Will NH3 be converted to NH4?

[brandon429]

this tank you are cycling represents the smashing coming wave of tanks for the next 5 years in this hobby. 90% of posted cycles will be your kind. total dry rock starts.

maricultured rock systems like KP aquatics still get a decent niche sustained, 5% or less of posted cycles. total skip cycles using cured pet store rocks will be the other 5%

 

[Jivatma]

In a nutshell, nitrates are a measurable quantity of "food" in your tank. Everything from fish waste, to detritus, to uneaten food that begins decaying, all the way to air contamination from the general living space where the tank is located.

Nitrates will read low on a new system because those things have not had time to build up in your system.

On a plus side, Nemo looks happy and congrats on first fish! I'm starting my QT tank next week and then i'll have my first fishies!

 

[Garf]

You’ve been adding Live Phyto, see if you get an ammonia reading on that.

 

[brandon429]

Garf I gotta admit that's a recurring theme in the free ammonia alert thread. many were dosing phyto

I still have never seen that bump anyone's seneye up a tenth

but as a potential confound to api? what isn't.

good call on patterns.

 

[jcosta98]

Hmmm so that might be what's causing my Free Ammonia test to be stuck on 0.05? That would be interesting .. Should I feed Phyto more frequently? It's my first time dosing it .

I was thinking of doing a 50% water change too, I will wait more one or 2 weeks

 

[brandon429]

you can feed phyto at the current rate without harm, why increase or decrease

keep up the pattern that works for sure. if you feed too much phyto or too often, expect good algae invasions resulting from bright lights and nutrient excess if those two variables come into play. without bright lights, probably not much algae but it'll be loading up the pockets within the rock for when lights on does hit. use it sparingly, nothing eats it there so far.

 

[jcosta98]

you can feed phyto at the current rate without harm, why increase or decrease

keep up the pattern that works for sure. if you feed too much phyto or too often, expect good algae invasions resulting from bright lights and nutrient excess if those two variables come into play. without bright lights, probably not much algae but it'll be loading up the pockets within the rock for when lights on does hit. use it sparingly, nothing eats it there so far.

Thank you , will proceed as suggested , guess copepods will not die from hunger