Cycle Question (2 Viewers)

[guy9smiley2]

I've had many tanks but ive started every single one with live rock so this time around i had to do a lot of research and i feel like im on the right track with this but just want to hear some feeback from some experts in here. Ive cycled about half my rock for about 2 weeks prior to getting the new tank thats been up for a little over a week now. I realize starting the rock early probably didnt have a huge advantage since it was only half but i was getting antsy to get rolling.

Sat - I decided to add a little ammonia to get the ball rolling faster and got it to 3ppm. later on I then dosed fritz turbostart 900.
Sun - i tested and was down to 2.2ppm ammonia and nitrites were at 200ppb and ph was 7.3 ( wasnt sure if i should test it for sure or not but i got a new hanna checker so had to try it out and looks like cycling 7-8 is acceptable? )

As far as i can tell this is good right? i expected the ammonia to go down a littel faster but i also know there are other factors that can make it take 3-4 days not a true 24 hour cycle like it says it can be.

Im going to check again today to see what readings are or should i wait another day or 2 just to see what it does? I read a little extra dose of the turbostart would help it go a little faster but im always leary of adding more. I'm in no hurry to get fish in as i want it to be right but im trying to learn as much about this process as i go since ive never gotten the chance to to start a brand new fresh tank with dry rock.

Summary - just making sure im on the right track and if there is anything else i should look into!

 

[Varig]

I guess I've never used Fritz, but I would be extremely surprised if it would process 3ppm ammonia in 24 hrs on "Fresh" rocks. I always thought the goal was that the bacteria could process 1ppm of ammonia within 24 hrs, as the sign of a completed cycle. So I guess for me I'd give it a few days. Feel free to test daily to watch the levels, but I think it will take a few days.

I have found that when I was cycling, if my ammonia got too high (above 2.5-3ppm) it would stall the cycle. So personally I'd try to keep the ammonia closer to 1ppm when you dose again to confirm your cycle. BUT, I've only cycled 2x tanks. So don't fully trust me

 

[guy9smiley2]

I guess I've never used Fritz, but I would be extremely surprised if it would process 3ppm ammonia in 24 hrs on "Fresh" rocks. I always thought the goal was that the bacteria could process 1ppm of ammonia within 24 hrs, as the sign of a completed cycle. So I guess for me I'd give it a few days. Feel free to test daily to watch the levels, but I think it will take a few days.

I have found that when I was cycling, if my ammonia got too high (above 2.5-3ppm) it would stall the cycle. So personally I'd try to keep the ammonia closer to 1ppm when you dose again to confirm your cycle. BUT, I've only cycled 2x tanks. So don't fully trust me

Appreciate the input sounds like im on the right track i was shooting for 2.5ppm but it got to 3ppm. Just what i was reading said "24 hours" but also otherstated 3-4 days. im in no rush just trying to absorb as much information as i go. Being out of the hobby for 10 years other than a biocube on auto pilot it seems liek ive almost forgot more than i ever learned especially with all the new technology! But its made it a littel extra fun with all the new things out there.

 

[guy9smiley2]

Update today ammonia is at 0.98ppm and nitrites are still “200” ( off the chart ) ppb. Assuming these will stay high until it eats the rest of the ammonia?

 

[Varig]

Probably. Or they continue to be replenished.

Everything I’ve read, nitrites basically don’t matter. You just need to make sure it’s processing ammonia down to zero within 24 hours. And then make sure your nitrate doesn’t get super high during the cycle. Mine got to like 80ppm from all the ammonia it processed. I guess I mean don’t worry about it during the cycle, but you’d want to do a big water change before adding animals.

 

[ichthyogeek]

Update today ammonia is at 0.98ppm and nitrites are still “200” ( off the chart ) ppb. Assuming these will stay high until it eats the rest of the ammonia?

Yes, but I'm a bit confused: your nitrite is 200 ppb? So 0.2 ppm ? That's still not very high. If it's off the charts, you can do a dilution test with 1 pt cycling water:9 parts fresh saltwater and multiply the results by 10 (similarly 1 pt cycling water: 99 parts fresh saltwater and multiply results by 100, etc).

Regarding if it's Fritz or not: remember that half of your rock has been colonized to an extent. So there's "stuff" on it (bacteria, algae, etc) that're eating the ammonia. Personallly I've had bad experiences w/ Fritz Turbostart, so I'm biased against it.

 

[guy9smiley2]

By off the charts my nitrite is only ppb and 200 is as high as it goes at least it’s the ulr. I like the idea of the test and multiplying though I think I might go that route just for learning purposes.

Nitrate got to 50.5ppm

So it seems like it’s all going in the right direction. Hopefully tomorrow all values just keep going down.