Need some assistance with cycling a tank

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#21
Actually, i just bought a brand new salifert ammonia test kit. It also read zero ammonia. So far, i have used 2 different Salifert test kits, 1 new and 1 existing, as well as an API test kit. Also used 2 dr tims Ammonium chloride, 1 existing and 1 new. Still reading zero on all my test kits...

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#22
Actually, i just bought a brand new salifert ammonia test kit. It also read zero ammonia. So far, i have used 2 different Salifert test kits, 1 new and 1 existing, as well as an API test kit. Also used 2 dr tims Ammonium chloride, 1 existing and 1 new. Still reading zero on all my test kits...

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It is possible for the bacteria population that you dosed in your tank to be ample enough to take care of the ammonia you dosed three days ago., but the tank still not be able to handle the bio load of fish. It is also possible you added enough bacteria that it is ready to go right now. It is possible to add enough bacteria to instant cycle the nitrogen portion of cycling a tank.

If you believe the tank to be cycled, the best thing to do now is to toss in the same amount of food you plan to daily, and then test in 8 and 24 hours. If ammonia is 0 you are ready to go.

Some people like to add a copepod starter at this point and continue to feed the tank and let the pods do their thing until you start to hit the algae cycles. Then toss in your clean up crew, then after a week or so toss in your fish.

I prefer this method myself as it is much easier to go through the algae cycle with a fishless/coral less tank.

I really think one of the keys to a successful tank is all of the micro fauna, so I add mine in deliberately just like I add my bacteria deliberately.

If you go the pod route Tisbe and Apocalypse pods are my two favorite ones to add.
 

Brady4000

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#23
It is possible for the bacteria population that you dosed in your tank to be ample enough to take care of the ammonia you dosed three days ago., but the tank still not be able to handle the bio load of fish. It is also possible you added enough bacteria that it is ready to go right now. It is possible to add enough bacteria to instant cycle the nitrogen portion of cycling a tank.

If you believe the tank to be cycled, the best thing to do now is to toss in the same amount of food you plan to daily, and then test in 8 and 24 hours. If ammonia is 0 you are ready to go.

Some people like to add a copepod starter at this point and continue to feed the tank and let the pods do their thing until you start to hit the algae cycles. Then toss in your clean up crew, then after a week or so toss in your fish.

I prefer this method myself as it is much easier to go through the algae cycle with a fishless/coral less tank.

I really think one of the keys to a successful tank is all of the micro fauna, so I add mine in deliberately just like I add my bacteria deliberately.

If you go the pod route Tisbe and Apocalypse pods are my two favorite ones to add.
He has 0 nitrate. I have no idea how he can have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and 0 nitrate. If he’s dosing ammonia.

that’s why I suggested the shrimp, maybe something wrong with:

1- Test kit
Or
2- Ammonia not really ammonia.

Toss a shrimp in there if you don’t have ammonia or nitrate after that. It’s your test kit.
 
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#24
Yeah. Thats whats confusing me. This is my 3rd times cycling a tank. I have never seen this issue before. At first i thought my dr tims ammonium chloride hav expired , only a year old. So i bought a brand new one from my lfs and started using it. Even after putting 5 ml of ammonia in the tank, iam still not getting any readings so I bought a new salifert kit. I threw in a small shrimp in the tank and started feeding pellets. Will test again in a day....

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Brady4000

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#25
Yeah. Thats whats confusing me. This is my 3rd times cycling a tank. I have never seen this issue before. At first i thought my dr tims ammonium chloride hav expired , only a year old. So i bought a brand new one from my lfs and started using it. Even after putting 5 ml of ammonia in the tank, iam still not getting any readings so I bought a new salifert kit. I threw in a small shrimp in the tank and started feeding pellets. Will test again in a day....

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Update after I few days, I am also curious. Lol
 
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#26
He has 0 nitrate. I have no idea how he can have 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and 0 nitrate. If he’s dosing ammonia.
We're on the same page. That is also why I suggested fish food. He needs to try a different source of adding ammonia.

The thing I like about fish food is that you can put the amount in you will be using. With table shrimp if the tank is smaller you can spike ammonia levels over 1 pretty easy and over 1 the ammonia kills the bacteria too.
 
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