Nitrates at 160ppm

ccajigas07 · May 15, 2013

Well my tank is on day 11 of its cycle and I have 160ppm is this normal and do I have to do anything to it or just leave it also when will I know my tank has completed the cycle process.

What I have in the tank is
130lb of live rock
120lb of live sand
4 damsels
And some cheatomorpha

tidus10 · May 15, 2013

thats normal, thats some of the live matter on the rocks and sand dying off.. youll see the numbers go nuts.. my understanding is that when the ammonia and PH level out is when the cycle ends andd its time to do a water change

beaslbob · May 15, 2013

more chaeto would help.

but during the initial cycle the macros will consume ammonia and not nitrates for nitrogen. Then as aerobic bacteria build up and consume the ammonia the macros are "forced" to get their nitrogen from nitrates. So some initial nitrate spike is normal and the chaeto may in fact be doing its thing preventing much more dangerous spikes.

Plus the api kit is basically red for anything over about 80ppm or so. So hard to read above that.

I would wait a few more weeks and see if the nitrates drop down. If no then add some more chaeto.

I presume the damsels are living and seem fine.

(i do prefer to use mollies but you already got them in there LOL).

my .02

Jgut3 · May 15, 2013

Wow I'd def do a quick water change to get those down

jduck · May 15, 2013

No water changes during cycle it only delays the process.

rworegon · May 15, 2013

I would not cycle the a tank with fish in it. Its cruel. It would be like someone putting you in a sealed chamber and filling it with amonia gas. Thats what supermarket shrimp are for.

Keepnitreel · May 15, 2013

The only time water changes are necessary during a cycle is when the ammonia or nitrite readings are off the charts. Off the chart readings for those will cause the cycle to stall.

Once ammonia & nitrite are both at zero, do a water change to bring down the nitrates.

BTW: Cycling with fish is frowned upon in this hobby. Fishless is the way to go

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mike007 · May 15, 2013

I really don't think your trates are that high. If it is your rock you must have a lot of stuff dieing from it. I have never had this happen. Keep that skimmer going and lots of circulation and leave it alone. Do not add fish. Keep testing and you might want to take a sample to lfs and double check your readings with theres. It will all clear up in due time.

Reefing Madness · May 15, 2013

Looks good. All tanks go through a different cycle, so numbers rarely are ever the same. Your just looking for that number to be under 30 in order to add fish.

ccajigas07 · May 15, 2013

Thanks guys I will be taking a water sample to my lfs on Saturday to see what it says

ccajigas07 · May 23, 2013

Well guys I have had my lights off for 3 days now and the green algea is no longer there but my nitrates are still in the red is this still part of the cycle or am I doing something wrong

Reefing Madness · May 23, 2013

If your Ammonia and Nitrites are 0, do a 50% water change to knock the Nitrates down by half.

46gReef · May 23, 2013

Agreed, what are the rest of your levels?

ccajigas07 · May 23, 2013

Well I wont know my parameters until tomorrow I have to take a dample to the lfs I will keep u guys posted

Reefing Madness · May 23, 2013

ccajigas07 · May 25, 2013

Well got my water tested a had 0's across and nitrates were still between 80 to 100 ppm what do u guys think I should do

Reefing Madness · May 25, 2013

50% WC. Then again in 2 days. This outta bring you back into being able to put fish in.

glb · May 25, 2013

Sounds like a normal cycle to me. Good luck!

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ccajigas07 · May 26, 2013

Well I had my maintenance guy come in a do a 75 percent water change check the nitrates 1 hour later and they are at 40 ppm he said it should drop to safe levels in a week