Would you do a water change here??

[Armani]

Are the nitrates (orange) too high here you think? Should I do a water change or just hold off and continue to let it cycle? It’s a brand new tank with live rock and live sand and dry rock, I’ve added dr Tim’s ammonia and nothing else.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Are the nitrates (orange) too high here you think? Should I do a water change or just hold off and continue to let it cycle?

Keep cycling

 

[gnome]

Are the nitrates (orange) too high here you think? Should I do a water change or just hold off and continue to let it cycle?

Oh ya thats high. If ur cycling tho I'd just hold off as long as there isnt fish. If there is fish you NEED to do a water change

 

[dwest]

Keep cycling

Agree. You need to let it ride...

 

[Armani]

Since ammonia is .50 should I dose that up to 2ppm now?

 

[Armani]

Oh ya thats high. If ur cycling tho I'd just hold off as long as there isnt fish. If there is fish you NEED to do a water change

There’s no fish yet it’s a new cycle. Keep dosing?

 

[Crabs McJones]

There’s no fish yet it’s a new cycle. Keep dosing?

Yes. Dose it back up to 2ppm and let it keep cycling. As soon as your tank is able to process 2ppm ammonia in 24 hours and also show 0 nitrites then you can do your water changes to bring nitrate down.

 

[Jesterrace]

No water change, although I would ditch the API kit for something more reliable (ie Red Sea, Salifert, etc.).

 

[Ktran350]

If your Nitrites are too high it can stall your cycle (happened to me). I did a small water change to bring it down to 2 PPM. My cycle pushed through and finished cycling within a few days after that. It’s up to you if you want to wait it out or not. On your initial dosing of ammonia, how much did you put in? I personally wouldn’t add any more ammonia since that will elevate your nitrite level even more.

http://www.drtimsaquatics.com/resou...vGGpiDsRG5sBo0iWz4ziKnRuEYnjN8hQaAgc7EALw_wcB

 

[Armani]

If your Nitrites are too high it can stall your cycle (happened to me). I did a small water change to bring it down to 2 PPM. My cycle pushed through and finished cycling within a few days after that. It’s up to you if you want to wait it out or not. On your initial dosing of ammonia, how much did you put in? I personally wouldn’t add any more ammonia since that will elevate your nitrite level even more.

http://www.drtimsaquatics.com/resou...vGGpiDsRG5sBo0iWz4ziKnRuEYnjN8hQaAgc7EALw_wcB

My initial dose was to make it 4ppm so I did that, and then within a few days my nitrites were gone already but ammonia was still present and nitrates were at 0, so I dosed it again to get my nitrites back up and now this is what it looks like within the next few days, I like the fact that my nitrites are high it means it’s eating ammonia and my nitrates are high which is the good stuff I want I’m just worried my nitrates are so high that it will stall. I still have lots of nitrites will that still go down to zero on it’s own along with ammonia? Or is there not enough “room” because of nitrates so high. I just don’t want to lose the good bacteria with a water change

 

[lapin]

The bacteria will not be in the water. They will be in the rock and sand. Changing out some water will not hurt them. You can wait. You can change some water. You can add some ammonia. You can even add some bacteria in a bottle. If the ammonia gets to "0" the bacteria will not die. They will just stop multiplying. Many types of bacteria are what we want. Some process the ammonia fast and some slow. What we are trying to achieve is enough to process 2 ppm of ammonia within 24 hours so we can add a few fish to make our tanks pretty and not cause the fish to be harmed. In the end what we dont want is high nitrates in the water what will grow what we see as ugly stuff. So we do a massive water change at the end of the cycle to rid the water of nitrate. Long story short. You can do a water change but you will likely need to add more ammonia back in the water to make up for what you took out. You can just wait and do a massive water change at the end. Its your tank and your choice.

 

[Katrina71]

I was told no water change for 6 weeks. I started slow.

 

[Armani]

The bacteria will not be in the water. They will be in the rock and sand. Changing out some water will not hurt them. You can wait. You can change some water. You can add some ammonia. You can even add some bacteria in a bottle. If the ammonia gets to "0" the bacteria will not die. They will just stop multiplying. Many types of bacteria are what we want. Some process the ammonia fast and some slow. What we are trying to achieve is enough to process 2 ppm of ammonia within 24 hours so we can add a few fish to make our tanks pretty and not cause the fish to be harmed. In the end what we dont want is high nitrates in the water what will grow what we see as ugly stuff. So we do a massive water change at the end of out cycle to rid the water of nitrate. Long story short. You can do a water change but you will likely need to add more ammonia back in the water to make up for what you took out. You can just wait and do a massive water change at the end. Its your tank and your choice.

Thank you for the detailed response I was thinking the bacteria builds in the water. I have more questions tho! At this point I think I’m going to do a wate

The bacteria will not be in the water. They will be in the rock and sand. Changing out some water will not hurt them. You can wait. You can change some water. You can add some ammonia. You can even add some bacteria in a bottle. If the ammonia gets to "0" the bacteria will not die. They will just stop multiplying. Many types of bacteria are what we want. Some process the ammonia fast and some slow. What we are trying to achieve is enough to process 2 ppm of ammonia within 24 hours so we can add a few fish to make our tanks pretty and not cause the fish to be harmed. In the end what we dont want is high nitrates in the water what will grow what we see as ugly stuff. So we do a massive water change at the end of out cycle to rid the water of nitrate. Long story short. You can do a water change but you will likely need to add more ammonia back in the water to make up for what you took out. You can just wait and do a massive water change at the end. Its your tank and your choice.

Thank you for the detailed response, at this point I think I’ll do a small water change to lower the nitrates and prevent algae bloom, then I will add dr Tim’s ammonia 2ppm and then wait it out , but if my ammonia doesn’t go to 0 in 24hrs should I dose more ammonia to build up nitrites to a point where there’s enough that it can eat the ammonia that quickly, how long for nitrites to go away at this point?? I’m sure a month or so, I’m in no rush I can wait it out I just want to know scientifical details from experienced people

 

[IslandLifeReef]

My initial dose was to make it 4ppm so I did that, and then within a few days my nitrites were gone already but ammonia was still present and nitrates were at 0, so I dosed it again to get my nitrites back up and now this is what it looks like within the next few days, I like the fact that my nitrites are high it means it’s eating ammonia and my nitrates are high which is the good stuff I want I’m just worried my nitrates are so high that it will stall. I still have lots of nitrites will that still go down to zero on it’s own along with ammonia? Or is there not enough “room” because of nitrates so high. I just don’t want to lose the good bacteria with a water change

Two things. First, if you have nitrites in the water, your nitrate test will give you a false high reading. Don't test for nitrates until nitrites are zero.

Second, you can stall a cycle by letting your nitrites get too high. I wouldn't dose again until your ammonia is less than 0.5 ppm and your nitrites have gone down to less than 2 ppm.

The cycle can take weeks to months. The key is to be patient and let it run its course. Nothing good happens fast in this hobby.

 

[Armani]

How is this possible? My last picture was 2 days ago and this one is from just now! How did my nitrates drop so fast without a water change? I do have live rock dry rock and live sand and my filter and pumps going.

 

[IslandLifeReef]

How is this possible? My last picture was 2 days ago and this one is from just now! How did my nitrates drop so fast without a water change? I do have live rock dry rock and live sand and my filter and pumps going.

Look at my post above. Nitrate tests with nitrite in the water will give you a false high nitrate reading.

 

[lapin]

Thank you for the detailed response, at this point I think I’ll do a small water change to lower the nitrates and prevent algae bloom, then I will add dr Tim’s ammonia 2ppm and then wait it out , but if my ammonia doesn’t go to 0 in 24hrs should I dose more ammonia to build up nitrites to a point where there’s enough that it can eat the ammonia that quickly, how long for nitrites to go away at this point?? I’m sure a month or so, I’m in no rush I can wait it out I just want to know scientifical details from experienced people

Ok that will work. Do a water change. Dose back up to a 2ppm level. Wait until you have "0" ammonia. Dose another round of ammonia. If it gets down to "0" in 24 hours you should be good to go. I always wait until ammonia gets to "0" before dosing ammonia again. Nitrites will go away as they get converted into nitrates. Note; Until nitrites are "0" your nitrate tests will be invalid.
My last cycle was with Bio-Spira, Dr Tim's One and Only, a table shrimp and his ammonia. 2 tubs-200 gallons of water covered rock. It took about a month before the rock was ready to move to the tank.
I am out in the sticks and have sat internet and its raining a lot. My response to questions are a bit hit or miss between waves of rain.

 

[Armani]

Ok that will work. Do a water change. Dose back up to a 2ppm level. Wait until you have "0" ammonia. Dose another round of ammonia. If it gets down to "0" in 24 hours you should be good to go. I always wait until ammonia gets to "0" before dosing ammonia again. Nitrites will go away as they get converted into nitrates. Note; Until nitrites are "0" your nitrate tests will be invalid.
My last cycle was with Bio-Spira, Dr Tim's One and Only, a table shrimp and his ammonia. 2 tubs-200 gallons of water covered rock. It took about a month before the rock was ready to move to the tank.
I am out in the sticks and have sat internet and its raining a lot. My response to questions are a bit hit or miss between waves of rain.

 

[jdpeters]

I wouldn’t do anything to it all. I wait two months to add any livestock personally

 

[Ktran350]

How is this possible? My last picture was 2 days ago and this one is from just now! How did my nitrates drop so fast without a water change? I do have live rock dry rock and live sand and my filter and pumps going.

Don’t worry about nitrate levels during your cycle as you will lower this with a large water change once your cycle is over. Only high ammonia and nitrite can stall your cycle. Dose ammonia back up to 2ppm and if it drops to 0 in 24 hrs you will be considered cycled. Add a small CUC and livestock slowly.