Need some assistance with cycling a tank

[Fishrfriend]

Just started a 29g biocube with cured rocks and sand. I filled up the biocube with saltwater from my existing tank. I then added 125ml of brightwell Aquatics Start XLM and 3 ml of dr tims ammonia chloride. The next day, I tested my water param using API and salifert and I got zero ammonia. Even after adding 5 ml of dr tims ammonia. I still get zero ammonia. At first i thought, my ammonia is not good anymore so i bought a new one. Same results. After a week, still getting zero ammonia and nitrite...what am I missing here. My other tank, i used dr tims all in one with the ammonia. This tank, i used brightwell and dr tims ammonia....

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[pledosophy]

I would try adding some fish food. If you still test 0 ammonia in 8 and then in 24 hours, the nitrogen cycle is complete.

Make sure you test it out with a days worth of food, and not just pure ammonia.

BTW next time you want ammonia, they sell it at the 99 cents store. Probably cheaper. Same stuff.

 

[Fishrfriend]

99 cents store? Whats its called?

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[Brady4000]

Just started a 29g biocube with cured rocks and sand. I filled up the biocube with saltwater from my existing tank. I then added 125ml of brightwell Aquatics Start XLM and 3 ml of dr tims ammonia chloride. The next day, I tested my water param using API and salifert and I got zero ammonia. Even after adding 5 ml of dr tims ammonia. I still get zero ammonia. At first i thought, my ammonia is not good anymore so i bought a new one. Same results. After a week, still getting zero ammonia and nitrite...what am I missing here. My other tank, i used dr tims all in one with the ammonia. This tank, i used brightwell and dr tims ammonia....

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When you say “cured rock and sand” are you saying live rock and sand? If it’s already live then you were done with the cycle as soon as you added the rock and sand. That’s why you never got ammonia.

When you bought the rock, was it wet? Was the sand wet? If the answer is yes then it was most likely live.

Post a photo of the rock so we can be sure it’s truly live rock.

 

[Brady4000]

What’s your nitrate? No ammonia, no nitrite, but lots of Nitrate = cycles done. Start adding what you want.

 

[Jerry Williams]

BTW next time you want ammonia, they sell it at the 99 cents store. Probably cheaper. Same stuff.

The difference between Ammonia and Ammonium is that Ammonia is made up of one nitrogen atom and three hydrogen atoms whereas Ammonium is made up of one nitrogen atom and four hydrogen atoms. Also, Ammonia is un-ionized while Ammonium is ionized.
Dr.Tim's recommendation is to use Ammonium. Also check your pH, NH3 and No2 each time you test.

 

[Fishrfriend]

When you say “cured rock and sand” are you saying live rock and sand? If it’s already live then you were done with the cycle as soon as you added the rock and sand. That’s why you never got ammonia.

When you bought the rock, was it wet? Was the sand wet? If the answer is yes then it was most likely live.

Post a photo of the rock so we can be sure it’s truly live rock.

Those were my old live rocks and sand from my 45gal reef tank that i took down. It had some pest in them so i soaked them in bleach and water solution for several days then rinsed them and soaked them in ro water for several more days then sun dried them for a few more days. During the setup, i added a couple of live rocks from my establish reef tank...

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[Fishrfriend]

When you say “cured rock and sand” are you saying live rock and sand? If it’s already live then you were done with the cycle as soon as you added the rock and sand. That’s why you never got ammonia.

When you bought the rock, was it wet? Was the sand wet? If the answer is yes then it was most likely live.

Post a photo of the rock so we can be sure it’s truly live rock.

Left picture br curing...right after

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[Brady4000]

Yea that’s dead not live at all.

How big were the rocks that you added that were live and how many, this could be the corporate.

What’s your nitrates?

You have ALOT of rock in that tank, if even a quarter of them were live it might be why.

 

[Brady4000]

To give you an idea, this is how much live rock I have in my tank (Biocube 32), and it keeps up just fine. I also added live sand.

was your sand live?

 

[resortez]

I would try adding some fish food. If you still test 0 ammonia in 8 and then in 24 hours, the nitrogen cycle is complete.

Make sure you test it out with a days worth of food, and not just pure ammonia.

BTW next time you want ammonia, they sell it at the 99 cents store. Probably cheaper. Same stuff.

Second this. Add some food to get some NO3 to start reading. If your boicube has a bag of carbon &/or sponges that need rinsing, rinse those items in the new setup. It’s another way of introducing bacteria into the new tank.

 

[pledosophy]

99 cents store? Whats its called?

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They call it..... Ammonia, the ingredients should be ammonia, or ammonia chloride. If there is much after that it is the wrong thing. You want the pure unscented. If it has that lemony goodness it's not for your tank. It's usually with cleaning products.

 

[pledosophy]

The difference between Ammonia and Ammonium is that Ammonia is made up of one nitrogen atom and three hydrogen atoms whereas Ammonium is made up of one nitrogen atom and four hydrogen atoms. Also, Ammonia is un-ionized while Ammonium is ionized.
Dr.Tim's recommendation is to use Ammonium. Also check your pH, NH3 and No2 each time you test.

Even so, regular old 99 cent store ammonia has been cycling tanks for decades now. I have been using it for over 20 years, used it a lot when breeding. I actually learned it from other breeders around 2000.

There is some research that shows pure ammonia is lacking in some specific features, but it still works well enough. For me when I cycle a tank, I don't need to use the absolute best top of the line thing, I can just use something that works. IMO this hobbycan get way to caught up in making very simple things harder than they have to be.

Nitrospira and nitrosomonas (sp?) doubles itself in 8 hours in ideal reef tank conditions once it is fed. The ammonia just needs to feed it.

 

[Fishrfriend]

Below are pics of my biocube with the cured rocks and sand. 2nd pics is my water parameter. I just added 3ml of Dr Tims Ammonium Chloride 2 days ago.

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[Brady4000]

I use Salfert test kits. I don’t know how to read your test. What’s the numbers?

 

[Fishrfriend]

Sorry. I forgot to upload the cheat code

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[Fishrfriend]

Basically ph is 7.8. Rest are zero....

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[Brady4000]

tank is not cycled

Toss dr Tim one and only in there.

Then

Toss a raw shrimp in there, test for the next few days, when ammonia spikes in about 4-5 days. Pull it out, wait til ammonia goes to 0 and nitrates are high. Water change and call it a day.

side note: put the shrimp in a mesh media bag, it will be easier to remove.

more than one way to skin a cat, but this is what I would do.

 

[Fishrfriend]

I have been adding Dr Tims Ammonium chloride in the tank but still detecting zero ammonia. Even if the tank is not cycled. I shld be getting ammonia reading.....

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[BeanMachine]

I have been adding Dr Tims Ammonium chloride in the tank but still detecting zero ammonia. Even if the tank is not cycled. I shld be getting ammonia reading.....

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You may want to get a new test kit. I used the Salifert kit when I cycled my tank with Ammonium Chloride. Raised the ammonia to 2ppm, dosed bacteria to zero, and repeated that two more times.

But yeah your rock isn't cycled (cured) at all if you bleached it and let it dry out.