Help: Accidentally overdosed ammonia during cycle

[Subsea]

7 hours ago, dnez said:

Man, those nitrifying bacteria are industrious little guys. It's really impressive how efficient they are. My last test ammonia looks like it dropped a bit. Still somewhere between 1 - 2ppm but before it was dark green ink on the API kit, so def a marked improvement. 

 

I can't wait until things stabilized. I guess while I wait I can plan my cleanup crew for when my tank is ready for inhabitants, yay.

 

NH3/4 2 ppm (looks like inbetween 1 & 2)

NO2 2 ppm

NO3 160 ppm

HR pH 8

 

 

The reason that I did not recomend big water changes after nitrogen cycle is two fold.  I see little point to dilute nitrate.  De-nitrification requires bacteria to consume the oxygen molecule in NO4, in a low oxygen environment and respire free nitrogen gas to the atmosphere.  By allowing nitrate to remain, the denitrifying bacteria populations will be well established.

 

Corals require the same nutrients as algae to thrive.  It is a “Question of Balance”.  Herbivores sequester nutrients that would otherwise grow nuisance algae.

 

[dnez]

1 hour ago, banasophia said:

Yes, having just set up my tank a couple of months ago, I can highly recommend John Mahoney and Reef Cleaners from recent experience. One of the options was custom cleanup crew, so I selected that and described my setup and thoughts on what I would want in my tank and he sent me his recommendations, which seem to have been spot on. Snails only, by the way, and they seem to get the job done. I also added some Tisbe pods to my tank in the beginning, before adding any fish that could eat them, to allow them to get established. 

They were really helpful with the rocks. I told them specifically what types and they delivered. 

 

In regards to the pods do you have media like chaeto or Mariepure for them? I want I establish a population and hoping it could be renewable. Looks like you have a Biocube too so I'm looking for ideas. Part of me wants to use the intank fuge and on the other hand I would like to have a separate pod tank where they thrive. I guess I can start with that tank and go from there. Did you  place the pods in the back chamber or display area? I also want the tisbe and was thinking of marine pure blocks or one of the rock shaped media by them.

[Subsea]

Before going any further, I should tell you that I am a Laissez Faire reefkeeper.  I choose a minimalistic approach to reefkeeping. I set up my first reef tank 45 years ago after attending Oceaneering 101 at the Texas  Maritime Academy.    Using Dynamic Equilibrium between carbon dioxide in athmosphere and calcium carbonate in limestone/aroggonite/dolomite the pH of the ocean is kept within a fixed range of 8.15 with sun up to 7.85 when dark.  Using natural processes allows for ease of operation.

[Subsea]

Yes to Tisbe because of ease of establishment.  

 

IMO, better than Tisbe is 

 

https://www.algaebarn.com/product/ap/

 

These guy will do better in warmer tanks.  In addition, during three stages of development: they are detrivores, herbivores and carnivores.  In each stage, they are live food for differrent size mouths.

[dnez]

1 hour ago, Subsea said:

Yes to Tisbe because of ease of establishment.  

 

IMO, better than Tisbe is 

 

https://www.algaebarn.com/product/ap/

 

These guy will do better in warmer tanks.  In addition, during three stages of development: they are detrivores, herbivores and carnivores.  In each stage, they are live food for differrent size mouths.

I saw these same pods to recommended darting around in their pouch at my LFS. Maybe I'll have a couple different populations of pods for diversity.

 

I hope I can get to a point I can apply laissez-faire reefing to my approach. Especially when it comes to corals since that can become very very involved for some people.

 

 

[banasophia]

6 hours ago, Subsea said:

Yes to Tisbe because of ease of establishment.  

 

IMO, better than Tisbe is 

 

https://www.algaebarn.com/product/ap/

 

These guy will do better in warmer tanks.  In addition, during three stages of development: they are detrivores, herbivores and carnivores.  In each stage, they are live food for differrent size mouths.

Great tip, thanks so much Subsea, will order some to culture this week. I’ve only used the Tisbe and Tigger pods so far (one order of Tisbe pods I ordered with my CUC and added to my tank initially, and an order of Tigger pods that I picked up last week at my LFS and started a culture). From what I just read, looks like the Apocyclops have quite a few advantages over the other two.

 

Dnez, I set up a refugium with chaeto algae a few weeks ago, per the method described by Jackal227 in his thread, Jackal's Biocube 16 LED - New Corals. Not sure how to link the thread, but you can do a search for it. He describes his setup well, and includes great pictures and links to items you need that you can order from Amazon. So far so good, but my one regret is that I didn’t rinse/inspect the chaeto before adding to my tank as it appears to have had some baby bristle worms, which I’m not a fan of... seems most got sucked onto the sponge cover of my Vortech pump though, so I was able to remove them. I would definitely examine the chaeto before adding it!

 

I also have a rubble pile in my back right corner using CaribSea Rubble Zone:

CaribSea Aquatics Rubble Zone, 6 lb/1 gallon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FFXE1GG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_YKx3AbN6T79FF

[dnez]

16 hours ago, banasophia said:

Great tip, thanks so much Subsea, will order some to culture this week. I’ve only used the Tisbe and Tigger pods so far (one order of Tisbe pods I ordered with my CUC and added to my tank initially, and an order of Tigger pods that I picked up last week at my LFS and started a culture). From what I just read, looks like the Apocyclops have quite a few advantages over the other two.

 

Dnez, I set up a refugium with chaeto algae a few weeks ago, per the method described by Jackal227 in his thread, Jackal's Biocube 16 LED - New Corals. Not sure how to link the thread, but you can do a search for it. He describes his setup well, and includes great pictures and links to items you need that you can order from Amazon. So far so good, but my one regret is that I didn’t rinse/inspect the chaeto before adding to my tank as it appears to have had some baby bristle worms, which I’m not a fan of... seems most got sucked onto the sponge cover of my Vortech pump though, so I was able to remove them. I would definitely examine the chaeto before adding it!

 

I also have a rubble pile in my back right corner using CaribSea Rubble Zone:

CaribSea Aquatics Rubble Zone, 6 lb/1 gallon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FFXE1GG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_YKx3AbN6T79FF

Beautiful tank. How long have you had frogspawn for? Is that Xenia under the arc of your tank? I want to have a small Xenia island.  Do you does call or anything else for the corals? Any tips for keeping them in a Biocube?

I ended up with some rubble from when my rock was shipped. I may do something similar for pods if my tank cycles. 

[banasophia]

6 hours ago, dnez said:

Beautiful tank. How long have you had frogspawn for? Is that Xenia under the arc of your tank? I want to have a small Xenia island.  Do you does call or anything else for the corals? Any tips for keeping them in a Biocube?

I ended up with some rubble from when my rock was shipped. I may do something similar for pods if my tank cycles. 

Thanks, dnez, I’m a total newbie myself, my tank has only been up and running for about 2 1/2 months, so it remains to be seen how things will do long term. The calcium level has been 380-400; I haven’t started dosing anything at this point. I’ve been using Imagitarium natural seawater for the past few weeks after getting what I thought may have been a poorly mixed batch of saltwater from an LFS that caused everything to shrink up. 

 

Yes, that is Xenia, and I really debated about adding it to my tank due to concerns about controlling its spread. I finally broke down and got it from my LFS because it is the actual coral that made me decide to get into the hobby, so it was a sentimental decision. (I was really stressed after work one day, went to the LFS to pick something up for my daughter’s freshwater tank, and I was so mesmerized by its beauty that I must have stood there for a good 15 minutes admiring that tank. After lots of research, I decided to start my own tank, and here I am diving in, learning everything I can and creating this ecosystem for these beautiful creatures.) There are so may things to love about saltwater reef keeping for me so far... I’m so glad to be able to do this. 

[markalot]

The only negative I've ever read as far as overdosing ammonia during a dry rock cycle is that elevated levels of ammonia can inhibit growth of the bacteria that converts nitrite to nitrate.  This often shows itself as a stuck cycle with lots of nitrite and only a little nitrate until ammonia levels drop.   I don't think a small water change would hurt, but I also think doing nothing will be fine as well.  

[dnez]

26 minutes ago, markalot said:

The only negative I've ever read as far as overdosing ammonia during a dry rock cycle is that elevated levels of ammonia can inhibit growth of the bacteria that converts nitrite to nitrate.  This often shows itself as a stuck cycle with lots of nitrite and only a little nitrate until ammonia levels drop.   I don't think a small water change would hurt, but I also think doing nothing will be fine as well.  

Thanks markalot. Maybe I'm looking at it sideways, but I feel like I can't add more Ammonia until the nitrites go down otherwise I'm adding to nitrites once nitrifying bacteria do their thing. Which actually might be higher than I thought; I'm having trouble distinguishing 2ppm and 5ppm for the nitrites test results.

I keep telling myself I'm only a few days and it'll find equilibrium but hen I read articles all over about stalled cycles so who knows how this ends up. I just want to be proactive where I can be and let nature take its course where I can't. 

[Subsea]

13 hours ago, dnez said:

Thanks markalot. Maybe I'm looking at it sideways, but I feel like I can't add more Ammonia until the nitrites go down otherwise I'm adding to nitrites once nitrifying bacteria do their thing. Which actually might be higher than I thought; I'm having trouble distinguishing 2ppm and 5ppm for the nitrites test results.

I keep telling myself I'm only a few days and it'll find equilibrium but hen I read articles all over about stalled cycles so who knows how this ends up. I just want to be proactive where I can be and let nature take its course where I can't. 

@dnez

 

Bacteria are the pivitol species that make everything else work.  Without reefkeepers help, bacteria figured it over  4 billion years ago.  Relax a little.