Need help please!

[Eddy101]

Hi im starting a 130 gallon reef tank, i bought 80 pounds of live sand (caribsea) and 130 pounds of dry rock moxed the salt and all that stuff temp is at 84 i have two fluval fx5 going and skimmer adding 3 weeks into cycle
My question is i added all the rock and sand im on the twnth day of fishless nitrogen cycle i think i bought a test kit yesterday and the readings came out
Ammonia 0
Nitrite 1.5ppm
Nitrate around 30ppm

I was wondering if i have to keep ammonia up so that the nitrites could eat the ammonia im so confused please help thank you.

 

[alyee5]

Excerpt from Dr Tim's Fishless Cycle procedure using ammonia as your ammonia source:

"You want to be careful adding more ammonia because you do not want the nitrite-nitrogen over 5 mg/L as this will start to poison the nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. Add a little ammonia every few days (1/4 dose), making sure the nitrite does not go above 5 mg/L."

I can vouch for the part about not letting nitrite get too high...I think it stalled my cycle and it took weeks for the nitrite to drop to zero...

 

[Eddy101]

Excerpt from Dr Tim's Fishless Cycle procedure using ammonia as your ammonia source:

"You want to be careful adding more ammonia because you do not want the nitrite-nitrogen over 5 mg/L as this will start to poison the nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. Add a little ammonia every few days (1/4 dose), making sure the nitrite does not go above 5 mg/L."

I can vouch for the part about not letting nitrite get too high...I think it stalled my cycle and it took weeks for the nitrite to drop to zero...

So buy ammonia or can i add some fish food maybe? So i do need to raise the ammonia?

 

[cromag27 Verified Sponsor]

No food, no raw shrimp. pure ammonia from the hardware store.

 

[alyee5]

Yes, I would recommend ammonia (janitorial strength, no additives, Ace Hardware sells it) as you can determine the exact amount you need. Here is a calculator to use (remember the tank volume is actual water volume not the tank size because rock and sand displace volume)

https://www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/AmmoniaCycling.php

I would raise ammonia up to 1 ppm then wait a couple of days and remeasure. If ammonia goes to zero and nitrites still <5 then add some more and then wait a few days....don't over dose

 

[ndrwater]

Oookay......
No... You do not need to add Ammonia.
Here is the basics if the nitrogen cycle:

Ammonia is produced by fish respiration, fish poo and other factors such as uneaten food.
Nitrite is less toxic than Ammonia, and the byproduct of the bacteria that consume/break down Ammonia.
Nitrite is again consumed and broken down by yet another type of benificial bacteria, and Nitrate is produced. At which point without a much more lengthy dissertation, we have reached the end product of the nitrogen cycle.

Looking at the numbers you posted above, you are well on your way to having a "cycled" tank, but you aren't there yet.
As long as you are still reading Nitrite, you still have a bit to go. That said, the presence of Nitrate indicates you are moving in the right direction.

I suggest reading up a bit more, ask more questions, and hang in there. You'll get there soon enough.

 

[Eddy101]

Oookay......
No... You do not need to add Ammonia.
Here is the basics if the nitrogen cycle:

Ammonia is produced by fish respiration, fish poo and other factors such as uneaten food.
Nitrite is less toxic than Ammonia, and the byproduct of the bacteria that consume/break down Ammonia.
Nitrite is again consumed and broken down by yet another type of benificial bacteria, and Nitrate is produced. At which point without a much more lengthy dissertation, we have reached the end product of the nitrogen cycle.

Looking at the numbers you posted above, you are well on your way to having a "cycled" tank, but you aren't there yet.
As long as you are still reading Nitrite, you still have a bit to go. That said, the presence of Nitrate indicates you are moving in the right direction.

I suggest reading up a bit more, ask more questions, and hang in there. You'll get there soon enough.

Ok thats what i was thinking bit then everyone says something different and its confusing tbh, im not seeing brown algae or diatoms is this normal i see very little hair algae i think on some rocks also it was all dead so should i just let it be untill nitrite hits 0 and a CUC

 

[ndrwater]

There are 1000 ways to skin a Reef... Personally, I like the more natural method. I wouldn't add any clean up crew until Nitrite is reading zero. Doing so is adding animals into a harmful if not toxic environment. The whole reason to cycle fishless (animal-less) is so we don't kill the animals we are trying to have thrive in our tanks.
Algae starts to appear as you are winding down the cycle.
Hair algae is a major nusance and is generally signs that something is majorly out of whack.

 

[Eddy101]

There are 1000 ways to skin a Reef... Personally, I like the more natural method. I wouldn't add any clean up crew until Nitrite is reading zero. Doing so is adding animals into a harmful if not toxic environment. The whole reason to cycle fishless (animal-less) is so we don't kill the animals we are trying to have thrive in our tanks.
Algae starts to appear as you are winding down the cycle.
Hair algae is a major nusance and is generally signs that something is majorly out of whack.

Ok sounds good! Thank you, also to everyone that replied appreciate it!