Bacteria Dead?

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#1
Was this too much fish to cycle for a 10g?
What is the right amount? For the bacteria. Starting to think I might have killed the bacteria for high levels of ammonia.




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five.five-six

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#2
No you d kill all your bacteria. And if you did, you’ll get more. It’s in the air. 1/2 the bacterial you are trying to cultivate eats ammonia for breakfast.
 

BgFish

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#7
That is a lot. I use about a 1/2 inch chunk of shrimp.
What’s your ammonia levels? Have you seen nitrite spike and come down?
 

Smite

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#8
If you've got a decent level of ammonia in there pull the fish out. If you're at 6 do a 50% water change and watch it maybe add some more bacteria at that point if you're impatient like me lol
 
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#9
I had nitrite spike hit ammonia was present. Lfs didn’t tell me the numbers.


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#11

I bit the bullet and went to Petco and bought some

Ammonia- 0.50 ppm
Nitrite- 2.0ppm/5.0ppm
Nitrate- 40ppm


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BgFish

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#12
The API tests are ok. Not the best quality- but for these three should be ok. As you progress in the hobby it’s worth picking up some better quality tests. Here is what I test on a weekly basis:
Temp (I have three checks: heater control, chiller and a hand held laser pointer kind), salinity (I use refractometer), alkalinity (Hanna checker), magnesium (salifert brand test), calcium(Salifert brand test), PH(cheapo handheld teater- api twat as back up) Phosphates (Hanna checker), Nitrates (Salifert brand test). Once your past cycle ammonia and nitrite should remain at or close to zero. I don’t test those two as often as I test the others.
Looks to me like your still cycling. When you see nitrite spike and then get to 0 you should be cycled. Looks like your in the nitrite spike, should not be too much Longer.
I would remove the fish, test daily util you see nitrite at zero.
Couldn’t hurt to add more “bacteria in a bottle” like quick start or something like that. But I think either way your in the middle - towards the end of your cycle.
Once cycled start with one or two cheap hardy fish. (Would advise against damsel fish)

you could do freshwater mollies but need to do 6 hr slow acclimation to salinity and temp. Molly’s are cheap and are algea eaters. Even freshwater guppies can be acclimated to salt water. But again: At lease 6hr acclimation- or longer. Some do it over days or weeks. I’ve had luck with 6hrs.
Hope this helps.
HAPPY REEFING!
 
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#13
The API tests are ok. Not the best quality- but for these three should be ok. As you progress in the hobby it’s worth picking up some better quality tests. Here is what I test on a weekly basis:
Temp (I have three checks: heater control, chiller and a hand held laser pointer kind), salinity (I use refractometer), alkalinity (Hanna checker), magnesium (salifert brand test), calcium(Salifert brand test), PH(cheapo handheld teater- api twat as back up) Phosphates (Hanna checker), Nitrates (Salifert brand test). Once your past cycle ammonia and nitrite should remain at or close to zero. I don’t test those two as often as I test the others.
Looks to me like your still cycling. When you see nitrite spike and then get to 0 you should be cycled. Looks like your in the nitrite spike, should not be too much Longer.
I would remove the fish, test daily util you see nitrite at zero.
Couldn’t hurt to add more “bacteria in a bottle” like quick start or something like that. But I think either way your in the middle - towards the end of your cycle.
Once cycled start with one or two cheap hardy fish. (Would advise against damsel fish)

you could do freshwater mollies but need to do 6 hr slow acclimation to salinity and temp. Molly’s are cheap and are algea eaters. Even freshwater guppies can be acclimated to salt water. But again: At lease 6hr acclimation- or longer. Some do it over days or weeks. I’ve had luck with 6hrs.
Hope this helps.
HAPPY REEFING!
Yeah I still have all my Hanna and Red Sea test kit just need to buy the reagents. Just bought these API references for the cycle.

I saw some mollies and guppies already transitioned in Pasadena TF.
I am doing a pair of shark nose and maybe banggai. Don’t really want to add life stalk it’s going to be a frag tank to slowly collect species for when I do get a system going.


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BgFish

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#14
Yeah I still have all my Hanna and Red Sea test kit just need to buy the reagents. Just bought these API references for the cycle.

I saw some mollies and guppies already transitioned in Pasadena TF.
I am doing a pair of shark nose and maybe banggai. Don’t really want to add life stalk it’s going to be a frag tank to slowly collect species for when I do get a system going.


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yeah Hanna and Red Sea are better then the API.
Well good luck my friend, and HAPpy reefing!
 

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