jason7504 Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 im using the seachem marine test kit and my pH is 8.1, Nitrate=0 and Nitrite=1 but its hard to tell what my Ammonia results are..the little sensor pad doesn't offer clear results..but i think its between 0.4-1 but yesterday it was 0.5 and the day before 0.1(as far as i can tell)..ive been cycling for a week...but i got fully cured rock form premium aquatics and had it shipped overnight..and now im starting to see some diatom blooms on my rock... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CCR Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 you have a way to go still. What else do you have setup with it. Sand fuge ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CA2OR Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Where did you get the sand? I only cycled for about 3 days using live sand and cured rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted January 31, 2009 Author Share Posted January 31, 2009 you have a way to go still. What else do you have setup with it. Sand fuge ? i have live sand and no fuge yet, not until its done cycling.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted January 31, 2009 Author Share Posted January 31, 2009 Where did you get the sand? I only cycled for about 3 days using live sand and cured rock. i used the bagged stuff..yeah thats why i was expecting to cycle fast too with my fully cured rock...but doesn't a diatom bloom signal its towards the end..and im not sure if thats what the ammonia level is..its really hard to tell from the seachem test..anybody else use the seachem ammonia test? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CA2OR Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 you can take a sample to an LFS and let them test. Just an idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsoz Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 If it was shipped dry (wet with paper over it), there was die-off. It would normally take a few weeks. dsoz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted January 31, 2009 Author Share Posted January 31, 2009 yeha it was shipped wet with paper over it..when i test for free ammonia (NH3) it tested as 0 but i couldn't really read the Total Ammonia (NH3+NH4) but its somewhere between 0.05-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CA2OR Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 my suggestion would be to take water to LFS and have them test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowman Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 Any cured live rock that is shipped has die off, so you should assume you will have a full cycle. Your nitrites are going to go up some more, then the nitrates. The diatom bloom on the rock is probably due to either you or Premium Aquatics using Non ro/di water and it is blooming from the phospates leeching out of the rock. Patience my young Jedi, and all will be rewarded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted January 31, 2009 Author Share Posted January 31, 2009 oh that sucks lol..well i use ro/di but i cant imagine premium not using ro/di..for the amount they charged, they better lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowman Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 I heard that man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrgreenthumb Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 You should test the water you are buying to confirm one way or another that you are getting what you pay for, I would definitely test for ph, salinity, alkalinity, calcium, phosphates, nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, everything!!! If you are paying good money for water it better be up to par! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pledosophy Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 Agreed on testing the water you buy. I was buying from a local shop a few years back and kept having algae problems. Turns out the new water had a nitrate or 40 and low alk and Ca. I switched shops and get my water from Waves now, it's much better. To know if your tank is cycled you have to be able to test for ammonia, you might need a new kit. I use cheapy's for it, just the API's. If there is any color change it is not done. After you get it to drop to 0 and nitrite to drop to 0 it is important to purposefully raise the level of ammonia in the tank. IMO the easiest way to do this is to drop in a day or two's worth of fish food wait 12 hours, and then test again. If the tank can clear the ammonia and nitrite in that time, the tank is cycled. If not, your going to have to continue to introduce an ammonia source until the bacteria levels reach higher numbers so they can clear the ammonia. Some people really prefer to use a chemical ammonia (pure and unscented) to raise the ammonia level so they know exactly how much is going in. It is a cleaner way of doing things as well since there is no decay. It is a very common misconception that when your ammonia is zero your tank is cycled and ready to be stocked. It is not the case. Lack of ammonia just means there is no ammonia, it does not mean the tank can support life. A 10g tank with no rock or sand and newly mixed water should also have a 0 ammonia reading, does not mean it is cycled. HHT 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted February 2, 2009 Author Share Posted February 2, 2009 i dont buy any water..i got LR from premium aquatics and lowman was saying that maybe they didnt keep them in ro/di water or something..i make my own ro/di water pledo, oh i haven't heard about adding ammonia to see if your tank can support life after you cycle..ive had another reef before my current one but never heard that..thats a good idea though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted February 3, 2009 Author Share Posted February 3, 2009 i know that no 2 cycles are the same..and that you have to get ammonia and nitrite to get nitrates..but i have had high ammonia and around 5 nitrates for the last 5 days..but 0 nitrites..what do you think is causing this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted February 3, 2009 Share Posted February 3, 2009 Sometimes nitrite is hard to read. It is an intermediary set of bacteria that create it during cycle. This can often mask it if the nitrate -causing bacteria are speedy to produce it. Nitrite is created from ammonia. Somewhwere in your solana bacteria are working away eating all that ammonia from your die off in the live rock. Don't worry if you can't see it. Just be patient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted February 5, 2009 Author Share Posted February 5, 2009 and now i have brown/green hair algae and pods on the glass..but: ammonia still 1-2 Nitrite-0 Nitrate-2-5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowman Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 If it were me, I'd assume that the nitrites are there since you have readings of both the other tests. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted February 5, 2009 Author Share Posted February 5, 2009 yeah i will assume that too since its an intermediate step..there must be some nitrite.. but do you think that my test might not be inaccurate? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowman Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 It's possible, can you take a sample of your water to an LFS and have it checked? If your kit is faulty, that will show you. How deep is yoour sand bed? and have you added any snails or hermits or any other life in the last day or two? If you disturbed your sand bed, you could have caused an ammonia spike and the nitrites haven't shown up yet. The nitrate could be the end of your first cycle and by causing the second one, made the ammonia go up. I'm sure I didn't articulate that very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted February 5, 2009 Author Share Posted February 5, 2009 yeah i can like petco or something.. its like 1 to 1 and a half inches deep..i used around 18lbs of sand. no i haven't added anything..but remember i did freeze that rock in an atempt to kill the aipista's and kept it in a bucket for like 3 days after and then decided to put it back in my tank. I think i put the rock back in my tank on the 4th day after i set it up..so maybe the nitrate is the end of the first cycle before the decaying LR was put back in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowman Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 yeah sounds like it. bummer. If I remember, I will bring test kits on friday and we can test your water when we meet at Seahorse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted February 5, 2009 Author Share Posted February 5, 2009 oh that would be great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason7504 Posted February 5, 2009 Author Share Posted February 5, 2009 i wonder how long it will take to cycle my tank when probably all of the life died on that one rock that i put back in. also i put the rock back in my tank on the 3rd or 4th day of my cycle but i dont know if my tank would of cycled the first time in those 3 or 4 days.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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