Slidecf
New Member
Hey everyone, how’s it going?
So… I’m having some issues and questions regarding the cycling process of my marine aquarium and could use some help/opinions from you guys. Here’s the situation:
I set up the aquarium and added water on July 21st. At that time, I didn’t have the tests to check the water parameters. About 3 days later, to start the cycling process, I decided to use ammonia solutions sold at pharmacies. I was worried about adding too much and contaminating the aquarium, so I added 1/3 of a cap (about 3ml). I thought this would be a negligible amount for the size of the aquarium (about 40 gallon). I bought the tests (Marine Care Kit from RedSea), which arrived the next day. I did the first tests, and on that day, the ammonia was already well above the maximum limit of the test. At the start, I also added the appropriate amount of Tropic Marin’s Nitribiotic for the aquarium’s volume. I tried testing every 3 or 4 days. However, as days went by, the ammonia levels were always exceeding the maximum limit of the test. I decided to try adding Special Blend Microbe-Lift to see if it would speed up the process. After a few more days, I started to worry that I might have contaminated the aquarium with too much ammonia solution, so I did a water change of about 15% to see if it would lower the levels. After the water change, the ammonia remained above the maximum limit of the test. I waited another week, and seeing no changes, I decided to do a more aggressive water change of about 90%. After this water change, the ammonia, although still high, dropped to 1.2, and I was satisfied as it gave me a better idea of what was happening. In the last week, I noticed something different in the tests… There was a sharp spike in nitrite and nitrate, which had previously been quite low. Additionally, the ammonia is rising again.
Some extra information:
- I gradually increased the lighting intensity. In the first week, it was 10%. Then 30%, 50%, and finally, this last week, I increased it to 100% of the light’s power.
- During this entire period, I didn’t turn on the skimmer.
- I noticed that in the last week, it seems that a certain amount of foam has started to form where the water falls into the sump.
Photos of today's tests:
Some facts catch my attention and raise questions:
- Should I be concerned about anything? Or is this the expected progress?
- How can the ammonia still be rising when there shouldn’t be any more ammonia sources in the aquarium?
- It’s almost been a month, and so far, there’s been practically no algae or any other type of life in the aquarium. To say there’s absolutely nothing, it seems that in a very hidden and dark spot, a negligible amount of algae is forming, very hard to see. By this point, shouldn’t the aquarium show more signs of life and a noticeable amount of algae?
- If more signs of life were expected and this hasn’t happened yet, what could be the reason? Could it be that I used a product that’s preventing the growth of bacteria/algae?
- During the hardscape setup, I used superglue recommended by the store. They told me any type could be used (even though the packaging stated it shouldn’t be used with aquatic animals). Additionally, I also used an epoxy that hardens underwater and isn’t specifically for aquariums (I used it outside the water and only put it in the aquarium once it was completely dry/hardened). Could this be a source of contamination?
- Is it time to turn on the skimmer?
- Should i do another water change?
- Do i need more biological media?
Thanks in advance for the help, everyone!
Project Details:
Aquarium 40 Gallon- 90cm Lx 45cm W x 37cm H - Side Sump 15cm
Filtration/Equipment:
- Perlon
- Carbon - Aquaforest
- Biological Media: 2x NanoBlock Oceantech (supposedly handles up to 2,800 liters)
- Skimmer: RedStarfish SQ90-Plus (hasn't been turned on since the aquarium setup)
- Heater: Oceantech X5 200W
- Lighting: 1x AquaKnight V3 60W
- Salt: Caledonia Coral Salt ReeFlowers
- Test Kit: Marine Care Kit - RedSea
- Bacteria: Nitribiotic (Tropic Marin) / Special Blend Microbe-Lift
So… I’m having some issues and questions regarding the cycling process of my marine aquarium and could use some help/opinions from you guys. Here’s the situation:
I set up the aquarium and added water on July 21st. At that time, I didn’t have the tests to check the water parameters. About 3 days later, to start the cycling process, I decided to use ammonia solutions sold at pharmacies. I was worried about adding too much and contaminating the aquarium, so I added 1/3 of a cap (about 3ml). I thought this would be a negligible amount for the size of the aquarium (about 40 gallon). I bought the tests (Marine Care Kit from RedSea), which arrived the next day. I did the first tests, and on that day, the ammonia was already well above the maximum limit of the test. At the start, I also added the appropriate amount of Tropic Marin’s Nitribiotic for the aquarium’s volume. I tried testing every 3 or 4 days. However, as days went by, the ammonia levels were always exceeding the maximum limit of the test. I decided to try adding Special Blend Microbe-Lift to see if it would speed up the process. After a few more days, I started to worry that I might have contaminated the aquarium with too much ammonia solution, so I did a water change of about 15% to see if it would lower the levels. After the water change, the ammonia remained above the maximum limit of the test. I waited another week, and seeing no changes, I decided to do a more aggressive water change of about 90%. After this water change, the ammonia, although still high, dropped to 1.2, and I was satisfied as it gave me a better idea of what was happening. In the last week, I noticed something different in the tests… There was a sharp spike in nitrite and nitrate, which had previously been quite low. Additionally, the ammonia is rising again.
Some extra information:
- I gradually increased the lighting intensity. In the first week, it was 10%. Then 30%, 50%, and finally, this last week, I increased it to 100% of the light’s power.
- During this entire period, I didn’t turn on the skimmer.
- I noticed that in the last week, it seems that a certain amount of foam has started to form where the water falls into the sump.
Photos of today's tests:
Some facts catch my attention and raise questions:
- Should I be concerned about anything? Or is this the expected progress?
- How can the ammonia still be rising when there shouldn’t be any more ammonia sources in the aquarium?
- It’s almost been a month, and so far, there’s been practically no algae or any other type of life in the aquarium. To say there’s absolutely nothing, it seems that in a very hidden and dark spot, a negligible amount of algae is forming, very hard to see. By this point, shouldn’t the aquarium show more signs of life and a noticeable amount of algae?
- If more signs of life were expected and this hasn’t happened yet, what could be the reason? Could it be that I used a product that’s preventing the growth of bacteria/algae?
- During the hardscape setup, I used superglue recommended by the store. They told me any type could be used (even though the packaging stated it shouldn’t be used with aquatic animals). Additionally, I also used an epoxy that hardens underwater and isn’t specifically for aquariums (I used it outside the water and only put it in the aquarium once it was completely dry/hardened). Could this be a source of contamination?
- Is it time to turn on the skimmer?
- Should i do another water change?
- Do i need more biological media?
Thanks in advance for the help, everyone!
Project Details:
Aquarium 40 Gallon- 90cm Lx 45cm W x 37cm H - Side Sump 15cm
Filtration/Equipment:
- Perlon
- Carbon - Aquaforest
- Biological Media: 2x NanoBlock Oceantech (supposedly handles up to 2,800 liters)
- Skimmer: RedStarfish SQ90-Plus (hasn't been turned on since the aquarium setup)
- Heater: Oceantech X5 200W
- Lighting: 1x AquaKnight V3 60W
- Salt: Caledonia Coral Salt ReeFlowers
- Test Kit: Marine Care Kit - RedSea
- Bacteria: Nitribiotic (Tropic Marin) / Special Blend Microbe-Lift
