Where's my NH3?

Steve1500 · Dec 22, 2017

I started my nitro cycle on Dec 10 and my ammonia is still zero ppm. I have a 75G reef with about 60 lbs of live rock and 80 lbs of live sand. I have phantom fed most but not all days of the cycle. I have tested for ammonia almost every day and nothing. I also tested for nitrite to see if the ammonia was converted and nothing showed. Same with nitrate. Is 12 days of no change normal? SG is 1.025, PH is around 8.3. Patience or am I doing something wrong...any suggestions would be appreciated!

Steve

Instigate · Dec 22, 2017

Live rock might be converting it quickly. Don't know why you have no nitrates though. If you dosed some ammonia then you could know for sure what you're putting in and be able to see it drop.

Maggie321 · Dec 22, 2017

Agreed with above. If your live rock was fresh, your tank may be cycled. Test it with pure ammonia.

Steve1500 · Dec 23, 2017

Thanks! With rock and sand, I have about 68G of SW in my tank/sump. Any idea on how much ammonia to apply and do I just dump it in or add a little at a time? If I my system is already cycled, will this recycle it?

Thanks again!

Instigate · Dec 23, 2017

It's best to add a little then test, when I used this product to cycle my tanks it came out to about 3ML per 10 gallons I think it was. But like I said, add a small measurable amount then wait 15-20 minutes for it to mix up and then test to see where you're at. Most people aim for about 2ppm ammonia as a start. Once you see you're at 2ppm then wait 24 hours and test. Once your tank is able to process 2ppm ammonia in 24 hours repeatedly then it's safe for fish. I like to see the tank process the 2ppm in 24 hours at least 2 times before I consider it safe for a fish. Also, nitrite at the levels found in aquariums are not a concern for marine fish. So I wouldn't even bother with testing for nitrite unless you want to continually track it to see where in the cycle you are. But if it can process the ammonia then it's safe for a fish.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TSJPAJA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There is also this product by Dr.Tims, it has instructions on dosing to take a guess work out of it but you get much much less ammonia for your dollar.

https://www.amazon.com/DrTims-Aquatics-Ammonium-chloride-bottle/dp/B006MP4QG6

If your system is already cycled it should just process the ammonia to nitrite then to nitrate.