40B Build starting on low budget

[Hdale85]

So it seems I have something like 4-5 Ammonia.... it's hard to tell I let it sit 30 min because it was hard to pick a color at 15 min so I went for the longer test. The problem is it looks kind of purple which is not on the scale. I'm testing their reference now to see it but I don't know. There's gotta be a better Ammonia test out there this thing is weird to me lol. 

[graftobny142]

API ammonia test worked for me.

[Hdale85]

Yeah I might pick one up locally to have something to verify/test against. 

[Hdale85]

Sooooo I may be adding too much Ammonia, according to a review of the Ace Hardware Ammonia on their website someone posted about using it for cycling and said this stuff is really strong and you probably should use about half what people cycling recommend. 

 

Guessing this could explain why my test color is coming out purple, did I kill my cycle? Or should I just wait a few days? I added a full 500Ml bottle of Seachem Stability. 

 

Should I get some Ammonia remover and just start fresh on adding ammonia? 

 

 

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1307957#showReviews the review that mentioned this. It's the exact same bottle I have item number 10183 which lists 10% ammonium hydroxide. 

[Hdale85]

So....continuing my investigation I came across this 

 

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/how-much-ammonia-to-add-fishless-cycle-85786.html

 

Which states the ace Ammonia at 10% solution will give you 1ppm in a 10 gallon tank at .34mL, well for 40 gallons at 5ppm with that amount I get 6.8mL but I've been using one dropper full yesterday and today which my dropper is only 3mL, maybe 4mL since I went a bit higher than the 3 mark. 

[Pinner Reef]

I admire your tenaciousness in regard to your research. Keep that same mentality because it'll keep you from making a lot of mistakes. That said; there's nothing to worry about when it comes to overdosing the ammonia. As long as you are cycling fishless there is no harm to the bacteria if you overdose Ammonia. I believe you might actually foster a more robust colony of bacteria as there is more to energy feed the populous. It might take a bit longer to process the extra Ammonia but the cycle will still happen.

[Hdale85]

Ok thanks, if it is overdosed it can't be by that much I don't think. This test just seems a bit finicky I think... I'm considering sending it back to Amazon lol.

[Pinner Reef]

You said you were using a Seachem titrant style test kit (as opposed to the dip strip style)? That's strange as they're usually pretty accurate, so long as the titrants have not expired. That said; chasing specific Ammonia and Nitrite levels is a bit overkill during the cycling process. You'll see the levels fluctuate drastically as populations grow at different rates. Really, all I ever did was run a test to see if either of those two params are at zero or you have to wait longer for them to get to zero.

 

But really tho; I'm too hungover to do math right now.

[Hdale85]

I'm not sure if they are expired, there's no date on the box. But yes these aren't test strips it has a little yellow paper dot you put in the water, then put a drop of a reagent onto it. 

 

I picked up an API test kit (uses 2 different solutions in a vile not the test strips). With this kit it seems to be between 4 and 8 ppm. The scale on the color meter goes from 4 to 8, it seems a bit more blue than the green on the 4.0, but not quite as dark as the one on the 8.0. 

[Hdale85]

I'm just not really sure what to call this....lol 

 

[Pinner Reef]

16 minutes ago, Hdale85 said:

I'm just not really sure what to call this....lol 

 

 

 

A good start.

 

 Now we play the waiting game

[Hdale85]

How long should it take to start going down? I added a large bottle of Stability that was well before the exp date. 

[1891Bro]

On 5/27/2017 at 1:27 PM, Hdale85 said:

So....continuing my investigation I came across this 

 

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/how-much-ammonia-to-add-fishless-cycle-85786.html

 

Which states the ace Ammonia at 10% solution will give you 1ppm in a 10 gallon tank at .34mL, well for 40 gallons at 5ppm with that amount I get 6.8mL but I've been using one dropper full yesterday and today which my dropper is only 3mL, maybe 4mL since I went a bit higher than the 3 mark. 

So if one day you put in 3ml and the next day you put in almost four, so the math works out that you would have dosed the 6.8 it would take to get 5ppm ammonia. You only have to dose it up to 1ppm once, not daily. At 5ppm the bacteria will reproduce slower. Do a fifty percent WC and don't dose any until the ammonia has been consumed. 

 

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/the-microbiology-of-reef-tank-cycling.214618/

 

@brandon429

[Hdale85]

The pages I was reading said to dose up to 5ppm I thought. 

[1891Bro]

3 minutes ago, Hdale85 said:

The pages I was reading said to dose up to 5ppm I thought. 

Too high, is slows down the bacteria reproduction. 1-2 is perfect. 

I went to two, dosed bacteria, waited two weeks, redosed ammonia and bacteria, waited a week, tested ammonia and it was 0, dosed back up to 1, waited 24 hours, ammonia was back to 0, done. 

[Hdale85]

Ok....well I'm just going to do a water change then. Most people seem to like the ammonia lower. 

 

Another thing is I made a filter floss filter and filled a bag of activated carbon for my HOB, but they seem to float. Not sure what to do about that. 

[Nidilsky]

4 minutes ago, Hdale85 said:

Ok....well I'm just going to do a water change then. Most people seem to like the ammonia lower. 

 

Another thing is I made a filter floss filter and filled a bag of activated carbon for my HOB, but they seem to float. Not sure what to do about that. 

Slap some bio media on top, will hold it down. And you add the ammonia just to see if you have the nitrifying bacteria to eat it. Meaning you tank will cycle. 

[graftobny142]

2 hours ago, Hdale85 said:

The pages I was reading said to dose up to 5ppm I thought. 

I dosed mine to 8ppm with ammonia and it cycled very well. Diatoms , GHA, and cyano have come and gone within the first ~2 months.

Here is my thread
 

 

[Hdale85]

Well I did a water change and I think my Ammonia is ~3ppm now. 

[Hdale85]

So my Ammonia seems to be around 2-3ppm, I decided to check PH and and Nitrite/Nitrates PH was like 8.0-8.2 Nitrites seem to be around .05 and Nitrates around 5. So it seems there is definitely some bacteria left from the Stability after my water change at the very least. I mean if there were no Nitrites/Nitrates it would be clear and this is definitely pink. So at the very least things seem to be progressing. If the Ammonia gets down low should I add more? Or just leave it? 

[graftobny142]

If you do not plan on adding any life than you will need to lightly redose until you do. Otherwise, once all the ammonia has been depleted you can add something small to keep the cycle intact.

After mine was complete I added a frogspawn frag and 3 hermits/5 snails. Everything has been great so far.

[Hdale85]

Yea I might add a cuc I guess if we aren't ready to purchase fish yet. 

[Hdale85]

Ammonia at a solid 2ppm today and Nitrites at about 5ppm, and looks like Nitrates around 10ppm.

[Hdale85]

So today we're at or just above 1ppm on the Ammonia. I haven't tested nitrites/nitrates yet. Seems like the Ammonia is going away faster now though, probably going to have to put some more in soon. 

[Hdale85]

Ok so...

 

Nitrites

Nitrates