Hi Everyone.Im day 6 in cycling a Red Sea nano. Ph keeps fluctuating between 8 & 9.

[vienna]

I’m testing through the seneye ammonia and PH testing & watching PH randomly peak up & down betwee 8 & 9 . It’s sudden bursts.
What can I work on to stabilise PH in a cycling tank?!
Also ammonia up & down from 0.001 - 0.007 . Hasn’t stabilised yet. Any suggestions!!

 

[shwareefer]

I would say it's not real. Is the sensor being disturbed by bubbles? Did you presoak the slide like they tell you?

Also, as I'm sure someone else would say, measuring ph right now is completely unimportant but I get that it might be fun.

 

[brandon429]

Since this is a seneye cycle, early on, we need to get details that build into greater knowledge of reef tank cycles


what brand of bottle bac did you use

what kind of feed for the bac, liquid ammonia? Can you post a tank picture so we can see the surface area layout of the tank

how much initial feed/ammonia did you use: were the initial day one ammonia readings much higher, do you have an nh3 log you can post from the start of the setup when the ammonia was first added

were all your rocks dry when you started, none were already live wet rock?

and lastly, most important, can you run another ammonia test / one of the cheap non digital ones like api/ so we can see it’s reading

agreed fully on what’s stated in post #2 forget pH for now it doesn’t matter. Those nh3 levels are within spec and if you haven’t learned the nuances of slide soak preps /48 hours soaked/ it’ll stabilize. That’s still the expected nh3 range given this many days after using bottle bac though, so this is a very rare and helpful cycling post for sure

gimme lots of details if possible

*the side test for ammonia isn’t because the seneye is in doubt. It’s to catch a non digital kit misreading against the seneye I’m aiming for. I think a cheap test kit will show massively high ammonia levels whereas the seneye is just about right, reef tanks run in the thousandths ppm nh3 when cycled and you’re there already. That you’re eight days into the cycle reading thousandths ppm is a big clue, we know nearly all bottle bac cycles are done by day ten. Your nh3 reading isn’t far off base at all.

 

[doubleshot00]

Also, as I'm sure someone else would say, measuring ph right now is completely unimportant but I get that it might be fun.

This. Who cares right now.

 

[vienna]

Since this is a seneye cycle, early on, we need to get details that build into greater knowledge of reef tank cycles


what brand of bottle bac did you use

what kind of feed for the bac, liquid ammonia? Can you post a tank picture so we can see the surface area layout of the tank

how much initial feed/ammonia did you use: were the initial day one ammonia readings much higher, do you have an nh3 log you can post from the start of the setup when the ammonia was first added

were all your rocks dry when you started, none were already live wet rock?

and lastly, most important, can you run another ammonia test / one of the cheap non digital ones like api/ so we can see it’s reading

agreed fully on what’s stated in post #2 forget pH for now it doesn’t matter. Those nh3 levels are within spec and if you haven’t learned the nuances of slide soak preps /48 hours soaked/ it’ll stabilize. That’s still the expected nh3 range given this many days after using bottle bac though, so this is a very rare and helpful cycling post for sure

gimme lots of details if possible

*the side test for ammonia isn’t because the seneye is in doubt. It’s to catch a non digital kit misreading against the seneye I’m aiming for. I think a cheap test kit will show massively high ammonia levels whereas the seneye is just about right, reef tanks run in the thousandths ppm nh3 when cycled and you’re there already. That you’re eight days into the cycle reading thousandths ppm is a big clue, we know nearly all bottle bac cycles are done by day ten. Your nh3 reading isn’t far off base at all.

I’m using an Australian brand Quantum. Water stabilizer.
No rocks or sand added yet & prime tap water for now. I’m disappointed I don’t have RO..
NH3is now at 0.013 API Ammonia is 0. High range PH 8.4

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

ph is not important now, but rocks are. Cycling a tank without rocks means your tank will cycle again when you add the rocks. Without rocks and sand, the only surface area in the tank is the glass, you are not helping yourself by leaving the rocks and sand out.

 

[brandon429]

You are cycling just a tank of water, no surface area inside? Can you post a tank picture

who has been guiding your cycle, did a pet store employee or a thread you read on the internet state to cycle water with no rocks in it

what is water stabilizer

it is really hard to find first week seneye cycles, I was hoping we had one here we could use for other cycles

 

[brandon429]

Well at least it's a baseline measurement over some running days.

That means once you begin cycling your vital surfaces there's a good starting point for load processing, such as when you add 2ppm ammonia after having added common cycling bottled bacteria once all the rocks are in place.

If it helps, the nh3 reading is why people buy that machine. The par meter and pH meter may be present, but that doesn't mean people consult those measures from that device- those features are largely ignored in forums as they don't line up well with calibrated gear dedicated to the task, such as a lab- quality pH probe and readout.

What does work surprisingly well with the seneye is the nh3 reading

Your tank isn't under loading yet so drift in nh3 in the thousandths ppm isn't bad drift at all that's within zero variation and subject to swing into the hundredths ppm for sure believable

Without cycled live rock in place the nh3 won't stabilize

They use calibrated probes for pH not the seneye, same for par meters.

Your benefit of the seneye is ability to verify nh3, the most important cycling measurement, better than any other kit on the site. Add rock surface area, a zip of common cycling bacteria, a ground up single pinch of fish food, wait ten days you're cycled without any testing required


Your seneye could be used to proof that claim, since you're just starting out

Follow those steps above let's give it ten days after adding rocks + bottle bac+ fish food

Nh3 on the seneye will be the final tell at the end

 

[7of9]

I really wouldn't worry about ph during your cycle. If it continues to bounce around, see if you can calibrate your ph probe to make sure it's working properly.

 

[vienna]

Thanks for the replies. I hadn’t had the chance to buy any live rock is why it’s not added. I have a 240L established tank I’m thinking to take some rocks from there. Although it it’s propane better I start fresh. Again thanks for the help.

 

[piranhaman00]

If you are using rocks from a different tank you didn’t need to cycle a bare one.

 

[FrugalReefer]

You should be more concerned about your ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels in a still cycling tank.

 

[williamCreery]

Hey if you encounter lighting problems or any filtration guides with this Red Sea max nano let me know. There is little or no answer about a lot of people owning these. I have one and information is still scarce. I’ve had to learn the hard way. So just get in touch with me.
Pro tip. Don’t use the skimmer on this tank. Useless. Mine worked great but then it ends up being too much, there isn’t a auto or schedule switch to turn it off. Skimmer pump ends up making loud sounds.(not the impeller from my study taking it apart).

 

[vienna]

You are cycling just a tank of water, no surface area inside? Can you post a tank picture

who has been guiding your cycle, did a pet store employee or a thread you read on the internet state to cycle water with no rocks in it

what is water stabilizer

it is really hard to find first week seneye cycles, I was hoping we had one here we could use for other cycles

It will be a bottom less tank with a nice rock when I find what I’m looking for.
Water stability. Quantum. Australian brand.

 

[brandon429]

Cycling has not begun until the rocks are in

 

[Cell]

If you have no rocks or bio-media you don't have proper surface area for nitrifying bacteria to colonize. If you have existing live rock you can transfer over and skip the cycle all together.

 

[Estonian Reefer]

I'd suspect false readings and I wouldn't be worried about PH value in a cycling new tank.

 

[JohnNYC8]

It will be a bottom less tank with a nice rock when I find what I’m looking for.
Water stability. Quantum. Australian brand.

That's a beautiful set-up. If you want to go bare-bottom minimalist and hold off on rocks for now you can put some bioballs/biomedia in a nylon bag and drop it in the back of your AIO to give the bacteria a place to grow. MarinePure makes a small "gem" size that's perfect for nanos.

If that's a Red Sea Max Nano there should be space under the filter sock (to the left of the skimmer) for media.

 

[vienna]

That's a beautiful set-up. If you want to go bare-bottom minimalist and hold off on rocks for now you can put some bioballs/biomedia in a nylon bag and drop it in the back of your AIO to give the bacteria a place to grow. MarinePure makes a small "gem" size that's perfect for nanos.

If that's a Red Sea Max Nano there should be space under the filter sock (to the left of the skimmer) for media.

Thanks. Yes I’ve done that. Under the skimmer fit perfectly