Gotcha I will do that tonightI would start with adding 2 times the recommended dosage. Considering you started with the recommended dosage and your only seeing 0.25 ppm nitrite after nearly 14 days.
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Gotcha I will do that tonightI would start with adding 2 times the recommended dosage. Considering you started with the recommended dosage and your only seeing 0.25 ppm nitrite after nearly 14 days.
Thanks @Cell I’m just a little concerned that the level of ammonia is around 2ppm, and never got to the cloudy yellow stage. I know the API test is not the best and plan to upgrade to the Red Sea test soon.
I’d hate for my first fish to be the guinea pig, if I’m indeed cycled what percentage water change should I do before adding a fish?
Thanks guys!
I guess I missed this measurement, I was looking at your spreadsheet that did not have this one logged yet. I'm assuming the jump in ammonia correlates to you dosing it?
Thank you all, I went out and got another bottle of live nitrifying bacteria made by Instant Ocean and dumped the whole bottle (it was meant to treat a 30g tank instantly) but I have a 55g, so hopefully this will give them their second wind.I agree you do not have enough bacteria yet.
I know API kits are touted badly.
But that said I have never come across one that falsely reads a level of 2.0.
0 to 1.0 false readings all day long.
At this point I would agree to adding additional bacteria.
Do not under any circumstance add more ammonia.
And do not add any livestock. Or your child will witness fish or invert death.
I'd bet it's cycled. Nitrate with no nitrite. 0.25 ammonia on API is well known false positive. I would have liked to see a nitrite reading in the first couple days but ammonia went down and nitrate went up so it was there at some point.
Isn't that kit designed to cycle a tank in like 1 week? Nitrfying bac + ammonia source?
This.
I have cycled a tank just by putting Rock in saltwater for a few weeks and adding nothing but ammonia after a few days. Just time in water. API ammonia tests are the source of countless headaches. If you have Nitrate you are cycled IMO.
I guess to that, my question would be if I’m cycled how come the ammonia levels are still fairly high? I thought once the cycle was complete the Ammonia would be removed.
Ha ha ha good question.
The answer is stability. You want your tank stable and the tank at this point should be set up as you intend to run it.
Yes your tank temp should be as close to a stable 78 degrees.
With a salinity of 1.026.
If this is your plan then you want the bacteria to flourish in this environment.
Folks, his initial ammonia dose was processed down to 0.25 in the first couple days. He said he manually spiked ammonia again to get to the current 2.0 reading. The ammonia was high because he dosed it. Now we just have to see if it will process again in 24 hrs. I think the timeline got a bit fuzzy at the end here. An updated spreadsheet with the most recent levels and the days you dosed ammonia would help clear things up I think.You would be correct