Cycling tank

[jonanaz]

Is it normal to have nitrates this early in the cycle ? I used the salifert nitrate test kit and it shows about 5-10ppm. I'm using Aquaforest reef salt and RODI water.

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[Azil.HA]

Hi bro I'm facing the same situation as you. Bought the salifert ammonia but couldn't test for lower range of total. Ammonia in the system. 

I bought the seachem ammonia badge to read the ammonia in the tank. Currently running AF probiotics salt and bio s daily. 2 weeks into cycling now using Dr Tim ammonia. Nitrate only at 10ppm. I think 8 need to be more patient and let it run its course. At least I know the nitrification process is ongoing. 

Oh and yes my nitrate have been 10ppm for about a week Now. I think yours might be lower. The instruction for the salifert reading varies on how you look at the vial. Top down you can take the reading as it is but if you're comparing your vial perpendicular to the chart you have to divide it by 10 to get the final Reading. 

[soggycookies]

Is it normal to have nitrates this early in the cycle ? I used the salifert nitrate test kit and it shows about 5-10ppm. I'm using Aquaforest reef salt and RODI water.

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technically if you already see nitrate readings like that the tank is already cycled. longer cycles are just generally better cause they help to increase and stabilize beneficial bacteria populations for the eventual addition livestock


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[Azil.HA]

10 minutes ago, soggycookies said:

technically if you already see nitrate readings like that the tank is already cycled. longer cycles are just generally better cause they help to increase and stabilize beneficial bacteria populations for the eventual addition livestock


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So is it safe to say my tank is already cycled too? Cos there's still ammonia readings in the tank. Didn't dose ammonia for 2 days. Thought its only cycle if the ammonia convert into nitrite then nitrate within 24 hours? 

[Azil.HA]

Sorry to hijack your post! 

[soggycookies]

So is it safe to say my tank is already cycled too? Cos there's still ammonia readings in the tank. Didn't dose ammonia for 2 days. Thought its only cycle if the ammonia convert into nitrite then nitrate within 24 hours? 

my bad, forgot to mention the need to consistently read 0 ammonia and nitrate over a the course of 2 days or longer. you’re right on that part. though in my personal experience most of the time after seeing nitrate readings i usually read 0 on both ammonia and nitrite

 

 

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[Azil.HA]

3 minutes ago, soggycookies said:

my bad, forgot to mention the need to consistently read 0 ammonia and nitrate over a the course of 2 days or longer. you’re right on that part. though in my personal experience most of the time after seeing nitrate readings i usually read 0 on both ammonia and nitrite

 

 

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Hahaha you have quite a mature and cycled tank. I'm learning too. Didn't know that cycling a sw tank take so much longer than fw

[jonanaz]

50 minutes ago, Azil.HA said:

Sorry to hijack your post! 

no worries!! I can learn from your question too

[jonanaz]

1 hour ago, soggycookies said:

technically if you already see nitrate readings like that the tank is already cycled. longer cycles are just generally better cause they help to increase and stabilize beneficial bacteria populations for the eventual addition livestock


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hmmm i think it might be from another source since i only started cycling today. I'll monitor the readings over these few days!

[soggycookies]

hmmm i think it might be from another source since i only started cycling today. I'll monitor the readings over these few days!

yup, better to play it safe.. in a small system it could’ve been due to the water you used for your system


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[jonanaz]

yup, better to play it safe.. in a small system it could’ve been due to the water you used for your system


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I realised that my water became cloudy today, could it be due to a bacteria bloom from the beneficial bacteria, and should I just leave it ?

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[R0B]

Yes it is most likely the bacteria. If you are dosing any beneficial bacteria it is good idea to stop now. It should clear up in a few days.

It is all out warfare in your tank right now as the Ammonia oxygenating bacteria fight it out with the Nitrite oxidizing bacteria for dominance and real estate. Eventually the tank will settle down. Just wait.

Time to figure out how you plan to keep your nitrates in check in the medium and long term.

Good luck. Exciting times ahead!

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[jonanaz]

Yes it is most likely the bacteria. If you are dosing any beneficial bacteria it is good idea to stop now. It should clear up in a few days.

It is all out warfare in your tank right now as the Ammonia oxygenating bacteria fight it out with the Nitrite oxidizing bacteria for dominance and real estate. Eventually the tank will settle down. Just wait.

Time to figure out how you plan to keep your nitrates in check in the medium and long term.

Good luck. Exciting times ahead!

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Thank you for the explanation the water has indeed cleared up a lot today! Nitrates are slowly increasing by a bit. Hopefully the cycle is progressing!

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[jonanaz]

My nitrates seem to have shot up really rapidly over less than a week! it was hovering around 2-5 then it slowly increased to about 25 after almost a week. Then it shot up to about 100 I've only been using RODI water and ghost feeding around every alternate day. Does this mean that my cycle is close to ending or am I doing something wrong? Its been exactly a week since I started the cycle.

 

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[soggycookies]

My nitrates seem to have shot up really rapidly over less than a week! it was hovering around 2-5 then it slowly increased to about 25 after almost a week. Then it shot up to about 100 I've only been using RODI water and ghost feeding around every alternate day. Does this mean that my cycle is close to ending or am I doing something wrong? Its been exactly a week since I started the cycle.
 
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definitely a good time to do a major water change. at 100ppm it’s a good bet your tank is definitely cycled. if you have any sort of saltwater test kit for ammonia and nitrite, you could double check to see if the ammonia and nitrite levels are constantly 0 to be sure


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[jonanaz]

definitely a good time to do a major water change. at 100ppm it’s a good bet your tank is definitely cycled. if you have any sort of saltwater test kit for ammonia and nitrite, you could double check to see if the ammonia and nitrite levels are constantly 0 to be sure


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Would a 50% water change be enough to bring down the nitrates ? Also, since I can't add any livestock at the moment, should I continue ghost feeding and doing weekly water changes ?

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[soggycookies]

Would a 50% water change be enough to bring down the nitrates ? Also, since I can't add any livestock at the moment, should I continue ghost feeding and doing weekly water changes ?

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you could do staggered water changes or something like a full water change before getting livestock if you wanna save $ on the salt. also probably a good idea to reduce how much you feed the tank cause 100ppm in a tank without fish really is pretty damn high hahahah. 50% wc will still mean your nitrates will be at 50ppm


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[jonanaz]

you could do staggered water changes or something like a full water change before getting livestock if you wanna save $ on the salt. also probably a good idea to reduce how much you feed the tank cause 100ppm in a tank without fish really is pretty damn high hahahah. 50% wc will still mean your nitrates will be at 50ppm


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Oh would it be ok if I just feed lesser from now on and just do a full water change before getting live stock since it'll probably be a few weeks before any livestock will be added ?

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[R0B]

Agree with Mr Soggy a water change and a quick test of ammonia or nitrates should do you fine. Dont worry. I reached 100 when my tank went through its inital cycle. Scary right hahaha. I didnt add any more ammonia, did a 30% water change and over time it fell. When it reached 20 I added in some clown fish and despite the fish and subsequent feeding it just slowly decreased. I was running my only my skimmer and roller mat, along with a small bag of GFO. Just be patient - a great reefing skill.

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[Azil.HA]

3 hours ago, jonanaz said:

My nitrates seem to have shot up really rapidly over less than a week! it was hovering around 2-5 then it slowly increased to about 25 after almost a week. Then it shot up to about 100 I've only been using RODI water and ghost feeding around every alternate day. Does this mean that my cycle is close to ending or am I doing something wrong? Its been exactly a week since I started the cycle.

 

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Hi bro I believed that the reading for your nitrates is about 10ppm.if you're comparing the charts that way it should be 100 divided by 10 which gives you 10ppm. Assuming by the chart you're using salifert 

Theres instruction in the leaflet. I compared the same way to yours initially but after reading the leaflet it's much more clearer. 

For me I'll take the reading from bird's eye view. 

[soggycookies]

Oh would it be ok if I just feed lesser from now on and just do a full water change before getting live stock since it'll probably be a few weeks before any livestock will be added ?

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yup that’s perfectly fine, just remember not to run lights on your tank during this period cause it’ll fuel early algae growth unnecessarily. all the best!


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[jonanaz]

2 hours ago, Azil.HA said:

Hi bro I believed that the reading for your nitrates is about 10ppm.if you're comparing the charts that way it should be 100 divided by 10 which gives you 10ppm. Assuming by the chart you're using salifert 

Theres instruction in the leaflet. I compared the same way to yours initially but after reading the leaflet it's much more clearer. 

For me I'll take the reading from bird's eye view. 

AHH yes im using Salifert. Oh no I think I've been reading it wrongly then HAHA. Just to clarify after re-reading the instructions, I'm supposed to read it from the top right? But with the increase of nitrates, I guess I can assume that the cycle has started? 

[jonanaz]

3 hours ago, R0B said:

Agree with Mr Soggy a water change and a quick test of ammonia or nitrates should do you fine. Dont worry. I reached 100 when my tank went through its inital cycle. Scary right hahaha. I didnt add any more ammonia, did a 30% water change and over time it fell. When it reached 20 I added in some clown fish and despite the fish and subsequent feeding it just slowly decreased. I was running my only my skimmer and roller mat, along with a small bag of GFO. Just be patient - a great reefing skill.

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Thank you for the assurance! But it looks like I've been reading it wrongly for the whole time! I'll need to test it again and read it correctly this time

[jonanaz]

37 minutes ago, soggycookies said:

yup that’s perfectly fine, just remember not to run lights on your tank during this period cause it’ll fuel early algae growth unnecessarily. all the best!


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Thank you! Yup my lights are off during this time:)

[Azil.HA]

4 minutes ago, jonanaz said:

AHH yes im using Salifert. Oh no I think I've been reading it wrongly then HAHA. Just to clarify after re-reading the instructions, I'm supposed to read it from the top right? But with the increase of nitrates, I guess I can assume that the cycle has started? 

You can read it both ways. Perpendicular to the chart have to divide the reading by 10. From the top you can take as it is. 

Yes yes. Cycle started. I'm on the same boat as you. Nitrates just shy 50ppm.