BumbleBeeJBG Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 See my sig for tank. Basically I started cycling last week. Have been doing about 30% water changes every other day because I didn't have tests as they were being shipped. Finally got the lot of Elos tests this morning and I'm finding them difficult to read... anyone else? In any event, I tested this afternoon and Ammonia read .1 so I did an 80% water change and this evening I test again and this is what I get... Looks like .1 to me, no? Can Ammonia build up that quickly? Also, I can't seem to read these all to well... To me this looks like .02 (Nitrites) from the top but .00 from the side This 8.3 on the pH? These nitrates... 2.5 - 5!? Seem kinda high considering that the tank has nada in it, no? Thanks for looking! Link to comment
Weetabix7 Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 I agree with what you thought your readings were. Do you have LR in there? If so, the readings make sense to me. Are you trying to "soft cycle" ? Link to comment
BumbleBeeJBG Posted August 31, 2009 Author Share Posted August 31, 2009 I agree with what you thought your readings were. Do you have LR in there? If so, the readings make sense to me. Are you trying to "soft cycle" ? I'm trying to soft cycle but failing, Ammonia just keeps coming back too quickly. Getting a ton of die off on these rocks which were all fully cured from others aquariums with tons of life as evidence like feather dusters, corraline, zoas, baby snails, etc. There's even a baby BTA (no, it's not aiptasia). It's getting very frustrating, no matter how much water I change... I may just give up and let it finish its own cycle cause at this point all I seem to be doing is wasting a lot of salt & time. I would say roughly 70% of the corraline is dead, 50% of the Zoas still haven't opened since the rock has been in and the 1 rock that was plagued by feather dusters and other types of worms is only sprouting a few. Starting to bloom algaes so maybe I'm done with the ammonia, I hope. Link to comment
MikeTR Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 soft cycle is bs... just ride it out. Link to comment
MikeTR Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 the only thing i've seen from the so called "soft cycle" method is prolonging the time that toxic ammonia & nitrite levels are present in the aquaria.. Link to comment
TESK Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 I do not know if soft cycles actually happen as described, something else might be at work, something which we have yet to understand. I am starting to think that they may be a myth, but I will admit that I know nothing about cycles and how they work, I just know they happen and that they're different for each person and each tank. At this point, riding it out is probably your best bet. Things will die, but what happens happens. Take it all as it comes. Link to comment
FiRsT-aNd-LaSt Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Yeah never been much of a soft cycle person neither, I'd just ride it out, if your concerned with things dying, just get prime or something to detoxify the water, I know people say don't add chemicals, but I've use it in the past for cycling my tank and they claim it don't interrupt your cycle and IMO I have to agree, I had LR that had hitch hiking zoanthids, feather dusters, and even crabs that made it through the cycle and never seem bothered with the treatment of prime. Link to comment
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