Quick question on cycling and the Bio-Spira.

[Gunzen]

I set up the tank day before yesterday, dosed with Ammonia, and Ammonia went to between one and two PPM, then I added the Spira, and today it looks like this. Tanks is clearing up, etc.

Fluval 13.5

The rock and sand are live. I am in no hurry, just worked out that I could start this way.

I am just not sure it is far enough along to stop the ammonia, and will that Spira continues to push the Nitite toward the final phase of the cycle? Never used it before. I have no fish, so?

Don't want to go backward.

TIA.

 

[Lasse]

pH?

I do not know the dosing regime for your brand of Spira but when I use start cultures of nitrification bacteria - I always give the start dose each day. The one I use can´t be overdosed (I´m living in Sweden and I do not think that the brand I use exist in the US)

What you are going to see during the coming weeks is probably a down going in NH4/NH3 and a rise of NO2 and NO3. The raise of NO3 in this stage is normally because of the fact that NO2 in the sample gives false readings. This will be followed of a down going of NO2 and NO3. When NH4/NH3 and NO2 are zero - you will see a rise in NO3.

I never use this method of starting an aquarium but If I should do it - I would put a tiny, tiny dose of NH3/NH4 when the concentration of NH4/NH3 is going down. In the range of 1/100 of your start dose

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Sorry, what tests are those tubes?

 

[Mike Reef Addict]

Sorry, what tests are those tubes?

I'm using API for Dkh and Salifert for calcium. Almost out of the API kh test so I'll be getting a Salifert for that probably Friday

 

[Mike Reef Addict]

I'm using API for Dkh and Salifert for calcium. Almost out of the API kh test so I'll be getting a Salifert for that probably Friday

Never mind my bad... I didn't realise i was following this thread...

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

lol

 

[brandon429]

This tank at the very top


Don’t cycle it


Coralline equals this rock was cycled somewhere between last year and 200 years ago.

Vs adding ammonia, change out the rot water and add fifteen zoanthid frags.

 

[TinyChocobo]

So long as the bacteria in the bottle are alive - they will definitely consume the ammonia. The biggest issue, imho, is that if you don't have a source of ammonia in there [fish, decaying matter, something] that the bacteria will begin to starve and die off.

It's a delicate balance - the ammonia output in the tank versus the bacteria that consume the ammonia. Just like adding too many fish too fast can cause ammonia to spike/be present/detectable - not having any sources of food for the bacteria can cause the bacteria to die-off.

If you do add fish/corals/whatever to the tank faster than the 'normal cycle' based upon the Ammonia testing I'd make sure you have something like Prime on hand just in case and that you have a test that can test for free ammonia [like the seachem test]. Prime will let you de-toxify the ammonia as a stop-gap if it does spike and the seachem test will let you measure the toxic ammonia after using prime.

Having more of the bottled bacteria on-hand probably wouldn't be a bad idea either.

 

[Brew12]

I set up the tank day before yesterday, dosed with Ammonia, and Ammonia went to between one and two PPM, then I added the Spira, and today it looks like this. Tanks is clearing up, etc.

Fluval 13.5

The rock and sand are live. I am in no hurry, just worked out that I could start this way.

I am just not sure it is far enough along to stop the ammonia, and will that Spira continues to push the Nitite toward the final phase of the cycle? Never used it before. I have no fish, so?

Don't want to go backward.

TIA.

It looks like you are in good shape.

I would add the ammonia one more time to close to 2ppm and verify that it drops back to 0ppm over another 24 hours. I would test for nitrates to make sure they are rising as a final check. After that, you should be good to go

There could be two reasons for not seeing nitrite at this point. First, with the Biospira and live rock it may be converting the nitrite to nitrate and never reach a testable level. Biospira also contains bacteria that convert ammonia directly to nitrate.

 

[brandon429]

There’s a ten page thread describing why this tank above is cycled already, and any continued action is ok but fully redundant. This tank is already cycled long ago, completely. You don’t need bottle bac for bac that are there and that we can see clearly by inference.


Run a digestion test if somone wants proof, at a half ppm. The fact any cycled tank shows metabolites after someone dumps ammonia in it doesn’t remark on how much this tank is already cycled per the description and visual proofs. Rock that live will have animals on it


Find one single pod, worm, or sponge combined with that level of coralline? Seals the deal.

 

[Brew12]

Just so we’re clear

There’s a ten page thread avail w pure examples of other people’s tanks describing in pure detail why this tank above is cycled already, and any continued action is ok but fully redundant. This tank is already cycled long ago, completely. You don’t need bottle bac or any single action


Run a digestion test if somone wants proof, at a half ppm.

I agree that it is likely cycled. I can't make out any microfauna in the photo or I would feel better about calling it cycled. I've been fooled by rock dyed purple that was soaked in a tub for a week and called live.

 

[brandon429]

Agreed, I hinged on his statement it was live


Allow 10% claimant error or lfs mis labeling of recently hydrated life rock heh agreed


Op, scan that scape for any single living moving organism and do us a world of good here. Cycling by pictures = fun challenge

If you can’t locate in the a.m. before lights on with a flashlight a -single- motile creature in that entire reef, then pm me the phone number of the lfs that sold you that rock as live I’ll hook em up with a 429 tisk tisk

Link this to their fb page.

Given the valid doubt till we see if there’s a worm present, the exact type of process here wasn’t to dump in ammonia. It was to specifically only go to half a ppm, and test only ammonia in 24 hours

If no movement of ammonia using NON api tester occurs, then we cycle it. Once a group of live rocks are -suspect- of being live, we don’t hit them with a dose of ammonia appropriate for dry rock cycling because that kills and stresses the life forms we paid extra for on the suspect rock. Half a ppm.

 

[TinyChocobo]

Also to be clear I'm not saying it isn't cycled and ready, but just to have the proper tools/solutions on-hand should something not go exactly as planned. I like to practice 'better safe than sorry' .

 

[brandon429]

Gunzen we got some momentum now heh, we’re gonna need some stat participations yep

 

[Gunzen]

Gunzen we got some momentum now heh, we’re gonna need some stat participations yep

This is amazing. I am going to have to read it again. I am feeling this is half sarcasm? I will go ahead and test right now, be right back. And thanks to everyone, I love the sarcasm as much as the info...if it is sarcasm.

 

[Gunzen]

Okay, I thought I was clear before, but maybe not. Hope this helps. Looks like the ammonia went up, though I have no fish? Perhaps it is the Spira. I hate to add a fish and have it die. But I also don't want to go backward.

first day (mon) early afternoon tank was set up, dosed ammonia early evening. had some ammonia late first day,

then this...

looks like ammonia fell off day two (day 2 test in pic), I added the Spira early afternoon day two and then tested late last night. (day 3 on pic)

So I am not a newb who is in a hurry to cycle. I just am concerned it won't cycle, and then I add fish and it does. Still trying to figure out the live rock quotes.

 

[Brien]

It always puzzles me why people add ammonia when starting their tank with Bio-spira. Nowhere on the packaging or website does it say to add ammonia. Bio-spira is the beneficial bacteria your looking for after your tank cycles.

 

[Gunzen]

Okay, I saw no life forms this morning. This live rock came from a huge live rock tank and this is the biggest pet store in the whole city. So, I am not sure they would be selling poor rock. The place is pretty reputable. The rock is a combination of red and purple, so...

 

[Brew12]

It always puzzles me why people add ammonia when starting their tank with Bio-spira. Nowhere on the packaging or website does it say to add ammonia. Bio-spira is the beneficial bacteria your looking for after your tank cycles.

I do it, and recommend doing it, to verify the health of the bacteria contained within Biospira. If the Biospira you purchase at the store was ever subjected to extreme heat or if it froze during transit, many of the bacteria will be killed and it will not work well. Rather than take the risk this is a cheap and easy safety check. And if the Biospira isn't processing ammonia efficiently enough the ammonia you just added will act as a food source to get it multiplying faster.

 

[Gunzen]

I do it, and recommend doing it, to verify the health of the bacteria contained within Biospira. If the Biospira you purchase at the store was ever subjected to extreme heat or if it froze during transit, many of the bacteria will be killed and it will not work well. Rather than take the risk this is a cheap and easy safety check. And if the Biospira isn't processing ammonia efficiently enough the ammonia you just added will act as a food source to get it multiplying faster.

Yeah, I don't think this is such a weird thing. Thought it was pretty common to avoid possibly killing a fish through cycling. I don't like "sacrificing" anything if I can help it.