New tank high nitrate question

[KhanhQ83]

I came across this product while watching Mark Callahan's YouTube channel. He highly recommended this product. Dr. Tim's One and Only live bacteria linked below:

http://www.amazon.com/DrTims-Aquatics-Nitrifying-Bacteria-Cycling/dp/B002DVRHMS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330369348&sr=8-1

I'm thinking of getting a bottle and add to my tank to help speed up the process. Do you think this will work or I'd be wasting my money? I'm questioning because currently the first stage is done with 0 ammonia. Would this help bring down nitrite faster?

What do you think? Good reviews so far.

 

[uncleof6]

I came across this product while watching Mark Callahan's YouTube channel. He highly recommended this product. Dr. Tim's One and Only live bacteria linked below:

http://www.amazon.com/DrTims-Aquati...RHMS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330369348&sr=8-1

I'm thinking of getting a bottle and add to my tank to help speed up the process. Do you think this will work or I'd be wasting my money? I'm questioning because currently the first stage is done with 0 ammonia. Would this help bring down nitrite faster?

What do you think? Good reviews so far.

It is a waste of money to use a so called "cycling aid," they speed up nothing, simply give the impression that things have been moving faster. Do not concern yourself with nitrite, it is not a critical issue in a marine system, rather just a point between A and B.

Just because the ammonia hits zero, does not mean you are done. This is inaccurate information. It means it is time to add more "ammonia," to feed the cycle. The cycle must be fed daily, or it stops. When you can toss food (not shrimp) flake or what have you, or ammonium chloride in the tank, and not get a significant ammonia ripple, determined by testing frequently, then you are "done" but it is never "done"--it is continuous. It takes 4 - 8 weeks to adequately cycle a tank, that is safe to add higher life forms to.

Again, I caution that your nitrate reading that high, is inaccurate. The presence of nitrite in the water throws many nitrate test results off. Your concern is not nitrite or nitrate right now anyway, it is ammonia. That is the killer.

 

[KhanhQ83]

uncleof6 -

Thanks for your inputs. I removed the food (or what's left of it) filter bag over the weekend. I have some ammonium chloride. I'll add this to the tank once every few days to feed the bacteria. I guess I'll just wait it out until nitrite goes down and retest nitrate. I'll continue to post results as the tank progresses.

 

[uncleof6]

uncleof6 -

Thanks for your inputs. I removed the food (or what's left of it) filter bag over the weekend. I have some ammonium chloride. I'll add this to the tank once every few days to feed the bacteria. I guess I'll just wait it out until nitrite goes down and retest nitrate. I'll continue to post results as the tank progresses.

You do not have to use ammonium chloride, although it will do the job. The food flakes will do the job as well. Add daily, in increasing amounts, till you can add, and not get an ammonia reading. Every couple of days is not frequent enough. The idea is to build a bomb proof bottom end (ammonia > nitrite,) and not let it idle--as it is the ammonia that is the problem. The autotrophic bacteria reproduce in 15 - 24 hours. This is why the cycle takes the amount of time it should take. The nitrite will, of course, take care of itself, as this bacteria population grows in step with the bottom end bacteria.

 

[reefnewbie83177]

Can't really speak to your specific problem, but what has worked for me is:

I have a 90 gallon tank with 130lbs well cured live rock. I JNS SK2 skimmer rated to 300gallons, lots of macro and mangrove in my refuge. running ~3500gph turnover (between power heads and return). I have had this system up and running for 3 months now and never saw an NH4/NO2/NO3 spike. I have never had any detectable nitrates in this system (knock on wood). I also used stabilizer for the first couple of weeks and then before every addition of livestock.

Good luck.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I came across this product while watching Mark Callahan's YouTube channel. He highly recommended this product. Dr. Tim's One and Only live bacteria linked below:

http://www.amazon.com/DrTims-Aquatics-Nitrifying-Bacteria-Cycling/dp/B002DVRHMS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330369348&sr=8-1

I'm thinking of getting a bottle and add to my tank to help speed up the process. Do you think this will work or I'd be wasting my money? I'm questioning because currently the first stage is done with 0 ammonia. Would this help bring down nitrite faster?

What do you think? Good reviews so far.

I'm not convinced adding commercial bacteria is necessary or useful in the context of vinegar dosing.

 

[KhanhQ83]

Thanks for your advice. I did not purchase the product. Started dosing vinegar today. I'll just have to be patience and let nature takes it course. I'll be posting results or questions/concerns in the next weeks.

 

[KhanhQ83]

Since I started dosing vinegar a few days ago, it really sped up the cycling process and as of today the tank has been officially cycled (exactly 1 month), ammonia 0, nitrite 0 (I verified this by adding 2+ppm of ammonium chloride and waited 24 hours to retest). The problem is I still have extremely high nitrate (80 to 100ppm). I snapped a couple pics here with API and Salifert kit. I continue to dose vinegar but what should I do now to rapidly bring down this high level of nitrate?

Thanks

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Don't focus on "rapidly" bringing it down. Just let it come down over time from the vinegar dosing. Trying to do it fast will just lead to worse problems.

 

[KhanhQ83]

Don't focus on "rapidly" bringing it down. Just let it come down over time from the vinegar dosing. Trying to do it fast will just lead to worse problems.

Randy, thanks for the wise words

With the high nitrate, would it be bad if I add fish now? Because the tank still need a source of ammonia to stay "alive." I wonder if that would do much harm to the fishes.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Most fish will not be terribly bothered by high nitrate, especially if it is on its way down.