Salifert ammonia
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gbroadbridge
2500 Club Member
You need to read this test under diffuse daylight outdoors (not in the sun).Same salifert ammonia test just under different lighting. Struggling to read a result. Any tips would be appreciated, tia
It's about 0.5ppm total ammonia which is approx 0.03ppm toxic ammonia which is toxic to sensitive fish
Free Ammonia Calculator
Aquarium calculator; Estimate the free (un-ionized) ammonia (NH3) concentration, given the total ammonia concentration.
www.hamzasreef.com
Nathd2311
Community Member
That was 24hours after I dosed 2ppm of ammonia chloride. Struggling to test during daylight hours due to work. I just did another test and it's pretty much the same (56hrs after dosing ammonia) I'm just cycling a new tank at the moment and don't wanna add any fish until I know its safe for themYou need to read this test under diffuse daylight outdoors (not in the sun).
It's about 0.5ppm total ammonia which is approx 0.03ppm toxic ammonia which is toxic to sensitive fish
Free Ammonia Calculator
Aquarium calculator; Estimate the free (un-ionized) ammonia (NH3) concentration, given the total ammonia concentration.
gbroadbridge
2500 Club Member
Did you test just after (maybe 1 hour) dosing ammonia to check it was showing 2ppm?.
If this is a new tank, it will take a week or two to start processing ammonia at that level.
Nathd2311
Community Member
Also nitrates in the tank are pretty high around 45ish. Tanks been set up 3 weeks.
Yeah was showing 2ppm. Tanks been set up 3 weeks now. I used dr tims one and only when I set it up. Nitrates are reading around 45. Would you recommend doing a large water change and bringing them down and let it cycle for abit longer? Thanks for your help
gbroadbridge
2500 Club Member
The tank is cycled. I'd just wait for the ammonia to drop in a day or so then add CUC and then a fish a few days later.
40ppm Nitrate is no problem for fish. You can then do weekly water changes and it (Nitrate) should drop if you feed lightly.
Nathd2311
Community Member
Ok thanks. Do you recommend adding a pair of clowns first before cuc. Only reason I'm asking is because the rock and substrate still pretty clean. There's the slightest of a brown colour to the rock but I'm just worried there isn't going to be much for them to eat
gbroadbridge
2500 Club Member
I'm sure how big the tank is, but if it's processing 2ppm ammonia in a couple of days, a couple of small clowns should be okay.
Keep an eye on ammonia and be prepared to do water changes if ammonia rises.
Don't rely on products that say they detoxify ammonia because most are inneffective.
Nathd2311
Community Member
It's a waterbox 20gallon. I will do. Thanks for your advice and time it's much appreciated
gbroadbridge
2500 Club Member
@gbroadbridge
that's not the actual reading though. that's what a non digital kit approximates
if this was a seneye reading, the levels would be drastically different. has your seneye log reported hundredths ppm nh3 was curious if it ever held that reading longer than 1 hour. it's neat you have the meter running on a full stocked reef, curious to know if your baseline is within .001-.004 ppm nh3
it will be neat if there's fish in this tank acting not harmed, can we see the or cycling reef that produced that reading
that's not the actual reading though. that's what a non digital kit approximates
if this was a seneye reading, the levels would be drastically different. has your seneye log reported hundredths ppm nh3 was curious if it ever held that reading longer than 1 hour. it's neat you have the meter running on a full stocked reef, curious to know if your baseline is within .001-.004 ppm nh3
it will be neat if there's fish in this tank acting not harmed, can we see the or cycling reef that produced that reading
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the context of that reading is far more impactful than the actual reading.
this appears to be a cycling system recently started, depending on the bottle bac you used your cycle completion date is already known. the reading doesn't account for much in actual cycle control if that helps to know. it is for sure enough ammonia to feed bottle bac and you wouldn't want to dose more. give the system a few days to seat in/you'll be fine and the cycle won't stick.
that is the expected reading from salifert on running reef systems, I have threads of that level shown in cycled reefs. the consistent low levels of ammonia reefs+ fish run at lends those readings a lot of the time on non digital kits, not rarely.
this appears to be a cycling system recently started, depending on the bottle bac you used your cycle completion date is already known. the reading doesn't account for much in actual cycle control if that helps to know. it is for sure enough ammonia to feed bottle bac and you wouldn't want to dose more. give the system a few days to seat in/you'll be fine and the cycle won't stick.
that is the expected reading from salifert on running reef systems, I have threads of that level shown in cycled reefs. the consistent low levels of ammonia reefs+ fish run at lends those readings a lot of the time on non digital kits, not rarely.
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Randy Holmes-Farley
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Is it? 0.5 ppm by Salifert kit? That seems high to me for a running reef, but perfectly appropriate 24 h after adding 2 ppm ammonia.
truly I'm guessing at numbers based on the color
what if his led kitchen bulb color select is set to +1% brown on the color dial app no joke mine will do that-so many variables I would like to know the context that makes the reading look that color. its all so subjective without the backing info on the tank, compared to other cycles at the same interval.
how much ammonia was put in, was it fritz bottle bac, is that from a live rock transfer system-mainly I just wanted to know the other puzzle pieces that produce the reading. it would be neat if the color was darker two days ago then arrived there...
still need input. if that's just his initial ammonia dose into a common bottle bac new tank cycle, don't add more that's enough to feed the bacteria for sure. give it a few days as bottle bac are known to require=all set.
what if his led kitchen bulb color select is set to +1% brown on the color dial app no joke mine will do that-so many variables I would like to know the context that makes the reading look that color. its all so subjective without the backing info on the tank, compared to other cycles at the same interval.
how much ammonia was put in, was it fritz bottle bac, is that from a live rock transfer system-mainly I just wanted to know the other puzzle pieces that produce the reading. it would be neat if the color was darker two days ago then arrived there...
still need input. if that's just his initial ammonia dose into a common bottle bac new tank cycle, don't add more that's enough to feed the bacteria for sure. give it a few days as bottle bac are known to require=all set.
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vetteguy53081
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Looks like 0.5 to me also and elevated unless ammonia chloride still present and I would do another test in 24 hrs
Nathd2311
Community Member
The kitchen lights are normal white spotlights. The tank has been set up for about 3 weeks now. With dry rock, caribsea live sand and I used dr tims one and only bacteria. I have been adding ammonia solution over the past couple of weeks but making sure there was never over 2ppm in there as I read it could stall the cycle. Nitrates are are around 45ish. I've brought the ammonia upto 2ppm this morning and taken pictures in the natural light and I'm gonna compare them to the natural light tomorrow morning and see where I'm at and go from there
that cycle is done. the bottle bac has reduced ammonia to that from more than one dose, you have the normal degree of surface area reefs use, that's past day ten on a cycling chart's ammonia line, and Dr. Reefs bottle bac thread found no brands that require three weeks to handle an initial ammonia load.
the most reduced way to say it is that waiting longer and adding more supports can't make your tank safer for fish: how you choose to use disease control trending now determines your fish retention rate %.
the most reduced way to say it is that waiting longer and adding more supports can't make your tank safer for fish: how you choose to use disease control trending now determines your fish retention rate %.
you can tell this crowd is not going accept that cycle is done and that the reading is 100% correct at .5/dangerous to fish
so to assuage that pressure, simply do a water change and the bacteria well-seated in place remain behind, the ammonia they're sure of will be physically gone, and no anger can result from you moving forward
conversely, here's forty pages of your exact cycle readings and timing carrying fish/full running reefs just fine - it's my reasoning that your kit is misreading OR that it's not misreading, cycled reefs carry a little bit of ammonia at all times, and that's the best the kit can render given the context.
www.reef2reef.com
given your setup description/matches all tanks there in timing and other factors I'm of the opinion on seneye your nh3 would read in the low hundredths ppm max or the low thousandths ppm, and that any fish or lysmata shrimp you have added will live as they've been living there above because at three weeks a typical bottle bac cycle is fine: that's three times longer than a cycling chart says it takes to command ammonia and nobody has rewritten cycling charts yet/we still have the 1960's models for a reason.
so to assuage that pressure, simply do a water change and the bacteria well-seated in place remain behind, the ammonia they're sure of will be physically gone, and no anger can result from you moving forward
conversely, here's forty pages of your exact cycle readings and timing carrying fish/full running reefs just fine - it's my reasoning that your kit is misreading OR that it's not misreading, cycled reefs carry a little bit of ammonia at all times, and that's the best the kit can render given the context.
How to unstick any seemingly stuck cycle
Updated Cycling Science in Action This is a testless reef tank cycling thread, the only one from any board. If you ever had trouble with reef tank cycling in the past, you won't any longer after working some jobs with us. chances are you are using/about to use a method of reef tank cycling...
www.reef2reef.com
given your setup description/matches all tanks there in timing and other factors I'm of the opinion on seneye your nh3 would read in the low hundredths ppm max or the low thousandths ppm, and that any fish or lysmata shrimp you have added will live as they've been living there above because at three weeks a typical bottle bac cycle is fine: that's three times longer than a cycling chart says it takes to command ammonia and nobody has rewritten cycling charts yet/we still have the 1960's models for a reason.
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biom
Well-Known Member
Don't rely on nitrate test too much (at least if it is Salifert) if there are elevated ammonia levels present in the water. Nitrate tests could give false high readings in such cases,
