Live sand
Fritz turbo start
Ammonia chloride to 2ppm

I will only be adding some fish it’s a SR80 probably will start with just 2 clowns and a six line wrasse. With maybe a small tang following in 2 weeks.