Live sand instant cycle?

[WvAquatics]

Ok I setup my tank 120g. Added salt over a day. Then added 80lbs tropic Eden live sand. After a couple of hours added 23ml of ammonia. Tested water few hours later and no ammonia. So today I tested water again still no ammonia reading. I added 25ml this time will check in morning. Just wondering can live sand really speed a cycle that fast?

 

[Anchor]

I would have to say no,. What test kit are you using?

 

[TopShelfAquatics Verified Sponsor]

Extremely unlikely. I would check the test kit being used as mentioned above.

 

[Amado]

Why wouldn’t it work ?
bacteria is bacteria. So if the sand has enough bacteria to handle the ammonia that he is dosing then it should work.
I would add some more bacteria like fritz start.

 

[WvAquatics]

This is my thoughts that it shouldn't be showing no ammonia. I'm using salifert tests. I am getting about 5 nitrates on the test. I'll check again in morning

 

[Anchor]

Are you able to check for Nitrites too?

 

[dreamcatcherr9]

If fish less cycle, you would need to add ammonia daily to feed the bacteria. If after a week, testing daily, and ammonia (and other tests) are good, do a final water change and add 2-3 small fish. Continue testing daily. Just my opinion! You’ll get many others.

And yes, definitely add bacteria. I like Dr Tims.

 

[plankton]

Depends on your definition of ‘cycle’. Have all of the bacteria been established to handle ammonia, nitrite and nitrate after a day. No. Is the tank ready to handle delicate SPS. No. What are you planning to keep and what is their tolerance for said nutrients?
PS there will still be the usuaa bloom a of diatoms, green and red algae as the tank ages. I’d lean on the safe side and just wait a month before adding additional load to the tank and monitor like you are doing.

 

[WvAquatics]

Are you able to check for Nitrites too?

I didn't get a nitrite test as I have read they are not as bad in saltwater. I don't think I'm cycled it's just weird to not get ammonia reading.

Depends on your definition of ‘cycle’. Have all of the bacteria been established to handle ammonia, nitrite and nitrate after a day. No. Is the tank ready to handle delicate SPS. No. What are you planning to keep and what is their tolerance for said nutrients?
PS there will still be the usuaa bloom a of diatoms, green and red algae as the tank ages. I’d lean on the safe side and just wait a month before adding additional load to the tank and monitor like you are doing.

I'm definitely in no rush. I plan to add ammonia for a good amount of time until I can get ammonia to be 0 and know that I am processing it effectively.bim then planning 10-15 lbs live rock. I won't be adding fish until they make it through qt.

 

[brandon429]

If bac require daily ammonia, how’d these work from the bag?

how is bottle bac from non refrigerated brands handling thousands of fish-cycles that don’t burn fish (burnt fish die they don’t act fine while feeding) with nobody adding ammonia to the biospira bottle

is it wet, like caribsea in the bag? Wet=bac


why do people accept hydrated bac from bottles but not bagged hydrated bac


i didn’t know any other sands other than caribsea were sold activated. But if you added something kept wet from some location to your tank, you transferred bac.

if this was wet pack sand showing ammonia control, we wouldn’t need more bacteria added that’s redundant, your tests show, you need to add attachment points for existing bacteria to take on (add dry live rock, it activates by being there)


adding more bacteria here would be in response to proof that bac already are active, we would only add them if your post title was reversed.

 

[brandon429]

Also, are you testing water after adding ammonia to prove it ever goes up, or is this just add ml and not find on a test kit

 

[WvAquatics]

If bac require daily ammonia, how’d these work from the bag?

how is bottle bac from non refrigerated brands handling thousands of fish-cycles that don’t burn fish (burnt fish die they don’t act fine while feeding) with nobody adding ammonia to the biospira bottle

is it wet, like caribsea in the bag? Wet=bac


why do people accept hydrated bac from bottles but not bagged hydrated bac


i didn’t know any other sands other than caribsea were sold activated. But if you added something kept wet from some location to your tank, you transferred bac.

if this was wet pack sand showing ammonia control, we wouldn’t need more bacteria added that’s redundant, your tests show, you need to add attachment points for existing bacteria to take on


adding more bacteria here would be in response to proof that bac already are active, we would only add them if your post title was reversed.

Yes wet sand. Tropic Eden live reef flakes and mini flakes. I didn't rinse it at all. Added the water and everything. I added the first 23ml and waited an hour to let the ammonia cycle through the tank and testing it. I added 25ml at around 8 last night we will see in a bit if I have ammonia.

 

[brandon429]

Are you getting an initial read after adding, that shows your ammonia tester proving the ammonia went up? And no live rock is in the tank? If so, and it’s going down over nite, you are about to make an important proofing for the hobby—I can use this thread nine ways in microbiology writing if you have proven wet bagged bacteria work like bottled ones


when we add live rock cured from one tank into ours, that transfers bac and the cycle is skipped on the new setup.


same with wet sand transfer, instant cycle, like bag says

 

[brandon429]

You are about to define one of the hobby’s questions here but only if no live rock is helping your measure, post system pic

Article gold data: things that have not been measured regarding bacteria in reefing

So each day on every forum on the web there are questions about bacteria and what they require, don't require, tolerate and will not tolerate. And 99% of the answers are unmeasured, they're recirculated info for decades regarding marine cycle/filtration aerobes and they're not measured using...

www.reef2reef.com

we did another proofing two mos ago- proved that reef water has lots of active filter bac in it...to the direct opposition of those who sell bottle bac and says it doesn’t.

nobody has ever bothered to just test wet bagged sand for nitrification, I can not find one single attempt. I hope you just did, my expectation is that it would pass, not that it wouldn’t.

if I take fritz from a bottle, and put it in a baggie which contains sand, and carry that bag around until it’s used....same as adding bottle to our tank.

****take out some sand and rinse it in tap water


then ro water at the end

put in small container and dose until your actual tester shows half a ppm Ammonia, no higher

see if that rinsed sand moved down scaled ammonia

for your test to be valid we need to know your tester sees that initial ammonia spike up, and then sees it back down over nite. It can’t be proven by just taking a final read of zero, has to prove the initial read of the spike.

 

[EMeyer]

Test 10 min after adding ammonia. If you don't get a reading either the test or the ammonia must be bad. Neither algae nor bacteria can remove 2 ppm ammonia in 10 min.

I would consider the sand you used wet sand rather than live sand (Which comes from the ocean), and treat it accordingly.

 

[WvAquatics]

I definitely still smell the ammonia in the bottle so it isn't bad. Maybe a little weaker. Just did ammonia test waiting 3 mins. If I don't get a reading I'll add more. Honestly I think I am not adding enough ammonia. I will add another 25 ml test few mins later if still no reading then I will start thinking it's the test kit. But I definitely have nitrates.

 

[WvAquatics]

.25 ammonia. I'll wait until this evening to add more ammonia. I'll make sure I reach 2ppm even if I have to test a few times.

 

[brandon429]

Post pics of the reading that way readers can track color changes

 

[WvAquatics]

Will do. Give time for last night's adding to work through. I will add pics of each ammonia test until 2ppm. Also do a nitrate test before adding new ammonia

 

[brandon429]

New information for the hobby, excellent.