My cycle is in a loop.

[Mmonk005]

^that is from my LFS. The last parts are what trips me up. My ammonia starts to drop but nitrites are still high, so I dose the ammonia to continue feeding the growing bacteria u til they can process everything quickly. Is that not right?

 

[Dburr1014]

the assessment isn't to pick on the op, its to highlight that when pooling several response groups with multi threads you aren't in the right position to evaluate best options among offers. neither was I in year 1

the right way to run your reef OP is to send a private message to 1 person and have them be your coach via chat, do what they say. pick anyone here. don't take advice from more than 1 party and all your issues will stop.

Yes, this is true. I don't mean to pick, it's just new thread after new thread with the same question.
It's like taking poison and expecting someone else to die.
Same question will get the same results. Start one thread and see it thru.

 

[Mmonk005]

Also, anyone want to be my coach?

 

[TheSheff]

h

I know that the nitrogen cycle its always been ammonia> nitrite > nitrate. But im having difficulties cycling my new tank. I started cycling with fritz 900 3 weeks ago. Till now nitrite still takes 3 days to drop to 0. Iv been dosing ammonia to feed the bacteria. And hoping that it will drop to 0 in 24 hours so i can make sure when i add fish it will be fine but not. Its just been crazy. 4 days ago nitrite dropped to 0. But i wasnt feeding ammonia everydah waiting for nitrite to catch up. So when nitrite dropped to 0 i added 2ppm ammonia and nitrite went up. And was high 2ppm for 3 days. I just dont get it whats happening

 

[TheSheff]

As long as your ammonia is zero and your nitrates are relatively low , that means that your tank is cycled , it just hasn't matured yet. You can likely put a couple fish like clowns or something similar in.

 

[AFHokie]

^that is from my LFS. The last parts are what trips me up. My ammonia starts to drop but nitrites are still high, so I dose the ammonia to continue feeding the growing bacteria u til they can process everything quickly. Is that not right?

That is correct but it comes down to what people mean when they say "cycled." The first step of the process, turning NH3/NH4 to NO2 establishes much faster. That explains why OP is seeing the NH drop fast but NO2 is hanging around. For many reefers, that is good enough. The extremely low toxicity of NO2 means you can stock as long as your NH3/4 is clearing.

For a TRULY complete cycle, the nitrospira colonies need to develop enough to also process the NO2 into NO3 that fast. That process takes much longer than the first step but again....for some, it doesn't matter and we let that step finish while we have a stocked tank.

 

[Garf]

A little phosphate in the water also aids reduction of NO2, as well as other benefits.

 

[Mmonk005]

That is correct but it comes down to what people mean when they say "cycled." The first step of the process, turning NH3/NH4 to NO2 establishes much faster. That explains why OP is seeing the NH drop fast but NO2 is hanging around. For many reefers, that is good enough. The extremely low toxicity of NO2 means you can stock as long as your NH3/4 is clearing.

For a TRULY complete cycle, the nitrospira colonies need to develop enough to also process the NO2 into NO3 that fast. That process takes much longer than the first step but again....for some, it doesn't matter and we let that step finish while we have a stocked tank.

So I can stop dosing ammonia and once the levels come down, do a water change and add a couple of clowns? They will complete the cycle?

 

[AFHokie]

So I can stop dosing ammonia and once the levels come down, do a water change and add a couple of clowns? They will complete the cycle?

As long as you are oxidizing your ammonia within 24 hours, yes. You need to start slow though, don't toss in 30 fish. Your tank can process the amount of ammonia you are inputting...if it gets more the bacteria may not be able to handle the increased load fast enough....yet. It will get there but not instantly. Check NO3 first though, if you've cycled it you may have a buildup of NO3 that you need to remove via H2O change first before throwing in livestock....depending on how high your NO3 is.

I used Fritz Turbo start and added one clown the same day. Never had a single reading of NH3/NH4.

 

[92Miata]

Nitrite is not dropping to 0 in 24 hours thata what iv been trying to explain so far. Nitrite taking 3 days to drop but nobody is believing me

Nitrite is completely non-toxic and completely irrelevant in salt water. His cycle is done.


Nothing the OP is doing right now is helping anything. He needs to put some life in the tank. He needs to start moving phosphate in the tank, and establishing the organisms that actually matter. Nitrosomonas is a stopgap - it's job is to handle ammonia until stuff like coralline and corals and heterotrophs grow to proportions where they mostly outcompete it.

OP - you're done. Put some fish in the tank.