NEED EXPERIENCED HELP - am I ready for fish?

[Chandlersmith]

Hey guys I've been cycling for a little over two weeks now, here's my latest test. Am I ready for fish?

 

[kmbyrnes]

I use the API kits and that still looks like ammonia to me.
Do this:
Get some pure ammonia from ACE, use one of the Reef Calculators to determine how much to add to bring your ammonia to 2 PPM.
Test.
Wait 24 hours and test again. If the the test looks like your current pic, wait 24 hours and test again.
You are close but why take a chance on harming your first fish?

 

[heathlindner25]

Did you use live rocks?

 

[Chandlersmith]

Did you use live rocks?

Yes I started with live rock from LFS and Carib sea live sand

 

[Chandlersmith]

I use the API kits and that still looks like ammonia to me.
Do this:
Get some pure ammonia from ACE, use one of the Reef Calculators to determine how much to add to bring your ammonia to 2 PPM.
Test.
Wait 24 hours and test again. If the the test looks like your current pic, wait 24 hours and test again.
You are close but why take a chance on harming your first fish?

Believe me I don't want to harm my future fish I'm just getting really excited. Ammonia and nitrate have been sitting at the same point for about 3 days in a row. Can you shed any light on that?

 

[whosurcaddie]

You could always add a shot of vodka, wait for the bacteria bloom to clear and you will be good to go.

 

[schnebbles]

what does the vodka do?

 

[ryan_ferguson25]

Did you see nitrite go up and back to zero... it's odd you'd have ammonia present if you had nitrite and nitrate spikes then return to zero all while ammonia still present?

my ammonia was gone after about a week... meanwhile nitrite and nitrate went off the charts...

I realize ever cycle is/can be different.. but i thought the science of the cycle would have your ammonia at zero well before nitrite returned to zero and surely nitrates....

 

[kmbyrnes]

Ammonia and nitrate have been sitting at the same point for about 3 days in a row. Can you shed any light on that?

Did you ever see nitrite or nitrate go UP and then come back down? If not you are still cycling. I know it's an exciting time, but slow and steady is the way to be successful in this hobby.

 

[spiraling]

What is your ammonia source? Did you throw in a dead shrimp?

 

[Chandlersmith]

Did you ever see nitrite or nitrate go UP and then come back down? If not you are still cycling. I know it's an exciting time, but slow and steady is the way to be successful in this hobby.

nitrite has been at 0 the whole two weeks. Nitrate on the other hand has been between 10-20ppm since around day three ammonia has stayed steady where it is in the picture as well. I have barely been feeding the tank food maybe once or twice so I'm confused as to how the ammonia is still up after two weeks.

 

[Chandlersmith]

What is your ammonia source? Did you throw in a dead shrimp?

I've fed the tank small amounts of fish food with garlic maybe once or twice yet the ammonia is still up. I'm very confused.

 

[Mad_Reefer]

API ammonia is tough to read near zero, but if it goes up much, it becomes obvious.
In my recent cycle, I used API tests. I had a lot of die off on live rock. Ammonia went up quick, three days later it was about zero and nitrite was up and took about two weeks to go to zero. Then I started getting impatient and bought some clowns. It probably would have been better to wait longer, but all is well.
I like to see the cycle happen.

 

[Grimreaperz]

You could always buy the fish and start your QT regiment....if you aren't planning on QT'ING you may want to look that up...don't rush...even out of excitement. Do something else to take your mind off it for a couple weeks. Research your fish lists. Research your CUC. Are you doing corals?.. my suggestion is while you wait yuri could be putting your first fish through QT. By the time QT is done it should be more then ready. (My QT routine takes about 2.5 months)

Nothing good ever happens fast in saltwater. Remember that!

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