cycle

[ThatGuy23]

when cycling my system what should i b concentrating on when testing i know ammonia but i dont know what else i should b.. i have a reefkeeper E ph is at 8.05 to 7.95 and ammonia still high and what else and where should the numbers b like nitrate, nitrite,

[iamwrasseman]

you are basically watching for an ammonia spike then your nitrites will have a smaller spike , after the cycle occurs then you will start to see nitrate increase as the tank ages . ammonia is the biggest thing that you are watching IMO .

[bertoni]

I would watch the ammonia and ignore the other results for the time being.

[bertoni]

Moved to New to the Hobby for more views.

[wmdick_2007]

when cycling my system what should i b concentrating on when testing i know ammonia but i dont know what else i should b.. i have a reefkeeper E ph is at 8.05 to 7.95 and ammonia still high and what else and where should the numbers b like nitrate, nitrite,

I just test for Nitrates ---- when I have some the tank is almost finished cycling --- then I test Nitrate every few days until it levels off --- now I can change some water and add a "clean up crew"

The bacteria that process waste and break down organic matter can double every 20-minutes --- so there will be a lot of them and they produce Ammonia --- when the Ammonia rises bacteria grow and bloom to take care of the Ammonia but they double slower and produce Nitrite --- some say once per 24-hrs --- I think it is faster --- and then some bacteria bloom to take care of the Nitrite and convert it to Nitrate

The thing to remember is the bacteria bloom and then most die off when they consume the food --- Ammonia or Nitrite --- and these raise Nitrate and Phosphate levels further. :bounce3:

"Micronutrients

All species of nitrifying bacteria require a number of micronutrients. Most important among these is the need for phosphorus for ATP (Adenosine Tri-Phosphate) production. The conversion of ATP provides energy for cellular functions. Phosphorus is normally available to cells in the form of phosphates (PO4). Nitrobacter, especially, is unable to oxidize nitrite to nitrate in the absence of phosphates."

http://www.bioconlabs.com/nitribactfacts.html

I don't use this stuff but it is good information on the bacteria in general. If your tank won't cycle and you use a Phosphate remover, jerk it out of there. So, just wait until the cycle finishes and deal with the elevated Nitrate and Phosphate with water changes, etc,.

[bertoni]

There isn't any guarantee that all the ammonia will be gone just because nitrates are present. Nitrate and nitrite aren't toxic at the levels we see in our tanks, so I tend to ignore them. Ammonia can kill.

[pakarinen]

There isn't any guarantee that all the ammonia will be gone just because nitrates are present. Nitrate and nitrite aren't toxic at the levels we see in our tanks, so I tend to ignore them. Ammonia can kill.

Is just watching for the ammonia to tail off sufficient or am I missing something here?

When I had my FO tanks years ago, I confess I never tested for anything but ammonia and I sometimes wondered if I was being less than a good steward of my livestock. But I never had Purigen or Chemipure or a skimmer or UV - just a Fluval cannister with floss and charcoal. Seemed to work - fish only died when I moved across town...

[bertoni]

I would wait for the ammonia to be zero for a week or so before adding any animals. That gives some time for more of the decay to finish, and time to watch for secondary ammonia spikes, which do happen from time to time. During the week, I'd do a 10% water change each day, and probably start some carbon for the last couple of days, at least for a reef tank. Fish are more tolerant of nutrients, etc, in the water column.

[dzfish17]

One thing to keep in mind after the initial cycle is to add livestock slowly and let the tanks biological filtration catch up to the waste of the fish. If you add all your fish at once you could start another cycle. If your tank is sm. to med. add a 1-2 fish and wait a couple of weeks before adding more.