Nitrates spiked

[Reefer87]

I used atm colony and bio spira and today is day 6 of cycle. My nitrates spiked today to 10 and my ammonia went up a bit to 2. Yesterday everything was fine and normal. PH is normal 8.4 nitrites were 0? Tube was light blue. So should I do a partial water change today to help bring stuff down?

 

[Scotty Buttons]

I would leave it alone. Nitrates going up is a good thing. That shows that your bacteria is processing ammonia.

 

[Reefer87]

So just leave it be and test again tomorrow? I’ve been feeding lightly and fish seem fine and active. I only have a few chromis in there. Can I do a water change in the next day or so?

 

[Scotty Buttons]

Honestly you shouldn't have any fish in there until your cycle is complete. Ammonia is deadly to fish. Chromis can handle it better then others but it doesn't mean there not suffering. I would usually suggest that you wait to do water changes until the cycle is complete, but it might be a good idea to do a water change to lower your ammonia. Typically you would wait until there is no ammonia present, then dose some pure ammonia until your level reaches 2ppm then test again after 24 hours. If the ammonia goes back to zero that means your tank is fully cycled and can process ammonia fully.

 

[BeejReef]

^^ Agree w Scotty Buttons

I don't know the magic number for ammonia tolerance either, but a lot of people with 2ppm lose their whole tank.
I'd not leave any living creatures in there with that level for long.

Your cycle is progressing, so that's a good sign.
You have options for controlling the ammonia. You might dose more bottled bacteria, do water changes, buy some live rock, or dose an ammonia binder like Prime.

Each has their own drawbacks. Water changes might slow down your cycle's completion. Live rock has the risk of pests. Ammonia binders can make testing for ammonia levels very confusing.

#reefsquad

 

[Fowler freak]

This is good and totally normal. Part of the cycle you’re going thru just keep monitoring