Fritzyme 9 modified cycle

[Garf]

Thanks. I enjoy your results.
Looks like a couple of patterns establishing now. None surprising, but interesting to see in practice.
Now seem to have reached a phase where the processing of ammonia looks tightly tied to the vinegar dosing - suggests when the carbon runs out, the main actors are not doing much to the leftover ammonia or NO2. (though when NO2 is high, it's really hard to see any change in the test color.)

Also looks like there may be less bang for the buck at low ammonia vs higher. Meaning that your vinegar additions when you had ~2ppm ammonia look more effective at removing ammonia than similar sized additions of vinegar at low ammonia (0.25-0.5ppm).
You can see stuff like this in published lit on the heterotrophic nitrifiers. They often show them remediating wastewater bringing down sky-high ammonia to low values, but usually not to zero.
Like this chart from link posted earlier.

Ammonia lines are the open diamonds that drop from 10ppm to 1-2ppm but stay there.
So if the action here is heterotroph-driven, then subsequent additions of vinegar may still leave a little bit of ammonia laying around.

Sort of let’s API off the hook, don’t you think?

 

[Garf]

Seems a little lower after the last vinegar dose, so in goes another 1ml per 10 liters. Interesting to see if it just suddenly starts consuming nitrite when the ammonia is bottomed out.

 

[taricha]

Sort of let’s API off the hook, don’t you think?

It's possible. There's a few different ways that the API test can show a hint of unexpected green.
One is unavoidably built in to the reagents for the method (regardless of brand).
Another is that organic N (like proteins or amino acids) can contribute a bit of color response on the kit.
A third may be that some heterotrophs work better at high ammonia and slow down as it gets near zero.

 

[Garf]

Nothing to report today, ammonia still same, nitrite test felt like it changed color slower but ended up same. Water slightly misty, added another 1 ml per 10 liters. I’ve told wife to look for fish and as soon as that happens I’ll be adding hiding places and a DIY bubble tower. I’ll still test it and see if just the fish food will supply enough carbon.

 

[taricha]

nitrite test felt like it changed color slower but ended up same. Water slightly misty, added another 1 ml per 10 liters.

That's what I'd expect from nitrite being higher than test kit color sensitivity but coming down.

 

[Garf]

That's what I'd expect from nitrite being higher than test kit color sensitivity but coming down.

3 inches of chromis added. Didn’t think it would take the wife long to buy something; Had to reduce the salinity to 1.016 because that’s what they have been kept in. I’ll increase salinity gradually which may have a little effect on the API color;
18 hrs after adding tiddlers.

 

[Garf]

4 ml of vinegar (1 ml per 10 litres of tank water daily) is keeping the ammonia low, for these little chaps, it appears. PH is around 8, water is clear. Pics from last 2 days. Still freshwater color card, sorry

 

[Garf]

Wife added a filefish to the trio of chromis yesterday. Looks as though classic nitrification maybe taking hold as the ammonia levels are staying low with minimal vinegar input. Added 0.5mls per 10 litres yesterday, just in case. More of a concern for me was the impact this bacteria had on the fish health, but nothing showing up so far. QT clock reset, don’t know if I’m going to copper them yet but I will be praziquantelling them.

 

[Garf]

Update - no vinegar added for 10 days, ammonia alert staying yellow, nitrite is persistent, fish happy, wife getting itchy feet.

 

[taricha]

ammonia alert staying yellow, nitrite is persistent, fish happy

So how many days has this tank kept noticeable nitrite?

 

[Garf]

So how many days has this tank kept noticeable nitrite?

29 / 30, so far.

 

[taricha]

29 / 30, so far.

Thanks. I found that Fritz 900 let my nitrite hang around for 30+ days in my little samples as well. So that may be typical.

 

[Garf]

Alrighty then, these fish have gone to the display tank. Wife went out immediately to the fish shop, lol. Tank rinsed with soapy tapwater, 100% waterchange @ 1.018sg. Foam filter added (there was a lot of crap in there, hiding in the dark).
I estimate these fish to have a biomass something around 3 times greater than the previous detainees. 24 hrs on, no vinegar required yet;